Human Rights Violation Hearings — Mmabatho — 1996-07-08

ANDRIES KGOBADI: Yes, I can do so.  It was in 1985 in June, it was about on the 18th.   The police arrived at home in the evening and they kicked the door open.   And they were looking for me.   And there were many police vans outside.  Some of them were Hippos and Landrovers.  Other cars were in the yard already and the others were surrounding the
house.  The policemen  who kicked the door open were Strydom and Brand.  From there, after taking me we went
to James Mowene.  When we arrived at James Mowene's house
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they opened the van and they asked for Nono, whether he is this Kgobadi.   And from there we went to the police station.   
 When we arrived at the police station they put a sort of a pillowcase on my head and they put me in another room which is the size of a toilet and that bag was sprayed with the teargas inside.   And the toilet was also sprayed with the teargas.  So that I could give statement on what they told me to say.  And from there - so that they could leave me.  I told them that I was telling the truth.  
 And from there we went to another office where they said I should tell the truth.  What I told them was that I don't know anything about what happened.  And then they made me sit on a chair.  They handcuffed me and they took an electric shock and plugged it in a door plug and they started shocking me so that I could tell the truth.  And it was Brand who was doing this by that time - who was with Strydom.   And on the following day we went to court.    When we arrived at the court I told them that I was not guilty and those guys were also present at the court.  And they could see what was happening there.  From there they said I must tell James Mowene that he shouldn't see himself guilty because we were in anyway not guilty.  
 In the evening again they came to pick me up at the cell and they went to beat me up with police boots.  They kicked me on the ribs and they shocked me with the electric shocks again.  In which case there was a problem about Masuke who was staying at Maoka.   
 On that evening they shocked me again and the following day we went to the court again.   And once again in court I did not find myself guilty.  
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 From the court again in the evening they used the electric shocks again on us so that we could give the statements that they wanted us to give.   
 He sent our case to the Regional Court.  And from that case I got two years from 1986 on the 31st of January.   Before we were sentenced we were given a bail of about R150, on condition that we have to go and sign at the police station and sign it at 5 o'clock, because they were afraid that we would run away.  I was also signing together with Phonono and the other guy called Steven Makalo, because those were the three of us who were involved in this case of public violence regarding Masolo.
 When I signed on the 27th of November another policeman, called Botes, who we found at the charge office, he grabbed me and asked me whether I was Andries.   And he grabbed me by the neck and put me in the charge office.   After putting me in the charge office I told him that I was only there to sign and I was asking why he was pulling me.   He never told me anything.  He put me there.   
 After a while he put me in another office behind the 
charge office.  Whilst I was sitting there another policeman came there.  They were numerous in number and I wasn't sure whether they were from Vryburg.  
 When they arrived they kicked me on the spot.   At about 7 o'clock they took me to another office, where there was a huge guy who cross-questioned me, asking me whether I know I am apprehended.   I told him I do not why I am apprehended or arrested because I never did anything wrong.  And he said to me I must tell him the truth about what I am doing there because I am not apprehended.   I told him I do not know why those people were apprehending me, because I
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only came here to sign.   And he said if I do not tell the truth the white policemen will come to me and question me.
 When I was there Major Swanepoel came.   He is a policeman who does not work in Vryburg.  It was the first time I saw him, but he was a major by rank.   And he forced me to talk and I told him that I do not know why those people have arrested me.  And he asked me whether I do not know anything regarding a girl who was burnt in the location and I told him no.   I did not know anything about that.  I just only came here to sign.   And these people arrested me when I got to the police station.
 At about 7 o'clock of the same day the boer took me and hit me on the head and my head got swollen.  And I sustained many head injuries because they were forcing us to give a statement about what they wanted us to say.   
 From there in the evening I told him there is no 
statement I can make here.   I'll make a statement in court.    At about 12 o'clock they called me again from the cells so that I could go and make a statement.  It was in the evening.   They wanted me to make a statement at court.   And then I was surprised.  I was wondering whether there was a court that could sit in the evening.  
 When I was still at the charge office they brought along an interpreter, called Mokwena.   After they have brought Mokwena they took me to the court for a statement.  When I entered the court there was a magistrate, called Von Wielligh.  I told the magistrate that there is no statement I could make, because I do not know of any court that sits in the evening.  
 And then I showed this magistrate that these 
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policemen have been assaulting me.   And when we were arrested I told him that these people who were assaulting us and they never accepted anything from us.   And the policemen could never help me because after putting you in the cell they would go away and would get drunk in the police station.
 After showing him the scars from my neck, I was bleeding from the neck and my head was swollen.  When I entered the police station Major Swanepoel looked at my statement and said I have written shit on that statement and then he tore up the statement.   
 I made a second statement.  After making such statement Mr Kgopane also said I have written shit.   He never explained what shit means.  
 On the following day, in the afternoon, at 12 o'clock they sent me to the Chief Magistrate, called Cronje, where I made another statement.   And they never tore the statement, although I have given the same statement as the one that was torn up.  
 From there they took me to the cells again.  After I made the other statement they still assaulted me.  They kicked me in the ribs again.  
 By that time we were about 14 in number who had been 
arrested by that case regarding Galebale.   Her other name is Frida.  And I did'nt know anything regarding this case, but I was a member of the UDF.
 In the first instance where Brand was hitting me, they asked me about Joe Mogaso.  They asked whether he was the one who influenced us and I told them, I don't know Joe Mogaso, I haven't seen him before.  I don't know how he looks.
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 I think that is all that happened to me.  All I can say to you.

CHAIRPERSON: I see here in your statement you are talking about James Muenwe.  Who is James Muenwe?

ANDRIES KGOBADI: Yes, I talked about James Muenwe.  He is the one they first sent me to when they first sent me home.  I was arrested together with him, regarding this case of Masoko.  They asked James whether my name was Andries.

CHAIRPERSON: You are talking here about 11 comrades who were arrested together with you maybe.  Among them, did you know any, or did you know all of them?