Human Rights Violation Hearings — Nelspruit — 1996-09-04

MAHLASELA PAUL MHLONGO: At that juncture they said to me you are Carlos, now we are giving you a new name, you are Carlos. They had to beat me and as they were beating me I was also defending myself. They said to me I am - and then they took
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a wire and they tied it on my toe and then they took a towel and then they blindfolded me, so that I cannot see whatever is happening.  They covered me, the face and I could not be able to speak, it was not possible for me to speak. I could not see. They shocked me, they tied my hands at the back.  They said to me do you still agree that you are from Mozambique, do you still disagree that you are an alien, and they said you are a kaffir. Then from there they went further, they tied my genital parts with that wire.  Yet, my hands were tied at the back.  They were shocking me and they were now shocking me on my genital parts.  Then I told them I am not from Mozambique.  They were beating me at the same time.  They were shocking me with this electric wire.  I was so surprised. I am not from Mozambique, I am not an alien and they said to me you must think properly, you kaffir.  The person who assisted me, it was actually the black officer, a black police officer, who was watching as they were doing this to me. He said to them - then he said to me if they come back again, because they are going for tea now, and if you continue to resist they are going to take a bag and they are going to put it, they will put you in a bag, and then they are going to put some stones and they will take you and throw you right inside the river.  It is not that they are only doing this to you, this is actually the thing which they do to each and every person.  So I am requesting you that when they come from the tea break, you must agree that you are an alien. Then I said well, that I am frightened, I got frightened, because I realised that their aim is to kill me now.  They were doing it. When they came back they started kicking me. They said to me are you still resisting.  I said well, I do come from Mozambique, 
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because I realised that now they wanted to - I agreed everything what they asked me.  They said well, leave him.  A black person came and removed that electric wire from my genitals and they took away the towel which covered my face, and they untied me again. I was unable to walk.  My body was totally useless.   I did not know exactly whether I will ever walk again.  I really did not believe. This thing worries me a lot.  I wanted to find out exactly who can assist me.  The problem is, there was a woman, the woman said - now the woman is complaining at home that I am no longer able to perform the sexual activity. Now this is actually because of what they did to me. They took me to the police station. On arrival at the police station there are small passages at the police station. There was nobody there. They put me inside there, together with my luggage.  They locked me in there. The following day they came to look at me, it was on a Sunday, at round about one o'clock, and then they started to wonder and then they said oh, there is a person here, and then they asked why are you here. I said well, railway police brought me in here.  Then they went to fetch the railway police, the station commander, they brought him in.  On his arrival here he wrote his own statement. He did not even ask me. He said I am Carlos, I am from Mozambique, I am an alien and found me at the border.  That is what he wrote. Then he went back.  This people from the police station took me from that small room, they took me now to the cell, together with other people.  There I remained, or that Sunday I could not eat. My body was, I was feeling pain throughout the body.  When I was together with the other people, when they brought in food, and they were bringing food, I could not eat. Now it was now on Monday,
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and then on Tuesday the magistrate came. They said I must appear before the court of law.  We were many. I think if I can count we were almost 21. Now at the magistrate's court we were not actually given the fair hearing. They brought us all, the whole 21 and then they took three from us and then they said the other 18 will actually be given chance alone. Then they said to us you are sentenced nine months, no fine; you three six months, three months suspended sentence.  Now the interpreter that day - fortunately I happened to know the interpreter.  It was Mr Johnsby.  Then I said to John man, tell this people I am from Barberton.  Now they are grouping me together with the people from the Mozambique.  Then Johnsby said I had nothing to do with you.  This worried me a lot.  Then from there they took us, they said to us we are now sentened, we must go to jail now.  They took us back to the prison.  At the prison there we remained there for Wednesday and Thursday and they put us in a truck, they took us to Barberton.  People in Barberton they knew me very well and even the warders.  They said Mr Mhlongo, where are you from, why are you a prisoner.  There is nothing that I could say. At that time it was very difficult for one to give an answer, more especially if you are a prisoner.  The people were just pushing you. My belongings which I had I had to give people, because I could not afford to carry them around. It was during December time where I had clothes for my children which I bought for Christmas time.  Now in Barberton I went there, I worked, as I was working, they said to me I must work in jail. It was not easy for me to work, because my body was shocked and I was beaten and it was not easy for my body, as I was feeling a lot of pain.  I was actually burnt tortured. I could not work.  I worked
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there in the prison for almost a month.  I could not go to work, because I said to them I haven't done anything wrong, why should I go for work. Now they said, they referred me to the doctor there at the prison.  Now the time when I felt a little bit better, I felt better I was actually going together with the other prisoners. I asked the prison warder that you know very well that I am actually a resident of Barberton and I cannot allow this to continue.  Then they said I am refusing to work.  Then they said they are going to write to Pretoria, Department of Home Affairs to check whether I am really a citizen of South Africa. Papers came back and then they said where is his ID document. Then they said to them well, this person is a South African citizen, he is not an alien, he must be given his identity document.  Then from there the prison authorities realised that no, they have made a mistake. They must just give me a parole. I was actually to be released somewhere in April, I think it was on the 10th of April.  Then I was released.  The sergeant in charge of the special division, I was then released.  From there I had to apply for a new identity document. But then I had to lose my house, I had to lose all my belongings, everything that I had during that time in that four-roomed house. I had a person who was actually living in that room and that person left everything, and I lost everything.  When I tried to ask, no one could give me a satisfactory answer.  
 Now the reason why I came before the Commission is that I have now a problem because I am no longer able to perform the sexual activity to my wife, and my body has actually turned to be useless. Now I don't know what to do next.  I just want to find out what can be done. I am bringing my
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case before the Commission so that perhaps you can do something about this.  Because during the apartheid era I was labelled terrorist and yet I was not a terrorist.