Human Rights Violation Hearings — Ladybrand — 1997-06-25

WITNESS:   As my son was a student then those years in Botshabelo township he was a youth who was fighting for freedom within the ANC.  We, as his parents, we were in the leadership of the Apostolic Faith Mission.  My son was harassed by the police all the time.  In some instances he would disappear, and when we looked for him after some two days he would tell us that he was from the police, because they detained him, and he would never tell us the reason why.  But when we go to the police to ask for reasons the police would say, "Try to discipline your child."  It was that kind of a lifestyle all the time.  When the situation worsened in July 1989 we had a night vigil for the tombstones of my mother and my father, which was on the 29th, on Saturday.  We have already unveiled those tombstones.  A group of police came, though they were in private clothes.  Others were outside.  Others knocked heavily.  As we didn't sleep on a Friday night, on Saturday we came from then unveiling of the tombstones, and Saturday evening we were asleep.  When they knocked, and when I opened for them, two policemen - I don't know as to whether they were police or not, but I would say they were police because they introduced themselves as police - they squeezed my hand and said, "Where is your son, Bufi?"  The other one light me with a torch on the face so that I should not be able to see him or identify him.  And other police were already in the house and were asking where my son was.  They took his eldest brother and they said he should point out where his younger brother is.  I told them that that person is ill, they must not take him because he's ill.  Then they said to me they will now start to kick me.  Then they said I am claiming to be sick.  They took the elder brother with them and they found where his younger brother was.  He disappeared for that day, on a Saturday and Sunday.  On Sunday evening they released him.  Those kind of things happened, that he was detained and released in many instances, and then in 1990 in December, on the 9th, he told us that he's going to court because he is arrested.  We then asked him what is the reason for his arrest.  Then he said to us the police alleged that he has raped.  He went to court.  In court he had a letter from the Botshabelo Hospital.  The medical certificate was showing that he is a person who is suffering from stress.  It was just a letter showing his sickness.  After that then in court they say those are the tricks from the comrades, they make tricks with medical certificates or letters from the doctor.  They will examine themselves in Oranje Hospital to verify as to whether he has that kind of a disease.  The rape case they didn't even materialise as to whether he was arrested for rape or as to whether he was arrested for other cases, because there were many cases which were followed up by the police as he was a student, and then as a member of COSAS.  Other cases were left off because of there were so many.  On the 10th I went to Oranje Hospital to look for him and I didn't found him in that hospital.  They informed me that they have never seen such kind of a person in that hospital.  When I returned to ask the police about his whereabouts they told me that he has been sent to Oranje Hospital.  We waited until the 11th, the 12th and the 13th, and on the 14th, a Saturday, we were not present in our township, we went.  We went because of our religious ministry, as we pray for people.  They found only the children at home.  That's my sister's child and the sister to the deceased, who is with us today.  They informed them merely that, "Is this where Samuel is staying?"  Then they said yes.  "We are coming to inform you that that person has since died.  He has hanged himself."  Those children were just there and we were not present.  The children were crying.  I didn't go to the police, I went to the youth organisation, the African National Congress Youth League, to inform them about the incident which has happened to my child.  They informed me to settle because I am disturbed.  They themselves would find out what actually happened at Oranje Hospital.  When they arrived at the Orange Hospital they found blockades that no person enters there freely, only people who have exceptional cases should go through.  They must come inside if they are accompanied by a family member.  The following week we went there.  When we arrived at Oranje Hospital we found the police waiting for us there.  They said if we don't have a special permit to enter we will not be allowed entry, we should go and look for that permit.  We asked them as to where should we found that permit.  They said we should go and look for it at Verwoerd Building.  When we arrived at Verwoerd Building the security there sent us to Swart Building.  When we were at Swart Building we were sent back to Verwoerd Building, so we spent the whole day moving from one place to the other, looking where we can get this permit.  Around half past three that is then that they were looking for our IDs.  They said if we have IDs we can be allowed to enter.  It was myself and Mr Motsabi, who is a member of the African National Congress, and Mr Sakalo, who is also a member of the African National Congress, and others who have accompanied us they didn't have IDs with them.  We entered inside.  We found a doctor who was responsible for - or who is a superintendent for Oranje Hospital.  His name is Gouws, Dr Gouws.  He asked us as to where do we come from.  We said we come from Botshabelo.  Then he asked us why people look for permits to enter this hospital.  Then he said, "Where is the father?"  Then I said, "I am the father.  Then he told us it was for the first time he heard that people are requested permits to enter the hospital.  He sent us to the other person.  That person sent us back to Dr Gouws again.  Then he said he doesn't know anything about the incident, about the special permit.  Then Dr Gouws wrote us a letter that we should be allowed to enter the following day.  Tomorrow when we went to that hospital we found the police at the gate where security stand.  When we produced that letter then they said only the father to the child is allowed to enter, but others are not allowed to enter.  Then the following day a certain taxi driver took us to another gate where we would go in, and when we arrived where the corpse was kept the police said to us we should not tell people anything, we should just go there.  When we arrived there and asked the nurses the nurses just said, "He has just hanged himself in the toilet."  Then we said, "Where?" but they didn't point us where he hanged himself.  Because the situation was tense we had to leave then.  We were sent to State Mortuary, where we found Sergeant Makiba.  When we asked Sergeant Makiba where he has found his corpse he said he has found the body at the Oranje Hospital.  Then we asked him where, what does he want here, then he said this is where we should put him because he is in the hands of the police.  It may happen that he has hanged himself.  We asked Makiba does he have the knowledge of the incident.  He said no.  Because he told us at times these comrades, if they see that the situation is bad, they hang themselves.  Then I requested to see him.  They made us to stand outside.  They were only able to show us just on the neck, on the head, and then you could see that he had some scars.  They only showed him only on the face.  Then I told them that I want to see the  /whole body