Human Rights Violation Hearings — Port Elizabeth — 1996-06-26

DR BORAINE: I would on behalf of the Commission like to welcome you very warmly to this special hearing.  Before we start, I have to make sure that you have to have the earphones, although most of you are not going to need that, I understand.
 But would you please stand for the taking of the oath, and I think you can all stand, those of you who are going to testify can stand together and take the oath together.   Will you please stand.  Will you raise your right hand.  Thank you very much, please be seated.
 Mrs Mtimkhulu, clearly everybody who comes here is important.  We care about every witness, young and old, Black and White, men and women, it makes no difference, but of course there is a very special quality about your being here today.
 You travelled to East London, you and your husband were excited, at last you were going to have a chance to talk to a Presidential Commission, to the nation at large about Siphiwo.  This was denied you, you had no chance.
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 We met with you and you very graciously agreed that you will come to the Port Elizabeth hearing and you came, you sat over there and we waited and once again, you were muzzled, you couldn't speak.  All of us were very angry and very upset, but you were remarkable.  You too were upset, 
but you understood, because you knew that one day you would 
have an opportunity, and today is that day.
 So it is very special for you and it is very special for us, it is very special for all the people from New Brighton, from Port Elizabeth and so many others who will be listening on the radio and watching and reading about you and your son and the suffering and pain that you've endured.
 We are so glad you are here.  My colleague Dumisa Ntsebeza is going to lead you as you tell your story, which you will know that story is your story and we are now waiting to hear from you, thank you.

MR NTSEBEZA: Thank you Dr Boraine, thank you Mr Chairman.  (No translation to start the introduction of Mr Ntsebeza)

MRS MTIMKHULU: (No translation to start the evidence) ... trying to show the pain that he was sharing with me.  It is just that we have been going around the problem for quite a long time.  I wished that God can try to make things easy for all of us so that we can also feel relieved like everybody else.  I was touched by what this lady said to me, I think I must go now to your request and attend to it.
 I am Joyce, I was born at Nqemexa, I was born and bred at Nqemexa.  I also attended school there.  I am the home girl to Steve Tswete, I spent my childhood there.
 Then I came to Port Elizabeth because I had to attend school here in Port Elizabeth.  Whilst attending school the gentleman who is my handsome husband, whom I love very much, PORT ELIZABETH HEARING TRC/EASTERN CAPE
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wanted me to be his partner.  
 I can say he is a gentleman, if I can say he must stand up, nobody would compete with him here.  We got married, it was here in Port Elizabeth and then we were blessed with children.  Our marriage was one of the peaceful and 
dignified type of marriages.  And that is why I am still married, amongst the children we were blessed with, we had Siphiwo.
 He was the only son, he was born in 1960 and he was born here at Zakhele location, we were staying there at the time.  Presently we are located here at Zwede.
 I'd like to mention that he was never a troublesome child.  As I don't want to make a long history about my son, I can just mention like any other child, he was - we could manage and handle him properly, because he was never exposed to many problems, he never clashed with the law.  Nobody has ever complained about him.
 We were fortunate that we had such a child.  The only time that we could realise that there were some problems is when he began to be involved with the political activities.
 We could realise that we were not now communicating, we were very afraid, because he was still very young at the time.  He attended school at the primary level at Elanga in Hilltown.  I wouldn't say much about what he did or what standards he did go.
 He went to Elanga, we could realise that there was a lot of things going on in his mind, but we didn't know what was really happening about him.
 He passed standard 7 without any problems.  At the time it was form 1, I am not well literate.  We received his report from teacher Moxorozi.  It was said he must not 
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return to school.
 His father was very adamant that he should not come back.  His father  was surprised because the teacher was adamant that he shouldn't come back.  No explanation was given, we had to take him to Alice, that is where he 
continued with education.  He was expelled also from that
school.

MR NTSEBEZA: Which year was it?

MRS MTIMKHULU: I am not quite certain, because it was some time back, Mr Commissioner, I do not want to lie.
 It is quite a long time, but I can find it somewhere and you can get it later.  Whilst continuing with his education at Jabavu, he was expelled because of this poison, which I regard as his political activities.  There is a lot of poison that we are going to discuss about here.  It is the other one that killed him.

MR NTSEBEZA: Which poison are you talking about now?