Human Rights Violation Hearings — Umtata — 1996-06-20

MEMBER OF PANEL: Mr Chairperson, I call upon Bethuel Nkunkuma and Buyiswa Bhoto.  Thank you before I let you pledge the oath I would like to say the Commission welcomes you.  I know that many times in small areas like this that you come from things that were done by the police were never taken into consideration because there were no newspapers and the people use to suffer due to that.  We are grateful that you could come here to give details about what happened to you and you are going to tell us what the Government did to you and you tried to maintain your dignity.  Could you please stand up so that you can take an oath.

BETHUEL TOBILANE NKUNKUMA: (Duly sworn in, states).

BUYISWA PATIENCE BHOTO: (Duly sworn in, states).

MEMBER OF PANEL: Thank you.

CHAIRPERSON: We would like Dr Mgojo to guide the witnesses.

KHOZA MGOJO: Buyiswa and Bethuel because there are some words that you will not understand, I am a Zulu speaking person, if you do not understand what I say, please you must say so.  You were born in the same area.  Is that not so.

WITNESS: Yes, it is so.

KHOZA MGOJO: Where were you born.

WITNESS: We were born at Maclear.
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KHOZA MGOJO: In what location or village?

WITNESS: It was Somabele township, that is where we were born.

KHOZA MGOJO: Could you please give us the details about what you have come here for?  Could you please just briefly state why you are here?  Who is the person who is going to give information.

BUYISWA PATIENCE BHOTO: I am the person who is going to do that.  In February 1990, it was on the sixth.  It was the beginning of the stay-away which was organised by the COSATU.  It was supposed to last for three days.  There was a meeting thereafter.  It was held at Gabe.  It was outside the hall because it was a house full.  The police came and they tried to disorganise us.  Although they did not come closer to the people.  They announced through the haler and stated that after a certain period you should disperse.  After that they threw teargas at us.

KHOZA MGOJO: Before you can go further, who organised the stay-away?

BUYISWA PATIENCE BHOTO: It was the National Office of COSATU.

KHOZA MGOJO: Do you remember why was the stay-away organised?  Why did they say there should be a stay-away?  Could you remember what was the reason for the stay-away?

BUYISWA PATIENCE BHOTO: No, I cannot remember.

KHOZA MGOJO: Can you not remember?

BUYISWA PATIENCE BHOTO: No, I cannot.

KHOZA MGOJO: Okay, continue.

BUYISWA PATIENCE BHOTO: What happened, they threw teargas at us because the people were being suffocated by the fumes from the canisters.  They ran away.  Our house is not far from the place where we were holding the meeting.  Mboysila Dodo ran
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to our place.

KHOZA MGOJO: Just a minute.  What did the police say to you when they came there?

BUYISWA PATIENCE BHOTO: They said we are giving you a few minutes.  I cannot remember the specific minutes that they announced because they said the meeting that we were holding was illegal.

KHOZA MGOJO: Was it in the morning or in the afternoon?

BUYISWA PATIENCE BHOTO: It was in the morning.  It was between ten or 11 in the morning.  I am not quite sure.

KHOZA MGOJO: Continue please.

BUYISWA PATIENCE BHOTO: Mboysila Dodo got into our house.  He stayed there for a few minutes.  He heard that the gunshots had subsided because it was not only the teargas which was thrown at us.  There were also gunshots and then when he heard that this subsided he went out.  He was not far when this shooting resumed again.

KHOZA MGOJO: Did the shots, were they directed to him?

BUYISWA PATIENCE BHOTO: Yes.

KHOZA MGOJO: Can you estimate what is the distance from the place where he was and where he was coming from?

BUYISWA PATIENCE BHOTO: I think it was quite a distance.

KHOZA MGOJO: Okay, you can continue.  Sorry for disturbing you.

BUYISWA PATIENCE BHOTO: When he heard these shots again he went back to the house.  Somebody opened for him and I think it was my mother.  Just as he got into the house there was a continuation of the shooting.  During that period they were directly aiming at the house, everywhere where he was supposed to have put his foot on.  During that period I heard something, I felt something which was piercing my eye.  UMTATA HEARING EASTERN CAPE PROVINCE
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I was screaming and said to my mother, they have got me.  After  a few, a short period some policemen kicked the door open.  Two of them got into the house, the other one had something in his hand.

KHOZA MGOJO: Before then you stated that there were gunshots all over the place.  Was there any damage which was caused by these gunshots?

BUYISWA PATIENCE BHOTO: Pardon me please.

KHOZA MGOJO: Was there any damage which took place in the house?

BUYISWA PATIENCE BHOTO: Yes, all the windows were shattered.

KHOZA MGOJO: Where was your mother during this period when this was all happening and where were your brothers?

BUYISWA PATIENCE BHOTO: Everybody was inside.  I was also inside the house.

KHOZA MGOJO: Please continue.

BUYISWA PATIENCE BHOTO: Two policemen got into the house.  The other one was leading a dog and they said uit, uit, meaning we should come out.  My mother said to them you can see what injury you have inflicted on my child.  They said, no, she was not inside here, she was attending that illegal gathering there.

KHOZA MGOJO: Did you understand what they meant when they said uit, uit?

BUYISWA PATIENCE BHOTO: Yes, we understand that they were saying out, out.  We understood that they meant that we should come out of the house.

KHOZA MGOJO: Did you go out?

BUYISWA PATIENCE BHOTO: We argued for quite a long time, but at the end we went out.  It was realised that two people were injured.  Mboysila Dodo and myself were injured.  He had pellet bullet wounds on the back.  We were taken to the police station.
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When they realised that we were injured we were taken to the hospital.

KHOZA MGOJO: During the time of the statement taking what did they say?

BUYISWA PATIENCE BHOTO: No, when we went to the police station nobody took any statements from us.  We were just taken there and that is that.

KHOZA MGOJO: Okay, you can continue.

BUYISWA PATIENCE BHOTO: When they realised that we were, that our condition was deteriorating they took us to Umtata and the hospital.  Then I was taken to upstairs and he was on the ground floor.

KHOZA MGOJO: Is that the General Hospital in Umtata?

BUYISWA PATIENCE BHOTO: Yes.

KHOZA MGOJO: What happened?

BUYISWA PATIENCE BHOTO: I was admitted for about three weeks.

KHOZA MGOJO: Did you undergo any operation?

BUYISWA PATIENCE BHOTO: Yes, I went twice.  It was discovered that during the first time when I was taken to theatre, they said I had internal bleeding and then I had to go for the second time to confirm this.

KHOZA MGOJO: What did the doctors say about the bullets?  Was it only one bullet which injured you?

BUYISWA PATIENCE BHOTO: Yes, only one bullet did injure my eye.

KHOZA MGOJO: Can we please hear from you.

BETHUEL TOBILANE NKUNKUMA: There was a stay-away at Maclear and then the police came in.  This was SADF.  Then they said we should be here for only five minutes and then after five minutes if you do not disperse we will be shot.  We continued singing.  I was on my way to the shop at Mr Mazwai Guma, the gunshots started.  I started running and went to the nearest house.  UMTATA HEARING EASTERN CAPE PROVINCE
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There was a police who was chasing me.  He shot me.  I fell 
at the, in front of Musaka's house.

KHOZA MGOJO: Where were you shot?

BETHUEL TOBILANE NKUNKUMA: I was shot at the back.  The whole back was shot.

KHOZA MGOJO: Did you fall?