Human Rights Violation Hearings — Beaufort West — 1996-08-13

MS SEROKE: Thank you Ms Annie, with your story that is very painful.  Now you say when you replied you say you were a member of the location - not a member of the Committee, what member - what political organisation were you a member of.

NONIGHT ANNIE QAYI: I was a member of the ANC.

MS SEROKE: And you again say they were - you were after you because of certain things that you were doing because you were - you disliked what they were doing.  What were these things that you did not like and tell us how were you showing to them that you disliked all these things?

NONIGHT ANNIE QAYI: What they were doing was they were making the life's of the children very difficult even old people.  When they would come into the location they would come in a very funny, unacceptable way.  They would brake peoples belongings, they would kick doors and after kicking the doors I would ask them not to do this saying that we were not convicts because when ever they would come into the location they would be intending to beat up children.
            Then I would say we are not animals, it you come to our location you making us wild because they would be bringing sjamboks with them together with riffles and tear gas  and this would make us unhappy.  These are the things that made them to be after me.

MS SEROKE: Because of these things  you say that is why they arrested you?

NONIGHT ANNIE QAYI: Yes, there's no other reason.

MS SEROKE: Were you surprised when you saw your son, Songezile arrested when you had actually left her behind?

NONIGHT ANNIE QAYI: Yes

MS SEROKE: Now you say they had taken him because he had a T shirt on.  What was written on this T-shirt that could have annoyed these people?

NONIGHT ANNIE QAYI: It was written ANC.

MS SEROKE: Was it just written ANC, no other words were showing on this - on this T shirt?

NONIGHT ANNIE QAYI: No

MS SEROKE: Now you say at the time you were in Middelburg in the cells there for about three months.  They ill treated you as if you were terrorist, could you exactly explain how you were ill treated, what were they actually doing besides this starvation that you made mention of earlier?

NONIGHT ANNIE QAYI: We would go out there on very chilly days now - no one sympathized with  us.  Then we would go out, they would make our place very wet and ask us to stand there in that cold and in the cells there was no hot water for us to use when we were washing.  That is how things were until the end.

MS SEROKE: Then you again say when you arrived here they searched you, how were they doing it?  Were the searches males or females?

NONIGHT ANNIE QAYI: They were females.

MS SEROKE: What were they actually doing?

NONIGHT ANNIE QAYI: They asked us to undress and take off all the clothes and just stand stark naked.  They would even search there in our hidden places and I would ask them what they were actually looking for, then they would say they were looking for bombs.

MS SEROKE: According to you, do you think you could have - you could have hidden your - the bombs and weapons in those hidden places?

NONIGHT ANNIE QAYI: No, that is why I asked them because in the hidden places I don't think I could put in anything.

MS SEROKE: Now you say this - this starvation for three months they were only feeding you on porridge morning, midday, evening?

NONIGHT ANNIE QAYI: Yes, they used to serve us porridge and just one thin slice of bread. And you had to eat that porridge at 3 o'clock and there after you would have to go back to the cell.  And your next serving of the porridge would be the following day.

MS SEROKE: Your son - when you took him back to school - what school was that?

NONIGHT ANNIE QAYI: He was first attending school here in Beaufort West and then he went to a school in Cape Town after he had passed standard ten.

MS SEROKE: Is that where you discovered that he was not well after the  [indistinct]  to undergo an operation?

NONIGHT ANNIE QAYI: Yes

MS SEROKE: Was he one of those who are still - is he still attending school?

NONIGHT ANNIE QAYI: Yes

MS SEROKE: Is he the one who is at the university?

NONIGHT ANNIE QAYI: Yes

MS SEROKE: Mamma, I now - I hear you saying that a reconciliation you understand quite well even within you because this ill treatment still - and torturing - it still continues,  now could you explain how it's going on and who is doing it.

NONIGHT ANNIE QAYI: It is the policemen, because even this very Thursday they were there and they shot a child.  So it is now obvious that they are now trying to dig out these wounds that are healing.

MS SEROKE: Now you again said that you were the head of the family at home, is your husband still alive?

NONIGHT ANNIE QAYI: No, he died.

MS SEROKE: When did he die?

NONIGHT ANNIE QAYI: I - no I can't remember but it was round about 1985.  He was not there - when this happened he was not there, yes.

MS SEROKE: Now all this strain of sending your children to school, where do you get all this when you're actually a widow, do you work or do you get pension?

NONIGHT ANNIE QAYI: I used to work but because I could not continue the doctor asked me to stop and he made it possible for me to get a pension and I used to take  [indistinct] salary and help here in the home but there are now my other children who help me.

MS SEROKE: We thank you Ms Annie, maybe my colleges have questions to pose to you.

ADV POTGIETER: Thank you Chairperson, Ms Qayi this was in 1985 - it's 11 years ago - now the two children that you spoke about that are still living with you in a way - the one is 25 now and the other one is 23 it I heard you correctly - so - 21 I'm sorry, 21 - so the one would have been 11/10 - 10 years old and the other one about 14 when you were detained is that correct?

NONIGHT ANNIE QAYI: Yes, it is like that.

ADV POTGIETER: The others were they slightly older than that - the other children?

NONIGHT ANNIE QAYI: Yes

ADV POTGIETER: So they all were at home still in that time in 1985 when you were detained?

NONIGHT ANNIE QAYI: Only one was living us at home, there were two - there were two girls that I left at home.

ADV POTGIETER: And they basically had to tend for themselves - they were left alone.  Your husband was deceased at that  stage already?

NONIGHT ANNIE QAYI: Yes, my husband was dead then.

ADV POTGIETER: And you were just locked up, taken away from three months with no real reason given to you when you wanted to ask, when you inquired they said to you, you talk to much, and your starting with your - you starting with trouble again.  Is - was that in fact the response  that you got?

NONIGHT ANNIE QAYI: Yes, it's like that.

ADV POTGIETER: How did that make you feel?

NONIGHT ANNIE QAYI: I feel better but now that they have started, as I mentioned earlier, then I recall all those things that happened to me in the passed.  But now I can't say it is the same as before because now I'm a member of an organisation which is the women's league.  That time I was not a member.

ADV POTGIETER: Your the second person that referred to this shooting incident - this very recent shooting incident.  Do you - do you want to give us just a little bit more detail, I - I heard that somebody - a child was shot but can you give us a little bit more detail of what happened?

NONIGHT ANNIE QAYI: I cannot give full explanation because it was at night and we were sleeping and we just heard of  this in the morning that the policemen had come and even in the morning they came and we did not know what they were looking for and that was the time they had already shot this child.

ADV POTGIETER: And  [indistinct] that has caused some tension where you live - people are not happy with this incident.

NONIGHT ANNIE QAYI: Yes, we are not satisfied because there was no reason - it was uncalled for.  They would understand if there was a reason for it because for everything there has got to be a cause.