Human Rights Violation Hearings — Port Shepstone — 1996-08-13

WITNESS:   At that evening after the funeral he has to take his mother back home.  That was my mother, his mother-in-law.  He said, "I am leaving," and I asked him, "Why don't you ask your brother to borrow you the bigger car so that you can carry all the people?"  He said, "I am busy now, I am in a hurry.  I will just take the small car."  And then he took his car.  And then the young child started crying, saying, "My daddy's coming," and then "I want to go with you, Daddy."  And then my husband said, "Bring him in," and then they took the child with them.  We sat at home waiting for him to come and pick the others back to their homes, but he never returned and we got so worried.  Later one gentleman came - I don't remember his surname - and he said there has been some shooting up there.  He said some went down the slopes.  We were so confused because Sipho went to the same direction.  After some few minutes someone again came to say that Sipho has been shot.  They said he was shot next to the chief's place, and we asked who shot him.  He said the chief was also there.  I was so afraid and confused, then I started running towards the direction of the chief's place.  When I arrived at the road I stand trying to stop the cars.  The cars didn't stop and I started walking on foot.  Another car came and I tried to stop it, and he asked me where I am going and I told the driver that, "I heard there's been some shooting, I am just going to investigate," and the man said, "No, go back.  I will go and investigate myself."  And I said to him, "Look, there is my child in the car.  I have to go."  And he said to me, "Okay, you can come in."  And I got into the car and we started moving.  When we arrived at the scene there were so many people who were singing.  There was noises, this kind of violent noises.  When we were about to reach the chief's shop I said to the driver, "There is Sipho."  I could see his body lying on the road.  And then he said, "We mustn't stop then.  We have to pass," and I said to him, "No, we have to.  I have to go to him."  And he said, "No, we have to go to the police first."  We got off and there were police at the moment at the scene.  There was an ambulance.  People were moving up and down and everything.  It was just confused situation.  He insisted that we should first go to the police to escort us to this place.  Then we went to the police.  We asked them that, "We are looking for a gentleman who was driving on that car which have just overturned, it was the car that was overturned."  And the police said, "No, okay, we'll try and look for you."  They left the place.  Just as they left we heard two gunshots.  I became so afraid, and the driver said, "Don't be afraid.  The police are around, they won't shoot us."  We waited, and the police came back to say that there is no young child there.  At that time we could see people running as if they were sort of running after someone, and they were coming towards our direction.  They were making noise, someone saying like, "I have been defeated by someone.  Someone has defeated me."  It looked as if they were following someone, but we couldn't see the person.  They passed us and the chief was in their company.  This driver asked the chief's brother, and he asked them respectfully, "The Honourable, we would

MR LACKS: /"like to

MR LACKS: like to ask you something," and he asked, "That car which you have overturned, there was a child inside.  Do you know exactly where the child is?"  They said to us, "Go and look for the child somewhere at the shop."  Then we asked the police to escort us back to the crowd.  It was becoming late and dark.  We went to the direction of the shop, and when we arrived we stopped and parked the car.  I got off the car.  I knew the place because I was staying there, and I know most of the people who were at the shop, and one gentleman by the name of Cele came to me.  He said, "You mustn't make noise," as I was shouting, asking for my child.  And he said to me, "You keep quiet, shut up, you're making noise here."  He pulled out something like a knobkerrie.  He acted as if he wanted to hit me with this knobkerrie and I ran back to the car.  And the driver of the car said, "No, what are we going to do?" and he started the engine of the car and we wanted to run away, and then someone advised us not to run away because they are going to shoot at us.  And the chief came back and he asked us, "What's happening?  What do you want here?"  The driver explained that, "I am with my neighbour and we are looking for a child."  The chief said, "Come and take the child."  No, first he asked us where are we coming from, what's our surname, and we told him from the Vezi family, and he said, "Which Vezi?"  I kept quiet, and he said, "Who is your father?" and I said, "My father is Mathewu," and he said, "Come."  I told him, "I am afraid," and he said, "Come, they won't do anything to you," and in the company of the chief we went up the stairs in his shop.  When I arrived I found my daughter, and she was asking, "Where is my father?"  My child was in the company of one lady, and I took my child from this lady.  The chief accompanied us, and I said to the chief, "He was with his father.  Where is his father?" and the chief said to me, "We have shot that one."  Those are the words from the chief's mouth.  We got out and he said to me, "Your child is clever."  I said, "Thank you," and he said to me, "Then listen to me.  You must go and tell your relatives that I don't want them in my place.  If they don't go away I am going to burn them.  They have to leave my place."  I went back into the car and we drove back home.  When I arrived at home I explained to them what happened.  They couldn't believe it.  They said, "This cannot happen."  My brothers went to Highflats at that night.  When they arrived there they were told that Sipho's body has been taken to the mortuary.  We stayed at home and some relatives started arriving, and they couldn't believe the chief's words.  They said, "They can't do such a thing.  They can't burn these houses.  They have already killed someone.  How they come and burn our houses?"  We stayed at our home until Sunday.  The situation was bad.  I told them, "I think we should go to Umlazi at my place."  Unfortunately the elder people didn't believe that anything could happen so they insisted that we stay, and we stayed until the evening.  In the evening then we got some messages that the chief is coming to kill us, and then we decided to look for a car to leave the place.  We sat their waiting.

MR LACKS: The story now is about how you were chased, and you ran and you went to another place.  Just in the interests of time if you'd allow me to interrupt you so that we could move on to the story.  Now, in your statement the matter was reported to the Highflats Police Station, is that correct?  In other words your husband's death.  There was a case that was actually opened.  It started at Highflats Police Station, and then at a later time they went to the Scottburgh Court.  Is that correct?