Human Rights Violation Hearings — Bisho — 1996-09-09

WITNESS:  On the day of the march we were from Victoria Ground and we went up to Bisho in the march and we were coming, we were marching to Bisho.  When I was near the stadium I heard the shots.  I didn't know what was going on.  When I was looking forward on the street where we were going, I saw other people falling down and others coming towards us and we turned back and I ran away.  I didn't know what was going on.  Others were falling down.  I thought, I saw that something was going on.  While I was running I just fell down and my leg was painful, I didn't know what was going on.  When I was looking at my leg I saw that I've got blood in my thigh.  I tried to run with my leg towards King William's Town and I couldn't proceed and one car came by and it tried to help me and this guy asked me what was going on and I told him that I was shot and he took me to Gray hospital.  There were many people in Gray hospital and we sat outside.  While we were still outside I was given the pills and I was injected.  They told me to come the following day on the morning and I went back home with my shot leg.  I woke up early in the morning so that I could be there at 7 o'clock.  When I was there on the next day I saw the soldiers and they were all over the place.  When entering the hospital they asked me where I was going and then I told them and then they told me to wait until 10 o'clock.  I explained to them and I tried to persuade them to open the door for me but they didn't and the comrade came and the comrade went to the soldiers to ask them to let me in but they refused.  The comrade told me to wait until 10 o'clock because the soldiers told me I would be admitted after 10 so I had to wait for 10 o'clock.  Whilst I was still there the nurse came and asked me what was my problem because she saw me yesterday and then she was so surprised that the soldiers couldn't let me in and she took me there and she said she would talk to them.  She talked to them and they admitted me.  At Gray hospital they looked at the x-ray where the bullet was and they saw it.  They told me that on the next day  ... end of Tape 7, side B ... I have to go to Cecilia Makiwane so that they can take out the bullet.  I went home and then the next morning I went to Cecilia Makiwane in Mdantsane.  When I was there in Mdantsane I went in and I was given a letter from King William's Town so I gave them the letter.  They looked at me and they examined me.  They told me they can't take out the bullet from my leg and I asked why.  I asked why they couldn't, they said that it is between the muscles and it will depend because if they take the bullet out I will be paralysed, I couldn't walk.  I can't walk.  They just told me they will give me pills and they told me I have to go there to get treatment and medicines and what about the bullet, and I didn't like this idea of having a bullet in my body and I persuaded them to take it out because I thought that this bullet would go around my body and they told me that that would not happen.  They told me that there are people who have been shot and they have bullets in their bodies and nothing is happening to them.  They just told me to go to the hospital for a check-up because if they took out the bullet I'd be paralysed.  I accepted that and then I went home.  When I was at home I told them what the doctors told me.  My mother was so surprises and she asked me that why should I stay with a bullet in my body and then I stayed, it was there in my body.  I woke up the next morning and I went to the attorneys to Smith to claim.  When claiming they took my statement, they asked me whether I was outside or inside when I was shot and then I told them I was outside when I was shot.  They gave me a week.  They told me to come after eight weeks to check my claim.  They asked me which doctors did I go to and I told them I went to Gray hospital and I went to Cecilia Makiwane.  They asked me whether I have cards, the hospital cards and then I said yes and the x-ray of where the bullet is and I told them I have that.  They said they will appreciate it if I will give them all that and then I had to go to Gray hospital and they had to check the damage in my body and then we were going to Cecilia Makiwane.  I gave them all those documents and then they told me to go and check what was going on.  I went there to check my claim and they told me that the money was there.  All of us who were shot in Bisho, the money is there but it's not enough.  It's only R3000 and the attorney told me he will do means that the money could be raised so that if I get the money I'll be satisfied and I asked the lawyer whether, how much is he going to take from the money I'm going to get and then he said I will only see how much he will take when the money comes and then I went back there to check what was happening.  He told me the money was there and then he took that R3000 and gave it to me.  He told me he will take the R1000 from the R3000 and then he gave me the R2000 and then he said that is all I'm going to get and I went home.

ADV POTGIETER:  Now Mr Ceba, what is the affect of that bullet being on your leg, what is your leg like now, can you use it?  Have you got full use of your leg or what is the position?

WITNESS:  My leg doesn't work properly, even in my job I sometimes get pains and I get cramps.  I can't work properly with this leg.

ADV POTGIETER:  And what has been the consequence of that, are you able to keep a full-time job or what is the position?  How do you work nowadays?

WITNESS:  No, I have to rest because I can't stand for a long time.

ADV POTGIETER:  One other thing, have you got any idea where this bullet came from that struck you?

WITNESS:  The bullet was coming from the helicopter.

ADV POTGIETER:  Now you have a very specific request to the Commission, would you like to put that to us?

WITNESS:  Yes I do have a request to the Commission.  I would like the Commission to help me, I would like it to help me to get pension for this leg because it is clear that I won't be able to work properly with this leg.

ADV POTGIETER:  Thank you.  Have you got a family, children?

WITNESS:  I have one child.

ADV POTGIETER:  And what is the age of the child?

WITNESS:  The child is four years old.

ADV POTGIETER:  Well thank you very much.  Is there anything else that you would like to add to what you have already told us?

WITNESS:  No, except that I want to get pension.

ADV POTGIETER: Thank you.  We have noted all of that and thank you for that full account.  I'll hand you back to the Chairperson.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you.

TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION: BISHO MASSACRE - DAY 1 - 9 SEPTEMBER 1996

CASE NO: 15

BONGANI FINCA: Your Grace, the last witness Siyabulela Gusha.  Ntsike Sandi to do the witness.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you.
SIYABULELA GUSHA   Duly sworn states

UNKNOWN: Mr Gusha, due to obvious reasons, time constraints, we would like to ask you to be very brief and just tell us your version of events that took place that day.  You were shot, where on your body were you shot?

WITNESS: In my scapula, my shoulder blade.

UNKNOWN:  You pointed to your shoulder, could you please tell us the explanation which you received to your shoulder.

WITNESS:  It is not exactly my shoulder, it is the bone behind the one shoulder.

UNKNOWN:  Could you please come closer to the microphone.

WITNESS:  Yes it is the bone and the back side, my shoulder blade and it was found that the bullet was lodged in the bone and they said that they wouldn't be able to remove it and hence the bullet is still lodged there.

UNKNOWN:  Do you mean to say that the bullet is still lodged in your body up until this day?

WITNESS:  Yes that is so.

UNKNOWN:  Could you just tell us what your requests are to this Commission.  What would you like this Commission to do for you?