Human Rights Violation Hearings — Johannesburg — 1996-04-29

DR BORAINE: Chairperson before I call the next witness may I take this opportunity of welcoming many people who have joined us as well, in particular the Mayoress of Soweto, as well as her member of Parliament, Miss Fatima Hadjay, we are delighted to see both of you.
 I call the next witness and invite Mr Gregory Beck to come to the stand please.  Mr Beck on behalf of the Commission I'd like to extend a very warm word of welcome to you this afternoon.  You've had a long morning listening to many stories and yours of course is very different from some of the others.  But because the Commission is mandated by the Act to receive all who are victims of violence or human rights violations I want you to know that you are welcome and that we are very grateful to you that you have come to tell your story, because all these stories are part of the whole fabric of South Africa which we are trying to unravel.   I'd be very grateful if you would stand please for the taking of the oath.

GREGORY EDMUND BECK: (sworn states)

DR BORAINE: Mr Beck you are or were a policeman, I am not sure if you still are.

GREGORY EDMUND BECK: I am a detective.

DR BORAINE: Thank you very much Detective Beck.  The story that you are going to tell took place in 1988 and you will
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remember it very vividly, but in order that someone can help you and guide you and direct you in this a fellow Commissioner Hlengiwe Mkhize will lead the discussion.  Thank you.

MS MKHIZE: Hello Mr Beck.

GREGORY EDMUND BECK: Hello.

MS MKHIZE: May we, before I give you an opportunity to talk about your experience of human rights violations I will briefly remind the participants and address the Commissioners on the background to your experience.
 In 1988 Soweto was still under a total state of emergency.  Countrywide over 5,000 people were detained and over 1,149 people killed in political violence.  In February 1988 P W Botha amended the state of emergency regulations giving the Minister of Law and Order the power to restrict the activities of organisations or individuals if he was of the opinion that it was necessary.  To enforce these restrictions and the state of emergency the SAP and SADF presence in townships was strengthened.  
 Meanwhile for the ANC the arms struggle continued despite rumours that it was ready to negotiate with the government.  1988 was named the Year of United Action towards People's Power.  According to the Minister of Law and Order Mr Vlok 144 policemen were killed in the years 1984 to 1987.  Vlok further added that it was not possible to distinguish which of the murders were politically motivated.
 In April 1988 there were at least five documented cases of political attacks on police including the attack on Gregory Edmund Beck and three other policemen.
 Having said all that I will ask you to address the 
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Commission, briefly tell them your involvement as a policeman and your experiences around the incident that you have come here to talk to us about.

GREGORY EDMUND BECK: Right.  On the night of the 22nd April 1988 I reported for duty.  At that time I was doing crime prevention duties, I was in the uniformed branch.  I am now a detective attached to Soweto Investigation Unit holding the rank of Detective Inspector.  At that time I was a sergeant.
 I reported for duty at 18H00 and I was supposed to complete my duties the following morning at six o'clock.  My duties were to patrol the area of Soweto, and we had warrants that were executed on people who partook in the rent boycotts at that time.  I was accompanied by three other constables and I was the sergeant in charge.  
 Well during the night, at about midnight we had already arrested three civilians, that was in the area of Emndeni.  I was supposed to take these three civilians to the rental office at Zola where they would get further instructions on how to go about paying the arrears of their rents.
 On my way from Emndeni to Zola at about five minutes before one o'clock in the night, opposite house, I think it's house 2975 and 2976 Emndeni our patrol was ambushed.  It was very dark I couldn't see anything.  I was the driver of the vehicle.  I just suddenly heard the sound of automatic and rapid fire from - machine gun fire.  Then I heard screams at the back, from the people at the back of the van that I was patrolling with were hit, one civilian was hit through the neck.  And then suddenly I heard shots all over round me that was shot from the sides, concentrating on my position as the driver.
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 The shots riddled through the bodywork of the vehicle, past my body, past my head and shattered the windscreen and windows of the vehicle.  I then accelerated to pick up speed in order to get the people to safety and I didn't know whether my assailants were on foot or by car, but eventually the engine of the vehicle was struck and I was hit through the right leg at the tibia several times.  
 We were demobilised.  I could hear my bones breaking the way the shots hit my leg and I was then out of action and I told my fellow colleagues to jump out and take cover.  I had a portable radio in my hand and I then took cover behind a tree and radioed for assistance to the control room and the members of the control room sent the duty officer, reinforcements as well as an ambulance to the scene.  I was out of action at that time.  
 I then learnt that one of the civilians, I don't know his name, the male, was hit through the neck and was in a very critical condition.  One of the policeman, a constable, was hit through the - with a flesh wound, through the thigh, and I was hit through the tibia several times with AK47 rifles.

MS MKHIZE: Maybe while you are still there ...(tape ends)...

GREGORY EDMUND BECK: I didn't see a thing, I just heard the shots and I saw flames from the firearms but I couldn't see anybody.  But as you mentioned there that it was well-known that the liberation movements had an arms struggle against the State and we, as the police, were the first targets of that armed struggle.  In that year a lot of policemen were killed.

MS MKHIZE: Well I must thank you for your openness about your understanding of what was going on.  You mentioned that JOHANNESBURG HEARING TRC/GAUTENG
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your leg was injured while you were caught in that crossfire or shooting, can you maybe just tell the Commission as to what happened to you.  Did you end up in hospital?  Were you seen by any of the doctors?

GREGORY EDMUND BECK: Right.  I was hospitalised for about approximately a year.  I had to be retrained to walk in that time.  My legs were - I had several bone grafts and skin grafts.  My leg was tied in a brace in order to keep the bones in order to grow back.  My right leg is still shorter than my left leg now.  I still suffer severely.  I have severe pains and my leg is disfigured and flesh from my left thigh was cut to the skin graft on my right leg, so with the result that when I am with people at the beach or when it's a hot day I cannot expose my legs because they are both disfigured.  And if you don't mind I have photographs to show to you what the extent of the injuries were.  I have it with me right now.

MS MKHIZE: Well you will hand over to us after this.  Thank you, thank you for that.  Thank you very much.  I am sure the Commissioners would like to talk to you some more about your experience.  I will hand over to the Chairperson.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you very much.  Russel Ally.