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

NONIGHT ANNIE QAYI: This is what happened to me, policemen used to be after me because of certain things they do and things that I was against until the time when there was this State of Emergency when people were being arrested.  But during all this period they were keeping a - a watch on me saying that I was to talkative so when it was this time they got hold of me because  they had always been after me.
On the particular day - in the morning - the policemen came in hippos - they drove into our location - they arrested a lot of people and I was the last to be arrested only because I came out of a house - neighbors house - and Alfred came to me together with  Tichtick - Tichtick from Middelburg and Alfred from Richmond - they pulled me and said we want you - they pulled me and they said they wanted to ask me something.  Then I said to them why don't you ask that now, here.  Then they said no we want to go down with you, so I went with them.  There were also police van there, they threw me into the back of a van and they said I would hear everything when we get down there.
  There is a place called the Freedom Square -  that's where they took us and when we got there, there were a lot of people and they instructed that we should sit down and we did.  They went away to bring more people and they came back and when they left us we were surrounded by other people from the farms and were not even allowed to say any thing.  
They would - if they see us talking they would ask what we're saying.  I would say no we must talk because our mouths are not closed.  Whiles there the hippo came and they took us into the hippo and because there was no man - no husband at home, I was the only one, so everything would be  directed to me and I had to stand firm like a mother.  So when they said I should get into the van I refused because I said to them I did not know where they were taking me to. 
 Then there this  [indistinct] given from the farm and he pushed me with the big riffle because I did not want to get into the van and I could feel my leg feeling numb and then the others asked me to get into -not to resist.  When we got down there at the police station, they asked us to get off and we got off.  As we're getting off the van Jonks said to me - who was the head of the police, pointed at me and said  Here is this Annie who is very troublesome.
And he held me here on, pulling me on the chest, then I even said if you were to stop your nonsense to then there wouldn't be any problem.  I'm also tired with your problems to and I said to him if I were to say the same thing to you, you were going to arrest you.  
Then they said yes we've got you.  So they took me and they locked me in and I was in a cell when another women came to join me by the name of Maria Chalase - he was also put - she was also put into the cell. We were there for some time, then Jane Godula came who is also a female - so there were three females in that cell.   Whiles we were there until late in the day - at about eight we were released. 
 We were taken out and we were put forward - they were ill treating  us - they were pushing us and they pushed us where they there going to take photo's of us.  They were turning us, taking photo's of our size - the front.  After that -  it was at about 9 o'clock - they again put us into this big thing and they took us to a jail up there and when we got there we were locked in and we went to sleep.  The following morning it was quite late - at about fife -  again this big thing came back and we were again taken out and we were asked to get - to get into the back of it.  I had a question that where were they taking us to, then they would say you must keep quiet - that is why I'm here.  My - I was hurt because I was not even a member of the committee, I was just an ordinary member of the location. 
 Then they asked us to get onto the van - there were three women - then men were coming out the other side whiles we were coming out the other side and when I observed I saw my son amongst he men.  It means after me they went to fetch  my son, there were many of these children - he was not the only one.  And they had been beaten up even my own child had been beaten, so we got into this van. They did not tell us where they were taking us to, they just drove out of town and we could see that they were taking us to Middelburg. 
 And when we got there, they asked  us  [indistinct] - we asked the children why they had been beaten, they said it's because of their T shirts.  Then I asked Mile to take his T shirt of  and another one and then we threw them out threw the window so that when we get there they - the T-shirts should not be   there.  So we came to Middelburg and we  [indistinct] from the van - some went the other way and we also as woman went the other way - a different direction.  And we were asked to undress because they were trying to search and look for something then we asked what were they looking for.  Then they said they were trying to get to whether we didn't have bombs with us.
They gave us a - their prison uniform and sent us into cells where they asked us to sit there and  wait for some people who were coming and these people came.  They were from  Graaff-Reinet, from Middelburg - they locked us up.  What was most hurtful was that where they had hit me - since that time I still feel pain from that injury.  I was there for three months and what hurt me most is that we were starved a lot.  There was a matron there, they would give us some pills and this matron would say I was going to die in jail and I would say by God's blessing I'm not going to die.  Not that I don't say I was not going to die but I was not going to die in jail.  Then he would say there you are you starting to talk with your sharp tong and then the others would ask me to keep quiet and I would stop. 
They would serve us with porridge -  just one spoon of porridge - and this was very bad.  And when we were - when we're released our clothes were very big in size.  There was no reason for this, when I asked them why we were there in prison why were we not appearing before a Magistrate they would say there you are you're beginning once more - you talk to much.  We were there, we never made any appearance  before a Magistrate - they were  [indistinct]  us.  
They did not beat us at the time we were there.  We were starved until the time came for them to release us, then we went out and it was found that my son had to go back to school and I did not know that he had been injured and when he got home I was - when we - he got to school I was called there because he was very sick and when I got to school I found that he was very sick and I had to take him to Groote Schuur Hospital. 
 And that is where he was operated on and they said he had some fluid in his lounges so he underwent that operation and after which, by God's grace, he felt better.  And then they'd asked what had happened there and then he said he had been beaten by the police.   That time I went back to Middelburg leaving my children all by themselves with no one to took after them but I said God is there and truly I will never change from my truth because even when Jonk was doing all these things, was - when he was saying here is this problem - some women were tied off because she talks to much.  I said the best thing is that you should shoot me so that you get satisfaction.
Even when - no that they say we should forgive each other but when I'm now briefing - summarizing our - I don't see that there is this forgiveness because only Thursday they were there at my place and they started shooting and shot a child.  So what I'm saying is that forgiveness is very difficult in this particular situation.  I now end my story and thank you.