Human Rights Violation Hearings — Umtata — 1996-06-20

VUYANI ISAAC TOMTALA: I am alone at home.  I have other half brothers and half sisters.  I have another brother who died in prison.  My surname is Tshongawye because my parents were
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not married.  My brother, Cheligele Tshongane, died in prison.  He was burnt because he was, he died between the fight of the ANC and the PAC.

MR SANDI: In other words you are trying, what do you want the Commission to do for you?

VUYANI ISAAC TOMTALA: I would like compensation from the President's Fund because at the moment nobody wants to employ me and, again, I would like the Commission to please investigate about the death of my half brother who disappeared in Zambia after being tortured by the Boers at Caledon Square in Cape Town.  In 1962 he went to Zambia and the last letter that we received from him, Sir, was he said he was at Ketwe in Zambia at Copperbelt.

MR SANDI: Mr Tomtala, the Commission thanks you very much for the story that you have told us and I know that I do not have to tell you again that we are running out of time.  Thank you very much.  I am now going to hand over to the Chairperson.  Thank you very much.

CHAIRPERSON: Any further questions?  Thank you Mr Tomtala.  I hope that the Investigation Unit will again visit you to find out more details about the things that you have said about your brother.  We have investigators of this region who are listening to this.  Thank you very much.  Thank you Sir.

MEMBER OF PANEL: Mr Chairperson I would like to have just one minute to thank all of you, all of you who are here today and those who have already left for supporting the Commissions of, the hearings of the Commission here in Umtata which I think they were a wonderful success.  I would also like to thank Dr Mgojo and my colleague right next to me Advocate Dumisa Ntsebeza for coming to help us out here
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in this hearing in Cape Town.  Again I would also thank our, my colleagues Tiny Maya and Mr Sandi for taking this very difficult work of preparing for the hearings and sitting for them.  
 I would also thank the Reverends who has done something that we have not seen in the other regions and I hope that it is going to be copied by the other regions.  The Reverends here in Umtata have been wonderful in providing daily support to the people who have been coming before the hearings.  They have been organising themselves ever since counselling the victims during the hearing.  I would also like to thank the students, the representatives of the students, the SRC, who acted together with our staff members as facilitators for this hearing.  
 Lastly I would like to thank our staff of the TRC, the staff that is here and that is not here as well, for all the work they have done today here in Umtata and the other days.  Again, I would also like to thank the security and the police for securing our hearings the way that they have.  We have had a very peaceful hearing.  There was not even a single bomb scare just like we had encountered in East London.  We also thank University of the Transkei for providing this venue.  We thank the Chancellor and Council and everybody who is in the authority here for the way that they have welcomed us.  
 Lastly we would like to have all those who made these hearings in Umtata to be possible and the people who were responsible to come before us to tell us their stories.  It is because of them that we have got this Commission today.  We here to serve them, we are here as their servants.  We thank them very much.  Thank you for your patience as well. 
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It is wonderful that this time we have got so many people.   ------------------------------
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