Human Rights Violation Hearings — Mmabatho — 1996-07-08

DR RANDERA: Ms Florence Madodi Nkosi will you please come to the table?   (She is the fifth person from yesterday's file - GA363).
 Florence, welcome.   We once more go back to this little place Huhudi where you come from and we are going back to the 24th of November 1985, on a Sunday as you say.  My colleague, Mr Tom Manthata will be leading you and helping you through your statement.

FLORENCE NKOSI: (sworn states)

THOMAS MANTHATA: You said you met the police and what happened thereafter.  How did they handle you?

FLORENCE NKOSI: In 1985 on the 24th of November there was a UDF meeting, organized by the Youth League and we were from that meeting.  The meeting stopped at about 5 o'clock in the afternoon.  I was together with Maria and Segofatso.  While we were in Mahura a van approached us, which was full of people - people armed with sjamboks, knives, swords and many things.
 They stopped next to us.  They started chasing us.  They caught us and they put us into a shop and started assaulting us with sjamboks and knopkieries.  They hit me a lot on my head.  Everytime I would touch my head it would be so soft.  They hit me until I couldn't feel the pain anymore.
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 They phoned the police and the police came.  There was a policeman among them, called Venter.  When he got into the shop, belonging to Steven Matkloko, he said to me, the bitch is also among the group.  They picked me up and threw me into the Landrover.  There was a Landrover and a Hippo outside the shop.
 They then drove off, we went to Mr Hoffman Galeng's house.  They found Mr Galeng's brother sitting on the stoep.  They also assaulted him until he fainted.  They picked him up and also put him into the Landrover.  Bulufu was the person who did this.
 As I mentioned there was a Landrover and a Hippo and this van belonging to the killers.  They called themselves the Inkathas and the police called them the A team.
 They assaulted me in such a way that the other one amongst them said, please stop, don't kill her.  There was one of them carrying a knife in his hand.  He wanted to stab me.  And this was a woman.
 They then took us to the hospital.  We spent three days in the hospital, but every time we were guarded by the police - two in number.  We spent three days in hospital and they released us into the cells.  
 We were charged for public violence.  We were told that we threw Mr Mathloko's house with stones.  I asked them why should we be charged with public violence, because those people assaulted me and I didn't do anything to them.  And they said, no you were throwing Mr Mathloko's store with stones.
 We stayed there in the cells and we were released on R200 bail.  The case continued and so forth.
 We again, in 1986 on the 12th of June, the state of 
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emergency was introduced and many people were arrested under it.  I was one of those people who got arrested and they took us to Kimberley.
 At Kimberley we were released after three months and two weeks and then we went home.
 Since those people assaulted me, those people who called themselves Inkatha and the police.  They assaulted me on the head.  Even I can't hear clearly with my ears, because of what happened to me.

CHAIRPERSON: Are you through?

FLORENCE NKOSI: Yes, I am through.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Florence, when they arrested you, were you still on your way to the youth meeting?

FLORENCE NKOSI: No, we were from the meeting at that time.

THOMAS MANTHATA: There seems that there were about 500 people at the rally?

FLORENCE NKOSI: Yes, there were many people there.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Did they only chose you and your friends among you?

FLORENCE NKOSI: No, people were running away into the other yards and we were just nearer to them, and that is why they arrested us.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Were you a student at that time or were you only a youth at that time?

FLORENCE NKOSI: No, I was not a student, I was just at home.

THOMAS MANTHATA: It seems as if they knew you before they arrested you?

FLORENCE NKOSI: How did they say they knew me?

THOMAS MANTHATA: Because they called you by other names.  Did they already knew you before they arrested you, like they said you were a bitch?
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FLORENCE NKOSI: Yes, when that guy entered the shop, he said the bitch is also here, come - that was Venter.

THOMAS MANTHATA: That is why I ask you if they already knew you.

FLORENCE NKOSI: Yes, these people who call themselves Inkatha already knew me.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Was it not for the first time the arrested or attacked you?

FLORENCE NKOSI: No, it was for the first time by then.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Did you open a case which was later dissolved?

FLORENCE NKOSI: Yes, we did that.

THOMAS MANTHATA: What bail did you pay?

FLORENCE NKOSI: That was after the assault after which we were later put in prison.  That was when we received bail - when we got out of prison.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Did you lost the case who assaulted you for nothing?

FLORENCE NKOSI: No, we never lost the case against those people who assaulted us for nothing.  But the police came to us and asked whether we want to open a case, but we said to them, no.  Even if we open a case you won't make any investigation.

THOMAS MANTHATA: I thank you, I don't have any more questions.

CHAIRPERSON: Florence, when you were released from the state of emergency they picked you up.  Did they tell you why they picked you up?   You said you were released and when the state of emergency started you were arrested again.   I want to know the reason for your arrest.

FLORENCE NKOSI: They said they want to remove us from the
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township so there can be no violence.  They wanted to keep us in the cells so there can be peace in the township.

DR RANDERA: Florence, I just want to come back to the question that Mr Manthata and Ms Seroke has already asked.  And that is were you an activist in those days and were you proud of what you were doing, in terms of bringing about change in that area?

FLORENCE NKOSI: Yes, I was one of the youth and because we had leaders we also wished that Huhudi could undergo changes, because at that time we were using bucket systems for the toilets and people were forced to go to Pudumo, and we didn't also want to go to Pudumo.

MR MALAN: May I again follow through on that question please.
 Florence, you said that they accused you at the time of public violence, having so-called thrown stones at the shop.  Were there indeed stones thrown at the stop on that day by other people, or were you involved?

FLORENCE NKOSI: I'm not sure whether there were any people who stoned the shop, because when we arrived there there were no people throwing stones.

MR MALAN: Thank you.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Are you working, Florence?

FLORENCE NKOSI: No, I'm not working, I'm just staying at home.

THOMAS MANTHATA: These are the sufferings that the youth in Vryburg suffered, Florence.   We thank you for coming you today and that you spoke to us about your experiences.  We hoe that these things will disappear.
 We keep on saying that we will work with each other to eradicate all the things that happened.
 The Commission is not going to work on its own to help 
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you, it is going to work with you, the people of Vryburg.
 We thank you therefore, and we want to thank your family members for allowing you to come to us.
 We want to thank.

FLORENCE NKOSI: I also thank you, sir.