Human Rights Violation Hearings — King William's Town — 1997-05-14

CASE: EC0930/96KWT

HELD AT: KING WILLIAM'S TOWN
DAY 3

JEREMIAH NDUDULA: (sworn  states)

CHAIRPERSON: Could I find out whether Mr, Mrs Adams Black...  Is Mr     Dorrington here ?.  Thank you.  Could I call in also Mr Zodwa Patsa.

ZODWA PATSA: (sworn states).

UNKNOWN: I'll start with you, Zodwa.   According to your statement, Zodwa, in connection with the disorder at the time, won't you tell us briefly, so that you give us a mental picture of what was happening.

ZODWA PATSA: It was in 1985.  My son, Vuyani Patsa passed away.  He was at school at Nompendulo.  He was doing standard 6.  I was at home and I heard someone calling out in a loud speaker, somebody saying that all the parents with children at Nompendulo must go to the police station with R40-00.

UNKNOWN: The name of the school please ?.

ZODWA PATSA: Nompendulo.  We had to take R40-00.  That is exactly what I did.  I went to the police station.  It must have been about 5 o'clock in the afternoon.  I went there.  It was after the June holidays, in July.  It was towards the evening.  There were a lot of children  there, in a queue.  Some were wet.  I got there and I asked about my son.  I tried to look  in the queues, I could not see mine.  I could not see my own child even as I carried on looking.  As I was going, I went to the police station and this policeman asked what I was doing there.  I said I'm looking for a child.  This man then said I must go and look at Buffalo. Don't you  know that your children have not been well brought up.  I could connect the fact that I had to go to the Buffalo River and the other kids were drenching wet.  I wasn't sure what was happening.  I just went to the police station with the R40-00 as instructed.  The father of the child was in Johannesburg and we were staying together, just the 2 of us.  I would go from house to house, asking the other children about my son and some of the parents would just say, the Principal called the police, their children had a meeting.  The Principal called the police and the police beat the children up.  It was at night, I didn't know what to do, then I thought perhaps I should go back to the policeman, police station.  The other kids were bailed out on R40-00.  I went back and they said that they don't know where he was.  I was told to go to sleep.  I could  not even sleep, I did not know what to do.  It seemed as if dawn was not going to strike because I wanted to go back to the police station to find out about my child.  The next morning I went to the school.  I waited until school started and tried to see if my child was not going to walk through the school gates.

UNKNOWN: I hear your detail Ma'am, you looked for your child and you did not find your child until what happened ?.

ZODWA PATSA: There were other people looking for their children as well who had not come back from the school.  When I got there, I got information that lifesavers would go and  look  for  the  children at  the river.  I must go home.  When  I  got home,  the  father phoned, asked  how  the previous night was.  He  said that he could not sleep the previous
night.  He said that he had the feeling that his own child had died.  Apparently, 3 girls were found by the lifesavers.  I phoned Radio Ciskei so that they could help me find my child.  I found my child on the third week.

UNKNOWN: Was he found in the river ?.

ZODWA PATSA: He was found in the river.

UNKNOWN: Where was he found ?

ZODWA PATSA: He was, he was found on the river banks.  There were trees not far from the river banks that he was just hung on.  His watch, he was still wearing his watch which.. and there was nothing wrong with his watch. He had his clothes on.  We could see that he was in water once.  The father asked where they found my child.  They were referred to the police station in King William's Town.  My husband was not referred to the Buffalo River.

UNKNOWN: Therefore you suspect that this child pushed at the river banks the previous night before he was found.

ZODWA PATSA: Yes.

UNKNOWN: Was there a court case ?.   Did you go to a legal representative ?

ZODWA PATSA: There were young men that would come to my home that said they were UDF members.  They said that Vugano was a UDF member.  They were then collecting money that they would take to Smith, so that he could represent us legally.

UNKNOWN: Did you take a statement to Smith ?.

ZODWA PATSA: Yes, I did.

UNKNOWN: What did you say to the statement and what happened ?.

ZODWA PATSA: We found Vuyani on the Wednesday and on the Thursday we had to bury him. I forgot to say that actually it was on a Tuesday that we found him and were forced to bury him on the Thursday.  The police forced us.

UNKNOWN: Did you bury him ?.

ZODWA PATSA: No, we didn't, we requested 4 days.  It was stipulated by the police that there should only be 100 people at the funeral.  We then went with Zemi, together with the father.  We said that we were waiting on money that our relatives was going to bring.  We had no money for the funeral.

UNKNOWN: Did the police not bring any disorder into your home ?

ZODWA PATSA: They did, because my  children said they're not going to leave on the Friday.  There was a big tent.  The children were not allowed to go into the gate.  There were buses.  The children were beaten up in the buses.

UNKNOWN: Was there a death certificate ?  What did the doctor say ?

ZODWA PATSA: The attorney, Smith said that there should be a post-mortem conducted.  He was taken there, in East London.  Smith then told us the results, that he'd had sustained head injuries and we could see that there was an operation that took place on his head.

UNKNOWN: Ma'am, your story is very painful.  What are your requests before the State President ?.

ZODWA PATSA: My issue is very painful.  Vuyani was my only child.  I had no other child.  It took a long time for it to sink in that he'd passed on.  For a while it felt like he'd gone on holiday and he was gonna come back.  If the Commission would give me some form of compensation.  My health deteriorated since he passed away.  Even the father was badly affected.  I  have  diabetes  and  high  blood  pressure.  There is nothing  I can do.  I had a
small business.  I can no longer have that.  My husband was a taxi-man but he cannot work well either.  I need the Commission to help me with some form of compensation and I also need a tombstone.

UNKNOWN: Is there something else, Ma'am ?.

ZODWA PATSA: No Sir.

UNKNOWN: Thank  you Ma'am.  I've forgotten something Ma'am.  Where there any perpetrators found ?.

ZODWA PATSA: No.  I would like to know who murdered my child and to know who had my child in custody and why.  Thank you.

UNKNOWN: Jeremiah Ndudula.  Mr Chairperson, please wait Sir.  Sir I would like you briefly to tell us your story.  I will then ask you questions to help you with your testimony.  What was happening in the Township during this time?.

JEREMIAH NDUDULA: Mr Chairperson, in 1985, before June, after our mid-year exams.

UNKNOWN: Is it 1985 or 1984 because in your statement you mentioned 1984.

JEREMIAH NDUDULA: I thought you said that I must start from 1985.  Can I start in 1984 ?.

UNKNOWN: Yes.