Human Rights Violation Hearings — Durban — 1996-05-10

CHAIRPERSON: Order, please.  Mama, we do not have words that we could say to you to console you, but you are among friends here - people who sympathise with you, even if there isn't much that we can do - to say, that can ease your pain.  We are going to try to follow up on those indications you've given to us so that we can establish what happened, and then we'll explain to you.  May God be

CHAIRPERSON: /with you

CHAIRPERSON: 18B/28 with you and strengthen you.   (End of tape)

CHAIRPERSON: 19A/0

WITNESS:  ... They said, "Where are you going?"  I said, "I'm going to the Commission.  He got lost".  That's Winnie's brother.

CHAIRPERSON: Is there something else you would like to say, because we have heard - we are going to try that those who are supporting you, the lady next to you must go out with you, if you haven't got any more to say.

WITNESS:   My father, I'm a Christian, I'm a believer, but it's very difficult for me to deal with the situation.  I don't know how the Commission could assist me, because even the money we do not have.  The Madikizela group all came together.  They hid this money.  It was about R56 000,00.  I don't trust any person in the family.  I'm scared of going out of here because my sister might not allow me there.

CHAIRPERSON: We hear you, Mama.  We are going to try.  Please don't lose hope, because it's been a long time that you've been trying and following up all directions.  We are also going to try and help you.

WITNESS:   Thank you.

COMBRINCK J: Please stand.
LONG ADJOURNMENT
/ON RESUMPTION
19/2 ON RESUMPTION

DR BORAINE: We are just waiting for the headset to be put on properly, so that the witness can hear all right, and then we can start.  Mrs Dlomo, can we just ask, can you hear me all right?

EUNICE DLOMO: Yes.

DR BORAINE: Well, then let me say to you how very pleased we are that you have come.  You also had a long wait, since early this morning and we thank you very warmly and appreciate your presence here.  You have had much grief in your life, not only the murder of your husband, which was very bad, but also the attack and the burning of your home, and you are going to tell us about that in a moment, but before you do I must ask you to stand for the swearing of the oath.

EUNICE DLOMO: (Sworn states) (Through Interpreter)

DR BORAINE: You may resume your seat.  Mrs Dlomo, you, I think, know that we always have one of the panel to try and assist people to tell their stories and, in this instance, Dr Magwaza will help you to do that and I'm going to hand over to her right away.

DR MAGWAZA: Mrs Dlomo, we thank you for being here.

WITNESS:   I also thank you.

DR MAGWAZA: We are happy that you are prepared to come here today and share with us what happened to you.  We also hope that this might help you in some way.  What I would first like us to do - we would also like to know you and your family.  Just briefly give us a brief history of your family who are your children and what you are doing - the whole situation about your family, so that we can also get this information.

WITNESS:   I am Eunice Dlomo.  At the

DR MAGWAZA: /moment, I'm

DR MAGWAZA: 19A/5 moment, I'm staying at Newlands West.  I was born in Umbumbulu.  I have got three children, who are my children, and one who is my brother's child, so I've got four children.  My first-born is studying.  He is studying in Sweden.  The second girl is studying standard 9 at Hillgrove High.  My last-born is doing standard 10 at Hillgrove High.  I'm not working.  I'm at home.

DR MAGWAZA: Thank you.  As far as the statements are concerned, there are two things that happened to you.  You were harassed by having your house burnt down and you also got injured, but again you suffered when your husband was killed.  Mama Dlomo, could you please tell us the whole story of how this happened.

WITNESS:   In 1990 - it was on June 29th, it was in the afternoon.  My husband was coming back.  He had been paid his salary.  He took us for groceries and he told me that he was going for a special duty.  He left at about eight.  I stayed there with my children - four children - at home.  I was the fifth person inside the house.  At about twelve - I never used to go to sleep before he arrived - I just heard something hitting over the house and when I looked I saw light.  As I was still checking what's that, I hear gunfire.  I ran back.  I checked all the bedrooms.  I said, "My children, we are being shot and we are also burning.  Please follow me".  I got out of the bedroom.  As I was in the passage that goes into the dining room, I saw the kitchen was burning.  I went to the dining room and in the dining room the door was burning, but the window was not burning.  I said to the boys, "Hit the window", so that we could come out of the window.  The two boys - elderly boys - hit the window.  They escaped - they managed to escape.  After

DR MAGWAZA: /that the little

DR MAGWAZA: 19A/6 that the little boy, who was 13 years old then - I didn't see which direction he had gone out to.  After that I was the last one to come out.  They shot me on my leg.  I fell.  It was as if something was stinging me.  I fell and I crawled on my knees and I hid behind the garage.  I called the neighbours.  The neighbours didn't open.  I opened again (?) and then I kneeled and I crossed the street and I hit at Cele and Cele opened the door for me.  When Cele opened others saw - saw that people were opening at Cele.  Those who were attacking us ran away when they saw Cele opening the door.  They got into the car which was outside my gate.  It was a Granada.  That was the car next to our house.  After that Cele asked me what had happened.  I said, "I don't know".  After that my two boys came back and asked, "Where is Mdoda?", and I said I didn't know where Mdoda was.  They ran away because they were not hurt.  They met Mdoda by the garage, he was also crawling on his knees.  They took him.  He said to me, "My mother, they have shot me".  In his stomach he was full of blood.  After that he got sick.  He vomited.  Mr Cele phoned the police.  Before the police arrived the other two boys remembered that there was a two-year old child who was still inside the house.  They ran back to the house.  When they arrived the bed had started but the child had not yet started burning, but there was a lot of smoke.  They took this boy and got out through the window with this boy.  That's how this child survived and they brought it.  When the police arrived they took us with all the survivors and the younger child.  Mrs Cele said, "Please, leave this child alone.  I don't know where you're going".  Mrs Cele looked after this child and we

DR MAGWAZA: /went to the

DR MAGWAZA: 19A/8 went to the hospital.  I went to King Edward Hospital the following day.  The boy went to King Edward the same day.  They operated the boy in the stomach and they took out the bullets from the stomach.  That's how the boy survived.  My husband arrived at night when I was at the hospital.  He asked what happened and I told him.  He took these children.  He was going up and down with them and one of his brothers said, "You can come to my place", and then they went there.  They gave him some of their clothes to wear - his brothers.  The second week we were discharged from the hospital, but the younger boy was discharged on the 3rd ... (inaudible).  We went to stay with my husband's brother.  At Ndelazi they said we must go and stay at Malendeni in hospital.  In hospital there were very small beds.  We used these small beds in hospital for a month.  After a month he got a salary and then he bought some blankets for us.  We stayed at the hospital from 1992 up until 1993 and in 1993 he used to go and fetch other workers at Lamont.