Human Rights Violation Hearings — Benoni — 1997-02-05

CHAIRPERSON: I would like to welcome you all on behalf of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee to this the second day of our hearings in the East Rand.   Yesterday we were in Tiduza, today we are here, tomorrow we will be in Vosloorus.
 We are very pleased and grateful to the local Council for letting us use these facilities.  We are very pleased that you are all here.  We would like to welcome you very warmly to this hearing and what I will do first is just to explain some of the procedures so that you get a better idea for those who had not been at hearings before, to get an idea of what happens.
 Firstly, in terms of interpretation you will see that we do have interpretative facilities here for everybody and there are earphones, microphones available for everybody.   Those who need them, the three channels, if I could explain:  English is on two;  Zulu is on three;  Sotho is on four.
 I must make one appeal on behalf of all of us about these earphones.  They are intrinsically tied up to this system.   They do not function outside of this system.  So the message is, please make sure that when you use them, you use them here and here only and when you leave, you leave them behind.   Thanks very much.
Secondly I would like to explain, you have copies of the programme for today.  I would like to explain that Committee member, Tom Manthata is with us but is not chairing.  I will be chairing the session today.  My name is Hugh Lewin.  I am on the Human Rights Violations Committee and I would like to introduce the rest of the panel. 
 We have with us today, from my left Tom Manthata, who is a Committee member of the Reparation and Rehabilitation Committee;  on my immediately left is Dr Russell Ally, who is a Committee member of the Human Rights Violations Committee;  on my immediate right is Ms Joyce Seroke, who is also a Committee member of the Human Rights Violations Committee and then on my extreme right is Dr Fazel Randera, who is a Commissioner of the Human Rights Violations Committee.  He is also the Convener of the Gauteng area of the Commission.
 What we will do during the day, you will see that we will do the cases.   There is a break for tea and there is a break for lunch, but those who have not been here before will see how the day proceeds.
 I would like to make one appeal.  Cell phones please, off.   We do not need to be interrupted by cell phones.  
 I would also like to make the point that these hearings are essentially a day for the witnesses to come forward and tell their stories.  Everything we do, everything about the day is geared quite specifically for those who are coming to make statements.   If you think about it you will realise that it is quite an undertaking to do that.
 We welcome the witnesses very warmly and we ask 
everyone to respect the fact that this is their day.  This is their time for telling those stories.
 I would also like to explain that those who are 
appearing today as witnesses, their statements have been chosen from a large number of statements that we have had.  The areas that are covered specifically today include Benoni, obviously, Wattville, Actonville and Daveyton.  
 And, what we try to do with the hearings is to make the statements as representative as possibly, both in chronological time, also in terms of the activities and the events that are taken place in the particular areas.
 What we need to stress as well, is the fact that some people are chosen to appear in public and some people who have made statements and do not appear in public makes no difference at all to the way in which these statements are treated by the Commission.   
 Every statement that is made to the Commission by people, recounting their pain, their suffering during the years as covered by the Commission, 1960 to 1994, every statement is treated exactly the same and will be treated in exactly the same way in the final report of the Commission.  I think that does need to be stated.
 I would now like to ask is we could please stand and I would call on Rev Mbanda, who is from the Anglican Church in Daveyton to lead us please in prayer before we start our proceedings.  Rev Mbanda thank you.

HEARING IS OPENED WITH PRAYER: .

MR LEWIN: Excuse me, before we call the first witness I would like to ask Joyce Seroke just to run through the names of all the witnesses and cases which we will be hearing today.

MS SEROKE: Thank you Chairperson.
 We have Victor Nkwamba;  Matilda Mavundla, who is here to represent Kenneth who was shot during a school boycott;  Victor Serrano who is coming to testify in the case of his daughter, who was killed in the Boksburg Wimpy Bar bomb blast.  We have Mary Beech, who is testifying in the case of her son, who was killed in Zimbabwe;  Rose-Mary Tshabalala, who is coming to testify in the case of her brother Emmanual, who was run over by a Hippo.  We have here Sikhumbuze Zwane, who has come here to testify on behalf of her uncle.  We have Tiny Mokgoshi Matlakala, who is going to testify on behalf of her husband, who was killed by the police;  Alegria Nyoka, who is here to represent his brother Caiphus who was killed by the police.  We have Lawrence Mbambo who is here to talk about himself and his wife who were harassed by the IFP.  We have David Sam, who has come here to testify on his own behalf regarding the shootings in the Daveyton Massacre.   We have Samson Zolani Xakeka, who is here on behalf of himself regarding the Daveyton Massacre.  We also have Lazarus Shabangu, who has come to testify on his own behalf regarding the train attack.

CHAIRPERSON: I would like then to go straight into the proceedings and ask Victor Nkwamba if he could please come forward to the lower table.
   Good morning Victor.  Thank you very much for coming.  Thank you also for agreeing to be the first witness.  It is not easy.  Please feel relaxed.  Are you comfortable there?   And are you comfortable with hearing in English?  Will you testify in English?  Before you testify I ask you please to take the oath.

VICTOR NKWAMBA: (sworn states)

DR RANDERA: Victor good morning.  Can you introduce your friend or your brother or your relative who has come with you?

VICTOR NKWAMBA: Yes, he is my friend Amos Masinga.

VICTOR NKWAMBA: Welcome to Amos as well.
 Victor thank you for coming today.  You are going to tell us about what happened to you in 1976.  I want you as Hugh Lewin has already said, to take your time.  This is your period to tell your story.  It happened a long time ago so I am sure some of it has gone a bit rusty but that does not matter.
 Could you please start by telling us something about yourself.  How old you are now.   How many members are in your family.  Are you working or unemployed?  And then go to tell us what happened in 1976.