Human Rights Violation Hearings — Krugersdorp — 1996-11-11

SPANKIE LESOTHO: It was on the 13th of May.  Let me start afresh.  In 1985 I was attending school at Banderial High School.  I was doing standard ten at that time.  There were a lot of problems about the principals and all the staff members.  Those problems we had was, number one, corporal punishment where teachers were coming from outside who were beating the child with their fists.  So we did not agree with that.
 Then we started to form the SRC.  It was then that the prefect system was in use and our idea of the SRC formulation was not taken up with the teachers.  Then we decided that we have an independent body because we had a very strong belief that SRC is an organisation which relies 
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on the principal.  
 One day my friend and I, Mr Kabinda, on a Sunday.  We were accompanied by two friends who came from Soweto.  They introduced themselves that they are from the Azanian Students Movement.  Then they asked us many questions about politics.  By that time we did not have a desire in politics.  The way the Government of the day was oppressing the desires of the people.  It was then that they were able to convince us, and we agreed with them, that we would mobilise at our school and that this organisation should be the big one because at that time there was no organisation in the township.  It was my responsibility and Swazis.  We organised together.  
 We began by recruiting Mogapi and discussing with other people and many students began to have an interest about this Azanian Students Movement.  The other thing which made us to have interest was in AZASAM was.  It seems this AZASAM organisation was not oppressed as COSAS was because even if we did not have many ideas about COSAS.  So we decided lastly of frequenting the offices in Johannesburg.  
 Then we met one organiser called Sisis Biloy.  They lectured us and gave us books and encouraged us that in the long-run we should try to recruit all the people to join AZAPO.  In the middle of the year, it was August, we were able to see that we are becoming aware and becoming more informed.  Then we decided that we should make suggestions about this movement in school. 
 One teacher who beat one child with a fist, we began with myself and Swazi to organise a meeting with school.  Then we held that meeting and we wrote all the grievances at school.  We listed many grievances at school that morning 
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and we handed them to the principal in the assembly.  When we handed that list to the principal during assembly the principal denied to us that grievance list.  He informed the police and the police came to the school.  When they arrived they released the dogs and threw us with teargas.  We dispersed and ran away in the location.  
 At that time we began to organise ourselves to go and burn the teachers quarters where the principals are staying.  It was then that I started to even spread in the township.  Then shops were burnt and many delivery vehicles were denied entrance to the township.  Then the police started to search for us.  
 The time when I was supposed to write my final exam, the police came to fetch me, Deon van Harden, Strydom and Skeepers.  They took me and locked me in Potchefstroom.  Then I was not able to write two papers.  It went that way.  At the time it was an opportunity for many youth to be encouraged to join.
 In early 1986 we wanted to launch this organisation.  When we wanted to launch this organisation in the hall at the Asisa Church, the police came and disbursed the meeting.  We began to form groups.  Then a certain group, some of the people who were in that movement was Goliath.  The following day we heard that they went to the office to attack the administration block.  A certain policeman called Mikey arrested him and he was killed.  Thus, then everything started to create a situation of confusion and unrest.  
 We went on with our organisation and I was arrested many times.  No one from AZASAM was trying to help with legal advices.  It is then that they started to complain that you should leave this organisation because when you are KRUGERSDORP HEARING TRC/GAUTENG
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arrested nobody is prepared to pay or to help from that organisation.   Then I left that organisation in 1986.  I was the tailman at that time because we had an interim committee.  
 During the funeral of Moozie then the police were looking for me, I ran to Mabetla in Soweto.  Around February I was detained six times because the police were coming to my house two to six times a day.  Then the 15 youth members who were arrested.  Then I went to SA Sisi to look for a lawyer and even to look for money for bail.  The State demanded R1 000.00 for each.  Then we went to financial institutions to look for money and they were able to help us with the money.  Before we were collecting money in the location from the business people.  Then we were able to collect R3 000.00 and R100.00 and something.  The police took that money and locked me and said I have no right to collect money in the township.  He said that I was detained, I was taken to the office in the township.  They put me a certain thing, a bucket on my head and this white man called Leon van Heerden took water and put water in his hand and put that water in my ear and slapped me with his open hand.  After that I spent about a month or two with my one ear being a little bit impaired.  The police, all the time, were harassing me.
 On the 12th of June 1986 a State of Emergency was declared.  I was the second victim who was arrested.  The first victim was Boy Marama.  We were taken to Welverdien.  Lisa Bagaai, Mr Monyosi and other people were brought in that area and then after a day we were transferred to Potchefstroom Prison.  Whilst we were still there we had a 
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greater desire to know more about politics.  Whilst in prison we were educated about politics.  Then we were writing poems.  We were together with Stompie Sipei.  We were drafting our poems, all of us in prison because documents were not allowed to enter the prison premises.  
 One day this policeman arrived in our cells at night coming to search.  The documents they found on the bed or in ones property, they would compile a list of people who had documents.  We were taken the following day and transferred to Rustenberg Prison.  It was called Ramchane Prison firstly.  That is where we were harassed by the police.
 On the first day they did not give us food.  In the morning we were taken by groups at about half past nine.  We were taken to a certain mountain.  It is not far from Pukeng, but it is a hidden area.  It was the same as the building at Vlakplaas.  That is where we were tortured.  There is certain Captain called du Preez.  That is the one who was operating the electrical wires on us.  
 There is a certain cable which explodes.  I do not know what kind of explosive that was, but they would throw it on our feet and then they would put it our toes.  Therefore it  exploded on his fingers.  Then it broke one of his fingers.  Then they would even shoot us just on our legs.  We stayed in Rustenberg in that way.  We stayed approximately a month or two months.  
 During the first unrest after what happened at the school, I was implicated that I was there when shops were burnt.  Whilst I was in prison they laid a charge against me and I appeared in court in Potchefstroom.  I was sentenced to six months.  I was still under emergency regulation detention.  I served my six months prison sentence in 
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Klerksdorp Prison.  
  Early in February I was released.  They gave me a train ticket.  I thought maybe this policeman wanted to re-detain me because they use to do that.  Then I used the taxi.  When I arrived at home, that night they arrived.  Very early in the morning they knocked at my door.  I went at my parent's bedroom.  Then I ran through the back window.  They went in and searched and they took all my albums.  They were coming to look for me almost on a daily basis.  
 Then I began to lax my political activity because they were saying I know too much.  Then they said because I am doing standard ten, I make myself a mayor because after the Koosa Youth Congress was formed I was elected the Chairperson.  
 The very same year, 1986, there were so many unrests which happened in the township.  Many youths took part in those unrests.  The police came to fetch me at home.  They laid a charge that I am stopping children from going to school.  I was taken to a place Dwaalboom.  That place it was Nkosi, Leon van Heerden, Skeepers, Rantikane, Mikey, Strydom and other white policemen.  There was a certain man called Stimane.  We were thrown in those cells and we were crowded.  
 During that night we were taken, myself and a certain Mr Malindi.  We were taken to a certain room.  They made me sleep on a certain bed.  They tied my hands and put the electrical cables on my head.  They took other cables and put them on my private parts.  Then they tortured me for about a hour or two.  They wanted me to expose who were involved and those who were teaching us politics.  They said we found the location being peaceful, but we are making the 
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township ungovernable.  We stayed at Dwaalboom and other people were released.  I was left alone.  I stayed for 21 days at Dwaalboom.  I was tortured for seven to eight times.  Everytime they would force me to frog-jump, this Bill Nkosi and Leon van Heerden, I had a big head and they were hitting my head against the wall and pulling my hair.  I am not born like this.  The Boers are the people who made me like this.  Blood was spilling all over my head where they have rooted my hair out.  
 After that torture, around two o' clock in the morning I was taken to Thabazimbi where they wanted me to make a statement.  I made a statement there.  The prosecutor there said to me are you tortured.  I said, yes.  They would take the statement, give them to the police.  When we were taken back they said I am hard-headed.  Then they tortured me again.  I was choked.  My hair was pulled.  They said they want to take the Comrade out of my head.  When I gave up a certain boy who wanted to be released wrote a letter so that he must give them at home so that they should take the letter to home.  So that he should tell them which road did we use.  
 I was able to go to court.  I went there and went into the witness box.  Then from there I was released.  It was then that I was released.  That was the end of 1986.  I was imprisoned for many times and I did not know the reason why.  At times they would come and say somebody says you are putting some bombs, because they said Thomas Mvudle is making some bombs, he is storing them at my house.  
 In January 1987 we began to look for work in the mines because we said the best thing is to go and work.  Many times when we got to the mines where we were looking for 
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work, we were shown a list, a long list where we were blacklisted.  We were not supposed to be employed in Carletonville because we were blacklisted.  Then we were supposed to go outside to look for work.  This is why there were so many lists, blacklists which were given to many factories and the mines.  
 1988 and 1989 I was working.  When I was saying I was arrested at that time in 1990, on the 13th of May.  I was working at H & H.  We read in the newspaper the following day that there were children who were taken to a certain school.  Their ears were cut and girls were raped and that these people took sticks and put them in the ladies private parts.  Some of those girls were my friends.  Then we examined this incident, but we are asking ourselves what is happening if these things are happening in our township?   After the 13th, on the 20th of May a rally was held at the stadium where people tried to examine this issue.  COSATU, Civic Association, ANC Youth League and Womens League, all those organisations were there.  Whilst they were attempting to address this problem, a certain group entered the stadium with pangas and children started to run out of the stadium.  Then we ran out of the stadium.
 On the following Monday, maybe on the 22nd, a meeting was called the Roman Catholic Church.  The reason for this meeting was the need that this problem should be solved.  How can these people be stopped?  Those who are harassing and torturing the people because there was information that was found that these other people were from the location, others from Klerksdorp, others from Soweto.  We got the information that these people were the ones who were looked after by the police.  When they arrived at Khutsong they 
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were accommodated and they wanted to flourish with their bad deeds.  
 The meeting was held at the Roman Catholic Church on Monday at eight o' clock.  They Church was full by youth and old people.  Whilst discussions went on, the following morning on Tuesday the people, no people should go to work because this effects the whole township.  The problem was if a person was not effected he would not take part in the formulation of the solution.  He would join when he is effected.  Then he would say if I took part then, this thing could never have happened to me.  That morning we woke up.  Then we patrolled the whole township.  I was helped by Thomas Mvudle because he knew these people because some of them he attended school with them.  They were able to identify those people and two of them were arrested.  Then the whole group said the best thing, these people should be taken to the police station.  One of them was the one who was responsible for cutting the children's ears.  One of the victims was able to identify that person.  They were take to the police station.  After some moment we were able to see them again in the township.  When we examined the situation we were able to find out that the police desired that this thing should go on because it seems they were fuelling the violence in the township.  Then the situation went out of control.  
 Those of us who were identified, we were identified by these people and they were hunting for us and the were covering their faces and looking for their own victims all over the township.  Then the decision was taken that shops should be banned and the delivery vans should be banned.  We were able to say that this is a criminal act.
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A certain person called Gadaffi arrived in the township.  This Gadaffi was dangerous because he is the leader of this group.  It was a group of people who were unemployed, of the people who were not students, but other were students.  They took the fact that because they were given liquor and food and they were able to loot because they wanted to get some food.  At that time the police houses were banned and the taverns were closed and the shops were closed.  At that time I was working at a certain tavern called, the owner of the tavern was Matsawo.  
 A certain guy arrived, then he demanded a Toyota Corolla.  He wanted that by force.  They give him the car keys.  He went with that car in the township and he was driving all over the township.  From there he wanted to look for another car.  On the road towards Klerksdorp he met a traffic cop and then he was stopped.  When he was supposed to stop he began to shoot.  Then the traffic cop phoned for back-up and Gadaffi was arrested.  There is a certain woman called Anna in the township.  This Gadaffi was writing letters to this woman called Anna, that she must come and bail him out of prison.  This woman came to us and said, what can I do if I receive these threats?  We told her that the best thing is to go to the police because we cannot do anything.  If the members of this gang, if they know of your desire to release him or not to release him, you are going to be targeted and, again, if you are not going to release him, this group is going to threaten you.  The child of this woman was involved with the gang.  
 It happened that because Gadaffi was the leader of that group, it made sense that it was called Gadaffi group because of this Gadaffi.  They were saying anybody who was 
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opposed to the Gadaffi group is a Mazimzim and the Mazimzim is opposing the ANC.  At that time we were members of the Youth League and some of the Gadaffi group were members of the ANC.  There was this ANC Youth League which did not take sides between the two groups.  I do not know if they were prejudiced on that because many of them were staying in the shack houses.  This Gadaffi group was mobilising people from the shack houses because the shack houses in that area were built in such a way that the police do not have access. 
 Gadaffi was released.  There is a certain old man, I am not able to identify him or call his name because if there is media people.  He owns taxis and business people.  He was using these children and other woman and some of them are prominent figures of the ANC Youth League.  Some of them are prominent leaders of the Civic Association.  The other one is a teacher.  They said they should take these children to Natal so that they could get medicine.  There is a certain doctor called Gonondo who will be able to use his medicines so that they should be invisible.  That is then that I have a feeling that the situation was uncontrollable because they were convinced that they were invisible and nobody is going to stop them.  
 The fighting continued.  A certain child called Kosima Sekwo was murdered when he went to a funeral.  People are restricted to attend a funeral.  They said they wanted the funeral members only to attend the funeral.  So we felt that that is not going to be possible because these are not the people who rule the township.  Those people who were at that meeting at the Roman Catholic Church, some of them left the organisation and we were very few.  It was myself, my brother, my younger brother, Madello Maseko, those whose 
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shops were banned and those who were victims of this Gadaffi group.