Human Rights Violation Hearings — Umtata — 1996-06-18

JAMES ZAMIWONGA KATI: The minute when I came back I met the late Mr Xobolo we were always together, he took me and tried to see that I get medication and then I recovered gradually. In 1978 we were re-arrested again with Mr Xobolo because we had formed just  ...(intervention)

CHAIRPERSON: Sorry, can we know who was arresting you?

JAMES ZAMIWONGA KATI: It was the Government, the Transkei Government. He said we have revived the youth league the DPP because we saw that we had no other way and we couldn't take for what our ideologies, we wanted to use the platform of the DP and we used it, then we were arrested for formulating this youth league. All the executive members were arrested. I think we were arrested for four to five months and then we were released thereafter. There was no charge laid against us.

CHAIRPERSON: When did you go to Butterworth?

JAMES ZAMIWONGA KATI: You know in Butterworth I was arrested in 1981, I was then forced to give information about all the members of the Umkonto weSizwe because I was belonging to base one of the guerillas, then I was requested to give information. When I refused I was arrested and was detained at the Butterworth Police Station. There were men like Spocks and so many others called Masimola - we called him Poppie, that was his nickname, Matamela was one of them, he was amongst us. Immediately when I came there, there were policemen who were assaulting other people in the room next door. They were forced to take exercises so that they can admit to have killed the police who were here at Butterworth. They were forced to give false information about themselves, but I was not involved in that group.  There were men like Dixon Pongoma the many others, King Peter, the likes and so many of them, you could see that at the back they appeared as if they had burns because of the assault that they had experienced. We had to take water and try to soothe him, he was arrested and was forced to go and direct the police to where I lived.

CHAIRPERSON: When you were there in Butterworth, did you had a visitor from your daughter?

JAMES ZAMIWONGA KATI: Yes. My daughter Nomashepita came to visit me. When she ...(tape ends)  ....were white men. I was taken to the Cambridge Police Station, that is where I was severely tortured. I was put into the boeing I was covered, it was a cover which was put over my head, there will be ice which is put on your head and you will be electrocuted on the feet, this took place for four days and I was released after five days, this happened day in and day out.
 I just want to mention that on the first day, they started at four in the afternoon and they did it for the whole night at the end I falsely admitted that I knew where the weapons were. When I agreed and admitted, they took me back to my place, when we reached my place, there were some men also who were also taken along, Dengana and others and they took me to Ngobo, there were other Policemen there. I was always given orders that should I make any false move or try to assault them, they would kill me on the spot. They were expecting to find guerillas accommodated at my place. Then when we reached my place, I said the weapons were under my table. They took the detectors and tried to search and locate all the weapons that I was talking about. They realised that I was giving false information, but I kept on pointing falsely because I was afraid. They went to the vicinity and wanted to dig around so that they can see where they can get the weapons, unfortunately for them, the people in the community refused to provide them with anything to use to dig my house, then on their own they went to town to get some tools and they came back. When they came back, they dug and the holes were deep, still looking for these weapons. When they didn't find anything from my house, we were taken to another spot, again they started to dig again, I went on doing this, it was a wild goose chase. It was a terrible situation because I kept on saying "No keep on digging, you will find something", then we went to a rocky area and I still insisted that we should keep on digging because they are going to find some weapons. 
 At the end they realised that I was just giving false information, they assaulted me, they took me up the hill, when we reached the top of the hill, they grabbed my testicles and they pressed and crushed my right testicle, when I came down I was in pain, at the end I just gave them information that I was just trying to get some peace. At the end I said to them, "you can kill me if you like".

CHAIRPERSON: Can you get some information when you were taken to the Police Station in Cambridge were there any Police that you knew about, would you like us to get some information about the names of the Police there?

JAMES ZAMIWONGA KATI: Yes, there are, there were two black policemen. I think there were three, I am mistaken to say there were two, there were three Black policemen. I think the other one is late, but I am certain about the two who are still alive, there were also White policemen, two of them are here in the Transkei. I don't know whether I can name them because I know their names but I am afraid of the Commission.

CHAIRPERSON: OK, lets proceed. In other words you say you were tortured also and ill-treated here in the Transkei?

JAMES ZAMIWONGA KATI: Yes.

CHAIRPERSON: Do you know the Police who did this?

JAMES ZAMIWONGA KATI: Yes, I know them. I know them very well. They ill-treated me from East London and also in Butterworth. When I was in Butterworth I could see that my daughter was deeply hurt, that is when I said to the Police "please leave my daughter alone, kill me, because I am the person who knows the ANC, don't do this to my daughter", then I was talking to the Policemen who was still looking for the weapons.

CHAIRPERSON: Do you mean the Police here in the Transkei?

JAMES ZAMIWONGA KATI: Yes, I mean the Police here in the Transkei. Dengana was one of the Policemen, Tyelala, Madikizela, I have forgotten the other one, but I think the other one was from East London and he is late now.

CHAIRPERSON: OK, you can stop.

JAMES ZAMIWONGA KATI: I have forgotten his name but I can remember that he was from East London or he is Mr Mgiwa.

CHAIRPERSON: OK. Thank you very much. Where were you when your wife died?

JAMES ZAMIWONGA KATI: I was still in prison.

CHAIRPERSON: Which prison were you detained?

JAMES ZAMIWONGA KATI: I was in Iditchwa. When I came back from East London they took me to the Iditchwa Police Station. I was detained there. When I got there, I reported to the Police that I have been assaulted and I described and gave details about my injuries, at the time I was urinating blood. They referred me to the doctor and fortunately as I came on Friday I was fortunate that the following day the doctor was supposed to do his rounds. When I gave a statement to the doctor he said I should be taken to hospital for admission. On Monday when the police came in they took me away from the jail and then they took me to Iditchwa where they detained my daughter.

CHAIRPERSON: Do you know those Police who did that to you?

JAMES ZAMIWONGA KATI: Yes I do.

CHAIRPERSON: Do you know their names?

JAMES ZAMIWONGA KATI: They were young so I don't know much about them, but they received the instructions from Dingana, because they were the people who were responsible for my case.

CHAIRPERSON: How long did you stay in Iditchwa? For how many months did you stay there?