Human Rights Violation Hearings — East London — 1996-04-17

NYAMEKA GONIWE: Thank you very much.  The talk about Matthew Goniwe, including my life was quite a daunting task, because I didn't know where to begin, to piece together this story and our story.  I tried my best last night to bring together the events which eventually led to his death. I'm going to bring in as well a little bit of our background and his background. I also ask the Commission to bear with me a little bit.
 My name is Nyameka Goniwe, a social worker by profession.  I am now working for the Social Changes Systems Trust. called SCAT in short, a funding organisation based in Cape Town.  I got married to Matthew Goniwe, a teacher in 1975 and have two children, Nabuswe who's going to turn 21 in June and Nyanisa, who's going to turn 14 in June as well.
 Matthew came from a politically family and his political activism was strongly influenced by the death of his brother Jaques, who died in exile in the 60's.  His active involvement began when he took up the post as a teacher at a village school in Kandule, in what was known as Transkei in the early 70's.  He was arrested with four friends in 1976 for setting up a political discussion group or cell in Transkei.  He was subsequently convicted under the Suppression of Communism Act and sentenced to four years imprisonment in 1977.  After spending 15 months awaiting 
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trial he served his sentence in Umtata prison.
 My ordeal started then. In 1976, the year Matthew was arrested, I was enrolled at the University of Fort Hare to do a degree in social work.  In pursuit of my studies, I decided to leave my eight month old baby, which is Nabuswe with Matthew's mother in Cradock.  My biggest challenge at the time was to be available to my baby as often as possible, to attend to my studies and also give support to my husband in prison.  I remember that year being one of the toughest years I have faced in my life.  I was short of money and had to rely on my brothers in law for assistance, and the small grant I used to get from the Dependants Conference of the SACC.
 When Matthew was released in 1981 I had already completed my degree and was employed by the then Department of Cooperation and Development as a social worker in Port Elizabeth.  During the same year I requested a transfer in order to with him and my family.  In 1982 he got the post of deputy principal at Nqeba High School in Graaf Reinet.  The following year on his own request, he was transferred to Cradock as the deputy principal of the same kind of Semquale Secondary School.  In July 1982, he was fully appointed as the principal of the same school.
 Matthew was a brilliant maths and science teacher, but also a strict disciplinarian.  These qualities earned him a lot of respect and praise in the community.  His influence permeated to all the schools in Lingalishle.  His interest in the youth attracted the attention of the security police towards him.  He was also seen as a person who took an active role in rekindling the politics of resistance, especially during the Kenneth Calata funeral in 1982.
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 In August 1983, a new section of the town comprising of 279 houses was built in Cradock in the Lingalishle Township. This resulted in a new rental system being introduced which was based on a salary sliding scale.  This was met with fierce resistance by the community and discredited the then community council.  Matthew was at the forefront of this resistance.  He also became instrumental in establishing a civic organisation in Cradock, known as Cradora and the youth organisation known as Cradoya. He was then elected as the chairperson of Cradora and Fort his friend and a fellow teacher, became the chairperson of Cradoya.  The two organisations became UDF affiliates in 1983, linking up with other progressive organisations  in the Eastern Cape, like the PEPCO civic organisations in Grahamstown, Port Alfred, all over the Eastern Cape.
 At the end of 1983 he received a surprise transfer from the Department of Education and Training to go back to  Nqeba High School in Graaf Reinet, an act which he perceived to be politically motivated.  He then refused to go in January 1984, a move that was fully supported by the community.
 The Department of Education and Training dismissed him on the pretext by refusing to go, he had dismissed himself. Protest in the form of petitions to the regional manager of DET , Mr Meerbold and successive delegations that were led by the community to present his case, proved to be futile.  It was clear that the arrogance that was displayed by Mr Meerbold had the backing of the security police.  The response of the State was to bring in its forces to try and intimidate and break the community resistance.  Running battles between the police and the youth became the order of EAST LONDON  HEARING TRC/EASTERN CAPE
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the day.  Violence escalated and the community decided to embark on a school boycott at the beginning of 1994, which involved about all seven schools.
 The demands of the students that were put forward were the immediate reinstatement of Matthew Goniwe.  The resistance intensified and this resulted in meetings being banned.  In March 1984, Matthew, Fort Calata, Madoda Jocabson, Bulelo Goniwe were detained under Section 28 of the Internal Security Act, which allowed for six months detention.  It became clear from this action that Cradock was regarded as a flash point by the past government and the detention was ordered to try and neutralise the situation.
 The situation in the township worsened in their absence and violence escalated on a scale which was never experienced before.  All school committees resigned.  The pressure forced the security police to release Matthew and his colleagues.  They were released on the 10th of October 1984 and were given a hero's welcome by the community.
 Matthew's unpopularity with the security forces intensified.  He was rated and regarded as an enemy of the State.  This was also proved in the evidence which was led during the inquest court, the second inquest court proceedings in 1995, last year.  He was also denied the right to own a house by the Linglishle  Town Council for a long time, forcing him to live with his mother in law and his family, in an extended family home.
 His movements were closely monitored by the security police, especially when he had to leave town.  The whole family bore the wrath of the security police which took the form of harassment, early morning house raids, constant surveillance, death threats, phone bugging, short term 
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detentions for questioning, mysterious phone calls, tampering with cars, etc.  Of all the death threats that Matthew received, there are three which stood out and also serve as a pointer that Matthew was a marked man.  The first one involved the former head of the security branch in Cradock, Major Henry Fouche.  It happened in an early morning while Matthew was taking me to work in town.  On the way our car was stopped by Fouche and Matthew was pulled out of the car.  He then pointed a gun at Matthew's head, shouting, I'm going to kill you.  We were then driven to the police station, we were both searched, bodily searched and released later on.  Matthew laid a charge against Fouche, which of course. never came to anything.
 The second that happened was in Queenstown, when Matthew went to meet a friend and a fellow ex-prisoner.  It became obvious that his movements were monitored from Cradock to Queenstown, because he was stopped on arrival and detained for a short while. He later told his family that he was threatened with death by the then head of security in Queenstown.  I'm not sure of the name now, it's between Venter of van Wyk.  I'm sure it can be established later.
 The third one happened whilst visiting Port Elizabeth to attend a UDF meeting. He was Fort Calata's Farm Umkonto. Fort and Matthew were stopped and detained for a short while.  They were threatened that a better and sophisticated police officer will be replacing Fouche at the beginning of 1985 and that one is going to sort them out. Indeed, a new head of the security branch Eric Winter, an ex-Koevoet officer took over from Fouche early in 1985.
 The first thing he did was to visit our house to come and "talk" to Matthew. It was obvious that his visit was 
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aimed at assessing him, after reading his file. I also got the impression that he came over to come and assess our house. The then Major Venter kept a lower profile than Fouche, making Matthew and the other activists in Cradock wonder what he was planning.
 Matthew on another level, as if he was counting his days, worked with dedication to mobilise the community, using public meetings for political education. He also introduced street and area communities which became known as the G-Plan.  His other aim was to broaden the leadership base and groom layers of leadership with the youth and the civic structures.  The UDF supported his talent to organise people and elected him as a rural organiser in the Eastern Cape.  His influence grew and spread to other areas in the 
Eastern Cape.  As a rural organiser he had to attend UDF meetings every week on Wednesday.
 On the 27th May 1985, a month before he was murdered, the South African Defence Force sealed off the township of Lingalishle........ (end of tape 10)
(Tape 11).......stated that Matthew, I suppose that the person you are relying on is unable to give you water, unable to give you electricity.  It was one of those hearts and minds racists. Pamphlets denouncing Cradora and Cradoya, including the leadership as terrorists or terrorist organisations were distributed all over the township. The houses of activists were searched, all this was done as a show of force and a show of military might. The message was clear from this event that the attention of the state, through its security forces was focused on Cradock.