Human Rights Violation Hearings — Cradock — 1996-02-10

BONGANI FINCA: We are going to call to the podium Nozithandiso Olga Sizila.   Mrs Olga Sizila, we welcome you here today.  We thank you for having come before the Commission this morning.  We will hand over to the Reverend Xundu to swear you in, after that Ntsiki Sandi will lead you in evidence on behalf of the Commission.

REV XUNDU: Thank you Mr Chairperson.

NOZITHANDISO OLGA SIZILA: (sworn states)

MR SANDI: Good morning Mrs Sizila.  Your story relates to the life that you led as the Sizila family.  You, your husband and your children.
 As I look at the statement, it starts from 1963 when Mr Mzwandile Sizila, your husband, was imprisoned for having been a member of the political organisation, the ANC.  Could you relate to us how you were ill-treated and tortured?

NOZITHANDISO OLGA SIZILA: I stay here in Cradock, so did my husband in 1963.  In 1963 he was imprisoned and was taken to Robben Island.
 He was sentenced to three years imprisonment.  I made a request that I may go and see him in 1964 at Robben Island.  When I got there in 1964, he looked very bad.  He was in jail.  The shirt that he was wearing was full of blood, his mouth was swollen, his lips.  When I asked what had happened, he said that he had been beaten up.
 He said he had been beaten the day before yesterday.  
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The police were saying that he was cheeky.  I asked if they were still being beaten, even there at Robben Island and he said yes.
 I requested from him the information that I needed especially concerning our children.  He told me what to do.  I then came back to Cradock.  In 1966 he got out of jail.
 Two months after he got out of jail, a Detective came to our house asking for him.  I told the Detective that he was at home, that he was not well, that he was laying on the bed.
 He then said, what do you mean he is not well?  This Detective said why doesn't he go to the ANC to heal him.  I said he can walk in if he wanted to.
 He said to my husband that on the 3rd of April 1967, we were supposed to leave, my entire family.

MR SANDI: Excuse me Mrs Sizila.  Was there a banishment order that you had been given by the Government that you should leave Cradock for Queenstown?

NOZITHANDISO OLGA SIZILA: No, there was nothing, we were just told by the police.  We then prepared.  A taxi did not come to fetch us to take us to the station, because we were going to leave.
 We had to spend the night at Cradock on the night of the 3rd of April 1967.  We could not really sleep because we were at my mother's place.  The police said to my husband that if we could not find transport to leave, they would take him back to jail.
 We then organised a truck to come and fetch us.  We were then taken by the truck to the station.  We stayed at the station for two days.

MR SANDI: As the police were chasing you away from Cradock,
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did they see to your furniture or at least did they see to it that  you had transport to move your furniture from Cradock to Queenstown?

NOZITHANDISO OLGA SIZILA: No, it was my mother who looked after everything.

MR SANDI: You then went to live in Queenstown?

NOZITHANDISO OLGA SIZILA: We wished to stay at eLinge.  I was pregnant at the time.  I then gave birth to this child, my husband was home.  We were under house arrest.  We were only allowed to go out and go to the loo and come back.
 If we had to go to town, Detective Jakq would come and find out when we needed to go to town.  We would have to report sometimes to the charge office as well.  That child that I gave birth to, only lived for three months.
 My husband was ill at the time.  When we reported to Mr Jakq that my child had passed away, they said that Mr Jakq should take my baby to the graveyard.  We did not have a coffin for the child, we were also very hungry, we had no food.
 They actually said that my husband should take my child to the graveyard.  I asked how my husband would be able to do that as he was ill of health?  They said that he must go the ANC, the ANC must do it for him.
 We then put the baby, the baby's corpse in a cardboard, we took the baby to the graveyard.  We dug a hole and we put the box inside.  Our neighbours could not do anything to help us.  We had no food.  It is my mother who travelled from Cradock to Queenstown and gave us food.
 When Sonwabo was released from jail, he went to talk to Ndileka's father.  I don't know what he said to him.  The police then came asking for Sonwabo.  Now and again we 
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would be taken to Queenstown - my husband - to a certain farm.
 When he came back from the farm, he looked terrible and I asked what had happened.  He said that there were a whole lot of police at the farm and that he had been beaten up.   They put cream on his body and he was asked to such from his genitals.
 I then asked them if we could see a Doctor, they said no Doctor would come to Aron.  The Detective said that there is nothing that he can do about my husband's health.  There was a nurse in eLinge that would give me painkillers for my husband.
 His health deteriorated.  In 1987, April, I was coming from church.  I saw a car parked in front of our house.  The children were excited saying it is Sonwabo.  I then asked why is Sonwabo here, because then the Boers are going to be after us again.  
 I then told Sonwabo that we were dying of hunger, there is no food.  He then said you have got to continue this way, things are difficult.
 Sonwabo left for a few days.  Detectives came yet again asking for Sonwabo.  A child from Cradock came saying that he had lost a car.  I then asked if I had anything to do with cars, then this boy said that, called me by name, saying that he was just asking about the car.  This boy then left.
 I then said to my children that you know, actually that was a Detective, I just don't know who sent him.  There were a whole lot of MK children that Sonwabo had brought.  I then asked Mxolisi to go and find out what is happening.
 He saw a whole lot of policemen sitting by the Post
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Office at eLinge.

MR SANDI: Were you detained by then?

NOZITHANDISO OLGA SIZILA: No, that is before I was arrested.  What they would do is that they would detain me for two weeks or so and then bring me back home again.

MR SANDI: Who is Sonwabo?

NOZITHANDISO OLGA SIZILA: Sonwabo is my youngest brother.

MR SANDI: Was he also a member of Umkhonto We Sizwe?

NOZITHANDISO OLGA SIZILA: Yes, he was.

MR SANDI: Did he come home with other Unkhonto We Sizwe members?

NOZITHANDISO OLGA SIZILA: Yes, he did.

MR SANDI: Did you not get into trouble?

NOZITHANDISO OLGA SIZILA: That is what I was about to tell you.  We were then detained, my husband, myself, the children.

MR SANDI: Was your husband still ill at the time?

NOZITHANDISO OLGA SIZILA: Yes, he was ill.

MR SANDI: ; And then your husband, your children and yourself were imprisoned?

NOZITHANDISO OLGA SIZILA: Yes.

MR SANDI: Who are those children?

NOZITHANDISO OLGA SIZILA: Ndileka, Nobukhosi, Nomhi, Pumeza, Neliswa, Bhungani and Ntombihlubi.

MR SANDI: So it is your entire family that was detained?

NOZITHANDISO OLGA SIZILA: Yes.

MR SANDI: How old were the children, do you remember?

NOZITHANDISO OLGA SIZILA: They were very young at the time.

MR SANDI: And the eldest, how old was she?

NOZITHANDISO OLGA SIZILA: She was 24 years of age.

MR SANDI: And the youngest?

NOZITHANDISO OLGA SIZILA: He was six years of age.
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MR SANDI: And the second youngest?

NOZITHANDISO OLGA SIZILA: Bhungani was five years old.  Pumeza, Bhungani, Neliswa and Ntombihlubi, those were the younger children.

MR SANDI: So you were imprisoned - where?