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

MRS ZOKWE: I would like to say it depends on the way in
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which the person was brought up. My home was a traditional home.  There were eight boys and six girls at my home, we were all rich at the time.I have a picture of what happened and I was affected by the way in which our culture has been changed and become Westernised. Every time we used have a traditional meal where you'd have the mixture of the mealies and sour milk, and we would share this together.  Unfortunately, when I got married, among my in-laws there were people who would buy a bag of sweets, and everybody who passed this home would get some sweets, everybody would share this bag, because nobody was regarded as a stranger in this house.  My in-laws were so kind and considerate, and this I believe brought luck and good fortune in the family.  Another thing, my husband was the person who was very supportive, he was also a disciplinarian, he was a moralist and I believe that he had influence on me. We had an example of the brave people, the heros, the people who fell down as heros.  When I saw this and saw these models, I could see that I would get strength from those and if I could see that those people could survive the struggle, I was also saying, if they could survive it, then I can survive the struggle. 
 I would like to thank you, I know the sacrifices that I've been through, I've endured and tolerated all the prosecution and the persecution that I was receiving.  All these atrocities gave me strength.  I'm proud, very proud as a woman, I would like to say I think it is my womanhood which brought this strength.  I'm brave because I'm looking at the models of other women.  My mother was an administrator, she was a manager in our home, and I was also looking up at her as a model.  She was also a very good model, that is the way in which I was given support at home 
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and I transferred this to my generation, and I believe that it would be transferred from generation to generation. I think that tomorrow you'll have to decide for yourself, who you are and what you will be tomorrow.
 I've got my strength from this background that I'm telling you about.  I'd like to say, maybe I'm a bit irrelevant, but I'd like to say, I know, I could write a book about my son.  This is not even a quarter of what I've said, this narration that I've given to you people, I would like to say the Commission should please give me even if it is an hour to be able to express my feelings, to give a narration of what happened again.
 After I was widowed, it was a place for the policemen, they came day in and day out, asking me petty questions and I could not answer some of them.  When I was at home the other day, I went to get stock for my shop.  I have long reeds in my yard, where I used to hide, they used there, I can quote many of them.  I used to hide them there in my reeds on my premises.  When the doctor Silombela started to suffer from arthritis, I said I cannot go to that home because I was expected to go but I still said I'll never leave this place, I won't leave this place,   will go away and buy another house when my children come back. I know I've I've rescued many of them, many children from Cape Town, from Johannesburg, at all places where my children whose peer groups were coming from all places and they got refuge at my place. I don't know whether I've answered your question.  Thank you.

DESMOND MPILO TUTU: Thank you very much both of you.  I've said already before we went for lunch that we are very grateful for what you've done for us.