Human Rights Violation Hearings — Worcester — 1996-06-24

MS BAHUME: When I went to wake him I knocked at his door, there was no response.  I opened the door forcefully, I could see that the bed was still the same way it was the previous day.  It was clear that he didn't sleep that night.  I was surprised because I didn't know that he was away.
I went back to the house, I sent Jerry his brother to go and check her at  Nompulelo's place.  Nompulelo use to ask  him to drive him to Worcester.  Jerry went and then he found that there was nobody and the bakkie in which they used to go - travel together was not there.  And I had a hope that maybe my son was still with him or with her.

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: If you say he was in a separate room and when you talk about ]indistinct] what  do you mean - do you mean a back room.  We would like you to explain so that the people have a clear picture.

MS BAHUME: I have a two-roomed house, it is a kitchen and a bedroom so at the backyard I built another one so that as my children as they grow up, they should occupy that one - the back rooms.

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: Mamma when you went out to open the door you didn't think that maybe you wouldn't find him.  You thought that you would find him on the bed.

MS BAHUME: Yes - I heard gunshots.  It was a usual situation that there were always gun shots on the - in the vicinity.  I didn't think anything because it was a very usual situation where you'd hear gunshots.  
When I saw him I didn't even - when I saw that he was not in the room I just thought it was one of those things.  I had never imagined that my child could die out of the gunshots because nobody had ever died before.

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: Could you please explain and state what you mean by saying there were always gunshots but nobody ever died.

MS BAHUME: I do not know because you would hear gunshots all the time.  Tear gas were always thrown to the people.  At times they would also shoot at a child's  pozzi - the back rooms that's what I mean and then you'd see that there was a canister which was thrown in the room.  So I didn't know what it was when I heard the sounds, it was gun or it was the tear gas canisters.

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: In other words you are trying to tell us that there were always threats or any ways of showing that anything could happen.

MS BAHUME: Yes, that is why I was always inside because I was always afraid of my life. It was a very stressful situation.

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: So is that  why you said Nation shouldn't  go out.

MS BAHUME: Yes. I informed him that there are people sometimes who die, he must always be careful.  They should protect each other and they should avoid going out at night because it was usually at night when you would hear a lot of gunshots.

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: If you say there were people there who were doing who [intervention]

MS BAHUME: No I was referring to other places it has never happened here in Worcester.

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: So do you believe that the people were also afraid?

MS BAHUME: Yes we were all afraid, we were fearing for our children's lives.    We knew that - the little ones should always be kept inside indoors.  Because the police were patrolling the place all the time and we were always trying to see that our children were protected.  But the older ones we could not do anything about.

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: So it seems as though it was a very terrible situation where your life would always be threatened.

MS BAHUME: You wouldn't even go to the shops or the cafe because when you meet the police they would just insult you for no apparent reason and then they would always say  - we are going to shoot you dead.

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: So in your area were you always tortured emotionally?

MS BAHUME: Yes, we even stopped putting lights on because we were afraid to attract the police.

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: So were you always afraid to be in your place?

MS BAHUME: Yes, it was a threatening situation all the time.

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: Okay lets go back to the incident where you said Nation left the place.

MS BAHUME: Yes I always sent Jerry to go  around and looking from the friends places and his friends used to come and always ask where was him.  I will always informed them that I do not know where he is but I was having a hope that he was  with Nompulelo because it was said the bakkie  was not at Nompulelo's place.  Because he used to drive him around -  to drive her around.   I had hoped that he was together  with her.
There was a - my  next-door neighbour's - neighbour had died so I was preparing to attend the funeral and Jerry was also going to the funeral.  So we went to the funeral without Nkosane who is Nation.  When we came back, one of the women who was next to me [intervention]

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: We can understand why you are so emotional and this touches us also.  It is not an easy matter to loose your son in such a manner, we know it was very painful - it was a painful experience for most of the people.

MS BAHUME: This woman asked me - he asked me whether I know if that  there was somebody's son who was shot dead the previous night.  I said no, I didn't know anything.  I asked her is there anybody who was shot dead - he said yes there was somebody who was shot dead.  He mentioned the area and said it was just next to me - in the opened veld next to me  and he said there were a lot of vans - there were a lot of vans moving around the previous night.  I just that I had heard the gunshot and took it as just one of those things because it was a situation which was very familiar to us.
So I went out and met my eldest son. I informed Marshall about what I heard that somebody was shot dead and we started to panic because we knew that Nkosane never came back.  And then Marshall told me that he would be coming [intervention]

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: Is Marshall your son?

MS BAHUME: Yes, Marshall is one of my sons.  I went to one of my friends and informed him of what had happened and then he confirmed - he also confirmed that and said it was a person who was estimated to be about 20 years old.
I informed him that my child didn't sleep at my place so we do not know his whereabouts.  So I went back to my place and I saw the people - the people were coming to converse with me and I didn't think - I really didn't think.  And then Marshall came along.  I still didn't think that something had happened to my child.  They just stated that they were going to the hospital and mortuary to make enquiries and they - my child's colleagues  came in and they always just come to find out if my son hasn't come back.

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: Which children are you talking about?

MS BAHUME: The others who were working with him as committee members of the student representative council.  Whilst I was still sitting at my place one gentleman came into my house.  He didn't even say anything also he  just communicated with me just normally.
After a few minutes Marshall and Fizele and my husband they came again - Marshall was in tears.  She  was coming along with my husband and my in-laws.  I could estimate that something terrible has happened and I also thought it was nothing else but my son who might be dead.  I could think that it might have been him who had been shot the previous night.

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: We know that we have evoked some pain and we can understand how - why you can be like this.  We quite understand that is very difficult for a person to have forgotten everything about what happened but now if he - this you have to [indistinct] and [indistinct] what happened then it becomes such a terrible situation we quite understand.

MS BAHUME: The people who came to my house informed me that my son had been shot dead by the police.  I just accepted that but I had a question.  It was quite a long time after he died and asked why should God let me be the first one to experience such a painful situation.