Human Rights Violation Hearings — Empangeni — 1996-11-06

CHAIRPERSON: 4B/0 ... and first he said there was a van which was sent to Esikhaweni, and also they said they can't send any car, they need a car with bullet-proof windows, and they also said they will call Richards Bay Police.  I could hear cars outside but I thought they were SAP, only to find out they were ZP, and one of those cars it was the car that stopped for those boys who were attacking me.  That's when I saw one person getting inside that car.  I don't know whether that person was the police or one of the people who attacked my house.  I stayed there.  At about 5 o'clock I went back to my house to check Enoch, and I discovered that Msizi and the others came back and took him to another house for help.   Policemen didn't come until after 9 o'clock, when one policeman who was working for the special branch, who was with a white man, came into my house and he was with Khumalo, who was working with Esikhaweni Police Station.  I refused to give them statement because I knew they were going to do nothing about it.  They kept on calling me at work and kept on telling me that that case wasn't going to work because I'm relying on ANC and COSATU.  Those are the people who can help you.  I gave them a statement.  This is the statement which I gave them.  That's why I'm telling you there are other things which are not true, even though I've written this statement under oath, but some of the thing which are here are not true, because they were going to use whatever I've said against me.  After that we received information that those people who were there, they were in hospital at Eshowe, because at that time we also had people who were giving us information, or informers.  We also discovered that there was a policeman from KZP who died, whom they left in someone else's house and that woman from that house refused.  We followed them and our lawyers were helping us.  We found them at Eshowe.  We identified them because of that grenade that I threw on them and it blew on them, and the statements which they gave was not - they were different - different statements.  If I can tell you more where I'm coming with my family and I've also heard that people are asking from amnesty, I will tell you one thing that they killed my mother on the 18th January, my brother's son, my mother's house was burnt, my brother was killed last year, December.  That's where I'm coming from.  At the moment I am a secretary for ANC North Coast Region.

CHAIRPERSON:  Mr Ntuli, the incidents which you mentioned in which your family house at - it's near Mtubatuba, isn't it?  Whereabout it is?

WITNESS:   It's at Thandanani under Chief Minneus Mkhwanazi.

CHAIRPERSON:  Your family house was burnt down.  Your mother was shot.  In fact, I think she was shot in that house.  Is that right?

WITNESS:   Yes, that's right.

CHAIRPERSON:  She was shot in the chest with a shotgun.

WITNESS:   Yes.

CHAIRPERSON:  And your brother was killed?

WITNESS:   My brother was killed, yes.

CHAIRPERSON:  And these incidents took place after the Truth Commission cut-off date.  Isn't that correct?

WITNESS:   Yes, because that happened in 1995, January. And your mother was killed in?   ---   1995, in January.

CHAIRPERSON:  And the house?

WITNESS:   And the house was burnt on the 1st May.  My brother was killed on the 15th December 1995 and all these events were done by the Zulu Police and the stability unit and they told me that they were going to help Inkatha that they should kill me and after that there would be no ANC and I will tell you now that at Mtubatuba there are no ANC members, because they are scared.

CHAIRPERSON:  And was it because of the attack on your house that you moved from Esikhaweni?  In fact, you rented a house in Empangeni, is that right?

WITNESS:   That's right, because my house was attacked and I knew that it was difficult for me to be safe and they knew that I will be a witness in most of the cases and people will be arrested and the attorneys advised me that I should leave that area, so that I will be safe and I'll be a witness, and I'm scared to tell you where I'm staying.  I heard you say Empangeni, but I'm scared and these fireworks which are busy going on nowadays they are scaring me, because I don't know whether they are attacking me or people are just doing fireworks.  Last year my neighbour told me that he can't accommodate me in his house or stay with me because I'm an ANC member, because he's scared that he might be killed as well and they reported this and I realised that I should move away from my neighbours, because they aren't happy.  And again I'm slaughtering goats there and it's my culture that when someone passed away we should slaughter a goat.  I did that because my brother died and again they sent town councillors that I don't give my dogs water to drink and again I don't cut my grass, and when they come and take photographs they see my dogs being fed and the white man who says I don't give my dog food and water.

CHAIRPERSON:  Now, is it correct that you've left Alusaf now, or are you still working?

WITNESS:   It's not true.  I left Alusaf because I went to the university.  I went back to Alusaf again.  I joined them again.

CHAIRPERSON: I'll just see if there are any questions which my colleagues would like to ask you.

KHOZA MGOJO: We heard your story, Mr Ntuli, and we can tell that you are really brave.  When I got married to my wife, my wife is Ntuli, and people told me that I'm getting married to cannibals.  I think why you look fresh.  She is taking care of you.  Now I can tell that they were telling me the truth, because the way you related your story, it shows that you are really brave.  What really makes us sad is what we are hearing now about your family - your mother, your brothers, your nephew, and I heard your request about the date.  I think maybe the date will be postponed, because really a man who kills a woman, an old woman, I can't describe what kind of a person that person is and I can assure you you have our comfort and sympathy.  Even though you are brave I have to ask you how all these things you've been through have affected you.  I'll ask you that.  I have to ask you that.