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

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: I greet you Ms Maria.  We have started this a long time ago.  We are opening wounds that were healed a long time ago.  When we met as women congress you told us it was very difficult for the past two weeks.
We do understand that it is like that, but the wound can't be healed without disturbing it again.  So we thank you for your to come forward.  I will start by giving a brief - I will just give a brief description of what happened during those days when Nation passed away and what was the cause of his death.   Nation is the son of Maria Bahume.  That's  the name he was known of, he was the SRC leader.  He had a high portfolio in this organisation.  He was shot -  that was on the 16th August, 1985.  He was shot by policemen known as Security Police.  
Ms Bahume will give us the whole story but I want her to give you a - I want her to tell you how the situation was in Worcester -  Zwelethemba Location.
Perhaps another important thing about Zwelethemba is its very far from Worcester.  People from Zwelethemba they think it's another town, separated from Worcester, that's how our location were built.  Things started to be difficult between Zwelethemba and Worcester and our location amongst the Coloureds and blacks there started to be difficulty in 1983.  We had the build up.
In the whole South Africa things were happening because our students had their organisations there was COSAS - one of those organisation, there was a very funny feeling during the location - people were emotional.  I would say amongst the blacks and the Coloureds -  they were all working together, there was no - they were co-operated there was nothing that you can't even differentiate that this is the organisation of the blacks and the other ones for the Coloureds.
That's what we noticed by the time we arrived here in Worcester.  The way youth and the adults in the community were fighting against the police.  Blacks and Coloureds were in co-operation - good co-operation working together.
I will just be brief, during 1983 we know that UDF was being established in South Africa.  It started here in Worcester in August 1986 but there was women's organisations - one of them was United Women's Organisation.  There was another one for the community known as Worcester Civic Communities Association.  That was the one who had to look amongst the community's interests.  During that time the  Government of - the apartheid Government had already decided and thought about the community councillors.  They wanted to deploy them throughout the location, that's where the trouble started and where the misunderstanding started, because the community couldn't accept the community councillors.
And then the Worcester Civic Association decided to go to the Regional Administration Board to go and complain telling them that the community councillors are not welcome into the community, that's where the problem started because policemen wanted and forced the community councillors to be in the locations.
That's where the women's organisation from Worcester decided and they were united as black women from the black community and on the other side from the Coloured Community.  Women get together, go to Cape Town to meet the people from the Black Sash.
We've met those people during the past week.  Di Bishop, Mary Burton were one of them.  They came here to Worcester, they've started an advisory office here in Worcester.  They were trying to help people, they wanted to have negotiations that people must not be humiliated.  Policemen started the violence  in the Worcester Civic Association - between the Worcester Civic Association and the Councillors and the people who are enforcing the law.  People were arrested in big masses.  During 1983 they were detained, put in jail, that's where the advise office came in that was started by the Black Sash.
Ever since then there was no rest, there were always fights between - amongst the policemen and the community and the councillors were forced to resign at the end of 1983 so they did.  But it didn't end there because the law enforcers they forced the community councillors to be amongst the community - students and the community were against that aim.
There were meetings children couldn't attend the school - they also organised their meeting, it was just a messed up situation - policemen against the community.  Ever since then from June 1985 while the people like Goniwe - people were  chasing after Goniwe - the whole South Africa was emotional, even here in Worcester there was that emotion.
And then after that the community of Worcester they went to the Regional Security Board demanding that we don't want the community councillors in own location.  So we don't like the rent fees and the electric fees to be increased because - so the Worcester  Civic Ass attended that and the policemen will get into masses in the location with big vans and hippos - those big vans known as hippos and people were arrested.  Some of them had too march to protest against the arrest of the people.
And then in July the students decided not to go to school for the whole week.  To stay away and they had to look at this matter. Nation, the son of Ms Maria, was one of those students who were leading the youth and they tried to convince the other youth that they must discuss and negotiate about the policemen who were fully involved in the community.  And they tried to make their meetings in Ms Maria's house - it's when the policemen tried to disturb the school boycotts they were chasing students.
At that time there was no-one that got shot, although there were shots - they would just get injured -  no-one was shot dead then.  And then in August, it's when Nation was the first victim in the whole of Worcester to be shot dead by the policemen.  Those who were called security policemen.
So Nation Nkosane was the first victim.  And then after that women marched to the police station who blocked the whole of Zwelethemba surrounding the whole of Zwelethemba there was only one entrance in Zwelethemba.  That's  how our location have been built - locations have been built all over South Africa.
When they were looking for someone they knew there was only one entrance, one exit then the women marched protesting against the policemen amongst the community, they didn't want them inside.  
There were so many policemen that people thought they were going to kill us as a whole in the Zwelethemba community.  We were so afraid of that.  So we will call upon Ms Maria to tell us firstly about Nation.  How was he convinced and got involved in the SRC.  How fully was he involved in that organisation?

MS BAHUME: Nation was always amongst the people who were attending meetings and I used to prevent him to do so because I was always afraid that his life would be at stake.  He tried to listen to me and the meetings continued to be held.  He used to go together with his colleagues and they would keep on going and this took a long time until he died.

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: Mama, do you still remember the portfolio he held in the Students Representative Council?

MS BAHUME: I would say he was holding a very high portfolio.

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: Can you briefly explain what happened on the day when he died.  Please start when the day when he - before  he went out.

MS BAHUME: I - on  the day concerned I requested that he make breakfast for us.  His friends were waiting for him.  I didn't imagine that he would be going along with them.  I thought that they would be staying in my place and then he told me that the following day at 300 am he would like me to wake him - at 300 am [intervention]

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: We know we are trying to evoke feelings of pain to you.