Human Rights Violation Hearings — Nelspruit — 1996-09-05

CHAIRPERSON: Good morning to you, Mr Gondwe.  Will you please stand before we start and take the oath.

HOBOHOBO EDWARD GONDWE: (Duly sworn, states).

MR MALAN: Thank you very much, you may be seated.
 Mr Gondwe, you will be giving us information about the disappearance of your younger brother, Roy in 1985.  We have your full statement, but we would appreciate your telling us also orally so that we can hear you and all the people can also hear your story.  Please proceed.

HOBOHOBO EDWARD GONDWE: It had been one of the nights at home at (indistinct). I was asleep.  Vincent Pietie Malasa. It was round about 11 to 12, I am not too sure.  He asked me that here at home how many Roys do we have here. Then I said Roys?  We only have two Roys here. Then he said to me now that where I am working there was some discussion, they wanted to know about Roy who should actually be contacted, because it was difficult times. I know him, he is not a person who is not working, he is just a drunkard.  Now he did not tell me details of what was actually being discussed. He said to me he is not sure whether he is drinking or not drinking and he is not employed.  Then he came back to me, to ask me further that here at home we do have Roys, we have got Roy, the smaller one and also my son. He is my half-brother. He is one of my kids in one of my
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mothers.  The other one is Roy Lucky.  Then he said that person is actually in danger, because of what he is doing. Then he said he must be careful.  Then he said to me I should warn him.  Then I said to him cousin, what is wrong in fact, because I do not know anything. Then he said no, he must be warned, he must be careful.
 The following day it was a Thursday, I went to work.  On my way back in the evening I checked at home. I could not find him, because we were not living together.  After school he was actually staying at five.   He was with his mother.  There was no order there.  I went to my place of employment as usual in Thembe. On Sunday again he came to me, he had a bottle of whiskey.  We drank the whiskey. It was nice. At round about six he went out. He went to five. 
 On Monday evening there came a Mrs Rodanzka, she was working at Top Centre, White River.  She said because of the rumours she heard from Mrs Unkatha.  In other words, on her arrival there at home she came with an envelope. Inside the envelope there was spectacles, because that person was wearing spectacles. There was also a watch and an amount of R200,00 and a small note, on which was written "you who have remained behind, make use of this money for my funeral".  
 We were puzzled for what, what should we use the money for.  Then we took that money. We gave it to one of our uncles.  The spectacles and the watch we used.  That note was kept as it was.  Days went by.  
 After some months, I can't remember when, my mother wanted to know his whereabouts.  Then I said to her, well, mother I do not know his whereabouts. I tried again to get in contat with Pietie Malaza. It was not longer possible.  That was the disappearance of Roy.
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 As I went about tracing his whereabouts, I went to Mrs Rhoda.  Mrs Rhoda said to me at work on that Monday, he was a person who was sort of restless on that day.  At round about nine there came two security officers, who called him aside. They were talking to him.  They talked for a long time with him.  From there they went away. Then they said to him he should not go anywhere.  He went away.
 After that Mrs Rhoda - Roy said to Mrs Mkatcha that he is going to withdraw money from the bank. She said why are you going to withdraw money, because you have money.  He disappeared and he came back at round about 12.  At that time the two people who appeared before came back. They talked to him on the corner.  They were discussing there.  She was not actually sure what they were discussing.  From there Roy went to the table and I do not know what he was doing there.  He was somehow writing something there as he was at work.   Then he took an envelope - that is the envelope which he handed over to Mkatcha.  Then he said what must I do; now you are leaving me here, what must I do.  It was before five o'clock, before the shop was closed.  He went away and he disappeared forever until today.

MR MALAN: Thank you very much, Mr Gondwe. I have a few questions and I am sure my colleague will also have some. If I may start off.  Can you tell us whether your younger brother, whether Roy was an activist or was he involved in the political struggle? Was he involved in any movement?

HOBOHOBO EDWARD GONDWE: I am not too sure, I am in the dark.

MR MALAN: You gave evidence when you started off, saying that Mr Malaze came and said that Roy need to be very careful, that he will be raided soon.  Didn't you ask questions at the time? Was there a context to that?  What
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did you understand, what were the activities he was busy with?

HOBOHOBO EDWARD GONDWE: He did not say much more about Roy's activities.  All he said is that I must watch Roy's step.

MR MALAN: Is that what he was saying, what he meant?

HOBOHOBO EDWARD GONDWE: I tried to ask what exactly he meant, but all he said was that he must be careful. These people when you ask him, they don't answer you exactly.

MR MALAN: How old was Roy when he disappeared?

HOBOHOBO EDWARD GONDWE: In this file I included his birth certificate. I can't be sure now.

MR MALAN: We will check on that, thank you.  This note that he left with the money and the watch and the spectacles, do you still have that note?  Will you also give that to the Commission?

HOBOHOBO EDWARD GONDWE: No, I only brought the note before the Commission.

MR MALAN: Do we have the note at the moment or do you still have it?

HOBOHOBO EDWARD GONDWE: Yes, in this file I have included the copy of a note.

MR MALAN: We will check on that too.  Then you say in the envelope you say he left also his watch, which clearly was an expensive watch.  You say it was a gold Pulsar watch, but he also left spectacles.  Why would he have done that?

HOBOHOBO EDWARD GONDWE: I think we just suspected that he was the kind of person who was using spectacles and he could not see without them.  He said we must use this money to bury him, why would he say so?  It was a puzzle really.  It gave us lots of ideas. He wanted to maybe tell us that they have killed him.  Where he was going, you could not use a watch
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or spectacles.

MR MALAN: Are you telling us that you were you under the impression at the time that he was to be killed immediately and that he co-operated or what are you telling us?

HOBOHOBO EDWARD GONDWE: According to my knowledge, when people from the government and again when a person writes a note and says take this money and make use of it for my funeral, and submitting a watch, it shows that he knew that he would not come back.

MR MALAN: Just one last question.  Mr Jambulani Nizi from Mamelodi, I understand is a half-brother to Roy and yourself. Did you ever ask him whether he knew the policeman that came to him and who showed him the photograph?

HOBOHOBO EDWARD GONDWE: Jabulani is Roy's half-brother. Jabulani himself is a policeman.  In that year he left for Pretoria. Now when Roy's mother died, I told him that I have put forward a statement before the Truth Commission.  Then I have asked him what else do you know, since you are a policeman so that I can tell the Commission.  He said I tried to ask others, but all I heard is that one day when I was at work, two white policemen came.  They asked me if I am Roy's brother, and if I know Roy.  They showed him Roy's photograph.  Then that's all he knew.

MR MALAN: Do you know who those policemen were?