Human Rights Violation Hearings — Beaufort West — 1996-08-13

MAPULE RAMASHALA: I especially would like to welcome Simphiwe,  Simphiwe who's on your right hand side?  Which - which one is Nonceba, okay.  On the left hand side is your mother, your mother?

MR KRATSHI: Ja.

MAPULE RAMASHALA: Okay, welcome Ms Kratshi,  [indistinct] okay.  Could I ask that both Nonceba and Simphiwe stand  so that you can take an oath.  I'll start first with - I'll start first with Simphiwe.
SIMPHIWE KRATSHI Duly sworn states
NONCEBA MANGALISO Duly sworn states

MAPULE RAMASHALA: Thank you, to facilitate your statements the Chairperson, Ms Mary Burton, will help along, Chairperson.

MARY BURTON: Thank you Dr Ramashala, I once again welcome to all of you here.  Ms Mangaliso you're going to start to tell this very important story this afternoon and we're very grateful to you  for coming to tell what you witnessed and the very tragic death of your next-door neighbour, Mandlenkosi  Kratshi in January of 1985.  So will you please tell us what  happened when you began to hear what was going on
next-door?

MS MANGALISO: Tshaka Mandlenkosi Kratshi was my neighbour, then it was early in the morning just before  8 o'clock and we were both standing because his home was not very distant from mine, because our houses at the location are crowded.  We were standing behind the house and he was standing there and I asked him whether the policemen had not come again, because they had come earlier on to look for him.
Then he said no they had not come and he went into the house because he was cooking porridge in the house and there was - Simphiwe was standing next to him.  And I think he was 7 years old at the time, whilst standing there where I was there came two police van and two policemen came - four policemen came out of the vans.  They were Vermeulen, Moodey, Dan and De Villiers - they went into Tshaka's home and I was watching and Dan asked Tshaka in Xhosa why he had not come when they had actually called for him.  Then he asked why they had called for him, whilst sitting there watching I saw the door being closed. 
 I ran round to come and stand just before the gate and I could see Simphiwe standing afar next to another yard and I could hear sounds of them beating him.  I could hear that they were beating him, then I screamed.  There were other people around but I couldn't tell who those people were.  We were crying and Vermeulen threw tear gas at us, I ran away to my house because my sister liked doing washing,  then there were two baths there outside and then I dipped my face into this bath of water.
And I went back to where I was standing before, as I was standing I could see that the door was open and Tshaka was standing at the door. He was bleeding and there was blood running down his neck.  And he looked very tired, I again went round - there were other people who had joined me now and De Villiers was standing outside. Some two other policemen were remaining there and Vermeulen had been standing outside all the time.  Then I heard De Villiers in Afrikaans saying  Give way, let me shoot this pig.   And I heard this sound - it - the - the gun that he used was not the usual gun that has got a loud sound.  I then looked at Tshaka and he was staggering - staggering - staggering and he ultimately fell next to the door, facing downwards. 
We screamed, crying and more and more people came to the scene. And I don't know who brought information to the school and Themba came and asked who had shot Tshaka.  I was still crying and then I pointed at the person who had shot Tshaka.  After that there never was happiness in the location.  Some other police vans came and an ambulance to came and they took out a stretcher and they took Tshaka onto the stretcher, but we could make out that he was dead.  Because when they left they had - his body was covered with a blanket. 
Then they left with his body and in the location there never was happiness after that.  Until he was buried, even after his funeral there was no happiness what so ever.  I pause.

MARY BURTON: Thank you Ms Mangaliso, I know it was not easy for you, you told me that this is the first time  you've told a story in public.  And we're grateful to you for coming, this is - this - we have heard earlier today of how Tshaka was well known as a leader and how other young people were in fact beaten for wearing a T-shirt with his name on it.  
And it's clear that he was a major influence in the area.  I think I will ask now if we can hear what Simphiwe remembers from that time.  Perhaps you could all move up a little bit, it might be easier than trying to move the microphone.  If you could just all move your chairs a little bit more towards the edge of the stage.  Halo Simphiwe, welcome here today.

MR KRATSHI: I also great you ma'am.

MARY BURTON: You were  a very little boy - you were 7 years old - when this happened.  Would you like to tell us what you remember?

MR KRATSHI: Yes, I would like to tell you.  It was in the morning and I was preparing to go to school, I was very hungry because I was from my grandmother's place.  Then I decided not to go to school first, I've went to my father first and I told him that I was hungry - I had to eat before getting to school.
So my father tried to cook porridge for me and police came to him and they told him - they asked him why he would not come to them if they had asked him to come to them.  Then he said he was going to come to them but he was still cooking porridge.  Then the policemen who - would not except that - they felt that they have been calling him several times and then the policemen would not listen to his explanation. 
 They forced him to leave what he was doing and go with them and he said he could not leave me hungry as I was, because I was going to school.  He had to prepare porridge and then they did not allow that he should continue.  They started touching him and my father took a fork and stabbed them with the fork and they punched at him.  Then the police went out of the house and I saw one white policeman, a Boer, taking out a gun and advancing for my father.  And he shot just once and he fell down and he never recovered up to today -  I end there.

MARY BURTON: Will you - will you tell us what the effect of your fathers death has had on you and other members of you family?

MR KRATSHI: It has brought a great changes to me.  It has really effected me, so I am unsuccessful in many things - I'm just doing some things that's out of order.  There's no one to help me because he would be helping me if he was still alive.  So many things have affected me from all over.