Human Rights Violation Hearings — Venda — 1996-10-03

RUSSELL ALLY: Thank you Mr Davhula for coming to the Truth Commission.  It seems a very strange incident this that you've just related to us.
 You were on a taxi, you were going home, but because it was late, you were dropped off some distance away from your place.  Now, was there before this incident, and this is where you were accused of being a so-called terrorist, was there anything about you that would have made people think that, were you politically involved in any way?  Why would they accuse you of being a so-called terrorist, do you have any idea?

NAMADZAVHO PAVO DAVHULA: I have got no knowledge about that, I know nothing about terrorism.  I said nothing any where.

RUSSELL ALLY: Venda police, Defence Force came to this rondavel, this hut where you were staying that evening.  Did you offer any resistance, was there any reason why they would have shot you?  Did you try to run away or anything like that?
VENDA HEARING TRC/NORTH WEST
9 NP DAVHULA

NAMADZAVHO PAVO DAVHULA: I was forced to go out of the hut and I told them to take my ID and they were refusing and they told me that I must keep quiet.  And I decided to go out and I thought they wanted to slaughter me for a ritual murder.

RUSSELL ALLY: Did they issue any warning to you before they actually shot or did they just point this gun and you and just shoot at you?

NAMADZAVHO PAVO DAVHULA: I was just shot and then I fell down and then they surrounded me.

RUSSELL ALLY: When they offered you this compensation, how did this come about?   Who - were you called somewhere to some Government office or how was this offer made to you?  This offer of R4 000-00 compensation?

NAMADZAVHO PAVO DAVHULA: That money - Mr Mambathola is my lawyer and then Mr Mambathola was told that they are going to compensate me by that R4 000-00 and it is then that I refused.

RUSSELL ALLY: And you lawyer, in your statement you said that he has not come back to me, informed me about the progress of the case.  Is that still the situation now, that you have no idea of the progress of this case?

NAMADZAVHO PAVO DAVHULA: Mr Mambathola, the lawyer knows nothing, he is not aware that I am here in the Truth Commission.  Even in Mr Mambathola's office I was no longer going and I was now a pensioner and I never went again in his office.

RUSSELL ALLY: But to your knowledge, you know that a formal charge was laid against the Venda police, is that what your lawyer was doing on your behalf, formally charging them for attempted murder or for injuring you?

NAMADZAVHO PAVO DAVHULA: I am not sure, I am not sure of that.

RUSSELL ALLY: Thank you.   We will certainly try and follow VENDA HEARING TRC/NORTH WEST
10 NP DAVHULA
this up with your lawyer and establish what the situation is.   But for now, I'd see if any of my colleagues would like to ask you any questions.  Tom?

THOMAS MANTHATA: What became of Ben Ramaphosa the man that you were with and he dumped you there, did you ever know anything more about him thereafter?

NAMADZAVHO PAVO DAVHULA: Ben Ramaphosa is the, he was staying in a place where I first when there to ask for accommodation.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Since this incident, did you ever meet Ramaphosa or did you ever know about him, that is what became of him?

NAMADZAVHO PAVO DAVHULA: I don't know that person.  Even if I met him in the street, I cannot identify him.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Did you know about this that if you are found in a Chief's area you have to be taken to the Chief or to the Headmen?

NAMADZAVHO PAVO DAVHULA: Yes, a person must be taken to Waqoma or to the Headmen, it is where I was hurt.

THOMAS MANTHATA: What was the reason for people having to be taken to the Headmen or the Chief in those days?

NAMADZAVHO PAVO DAVHULA: I think it was just a tradition that if someone has no place to sleep, he must go to the Headmen or sub-Headmen.

THOMAS MANTHATA: ... Freedom fighters being seen in the area?

NAMADZAVHO PAVO DAVHULA: ; I am not sure if they were fighting for that, I don't know.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Okay.  For all this time as you go from Silom hospital and what not, what was your family doing by way of support and trying to influence who ever Chief, who reported you to the police?

NAMADZAVHO PAVO DAVHULA: What happened here at home is that I was
VENDA HEARING TRC/NORTH WEST
11 NP DAVHULA
unable to know that, because I was admitted in Garankua.

THOMAS MANTHATA: That the family was told about your - that you were shot?

NAMADZAVHO PAVO DAVHULA: It is true.  Those people who have done this, went to my place and in arriving there, they went there on a bakkie, my mother went there, it is looking it is Mr Boris who is delivering a bag of mealie meal, but in fact it was those police and they were trying to investigate if I was belonging to that place and they saw that oh, this is the mother of that guy we have shot.

THOMAS MANTHATA: After they met your mother, it is then that they were convinced that you were not a freedom fighter?

NAMADZAVHO PAVO DAVHULA: I think when they arrived at home, they were trying to verify if they know my mother or family and they asked her if she has a brother and they asked her about my brother's house and they went to my brother's house and asked my brother's wife where his wife was working and they - after being told that my mother was trying to ask them why they were asking about Namadzavho Davhula, those people simply denied and said, no we know nothing about this Namadzavho Davhula.
 They never told my mother that they shot me.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Yes, no further question, it was said that people could not walk freely, you know in their own country, it is freedom of movement.  People could be suspected for anything at any time, thank you.  No further questions.

RUSSELL ALLY: Thank you very much Mr Davhula, for coming forward.