Human Rights Violation Hearings — Umtata — 1996-06-18

CHAIRPERSON: We would like Luphondwana Noqgili Vuyelwa to take the stand to give evidence. Before I let you take the oath, some of the people we should just express have lost their children, the others their partners, their parents, their husband you are here today to give evidence because your husband disappeared without any trace and he was ultimately discovered to have been murdered.
 As you state here in the story you give us the information that your husband was a member of the African National Congress, we know that so many people just like him, you have paid a big price. We know that's what happened about your husband when you gave your evidence you did not doubt, you were not complained, you didn't even complain about his struggle that he was involved in, the only thing that you would like to know is what happened to your husband because your husband was involved in the struggle he could be living today.
 We know that without your assistance and your support we should salute you for that because we couldn't have been able to continue with the struggle were it not assistance and support. Today we are liberated because of their role that they have played. We would like you to stand up and take an oath.

NOQGILI VUYELWA LUPHONDWANA: (sworn states).
I hand over back to you Mr Sandi.

MR SANDI: Let me greet you Mrs Luphondwana. I am going to lead you in this manner. Firstly, I will request you to give us information about your husband Rex Dingaan Luphondwana. Please briefly explain to us and give us the background about him, in other word, I would like to know about his participation, his involvement and whatever he engaged himself in, what was it, what were his interests, what was his role and I would also like to know were there any conflicts which he encountered with the previous government and the authorities at the time. Thereafter I would like to get into details about what you are here about. Then I would like you to start. Could you please explain to us about who Rex was.

NOQGILI VUYELWA LUPHONDWANA: Rex Luphondwana was born ...(indistinct) and he was brought up there and then he went to Loveday to attend school but he was expelled and then he completed matric at Newell and then thereafter he was a student at Fort Hare University.
 In 1963 whilst he was still a student at Fort Hare he was arrested for sabotage. He was charged for five years under the Sabotage Act and then he went to Robben Island to serve the sentence for five years. After his release he was under house arrest for six years for being a member of an unlawful organisation and then he was stationed at Cradock. After that he was starting with UNISA and then he came a graduate who has passed a Law Degree and then there was a problem to get him registered for Articles and then he came here in the Transkei. Matabese was the relative and then he was the one who assisted him to serve the Articles. He then joined Mr Nchika. During this period he was already a member of the ANC. 
 When I met him in 1978 we then got married in 1979. We had two children, Mtimkulu and Ncumisa. He was always a lawyer who defended political cases, I cannot count them because I can think I can make sure the one involved Chief Sabata, he defended Chief Sabata when the Chiefs here were against Sabata. They were very close together and then he would say he is a servant to the Chief. At times they would come together at night and then you would find that they were slightly under the influence and they were enjoying themselves. They would continue and talk for hours on end and then they would leave the place at times and then even when he was in Lesotho, when he is called by the Chief, he would request me to accompany him to the Chief Sabata's place in Lesotho. There were these people like Mr Kati, Steve Traykay and some others and the would go to Umtulugwenche. He had to go in and out the country and visit the Chief in Lesotho.

MR SANDI: As your husband was a lawyer at the time, and we also know that there were so many things that were happening, the atrocities, the brutality ....(tape ends)...
...had he ever been in conflict with the State due to his involvement at the defence?

NOQGILI VUYELWA LUPHONDWANA: I cannot say there was conflict because this was not directly aimed at him, but the only thing that we could learn, hear that, there were questions from the State and this was just rumours. It would be just said as a joke that he is asked who is this Luphondwana who thinks he is very clever.

MR SANDI: Before we can get into details about the 8th April 1994 we can remember that your husband was murdered - in a car accident and this is suspicious. I think we should come closer to the date of 6th April 1994 before his death. What happened during this day? Did he tell you what was he planning to do, was he planning to go to ...(indistinct) for the weekend?