Human Rights Violation Hearings — Durban — 1996-08-29

WITNESS:   I was at home.  It was half past 11 at night.  I was inside the house.  I remember quite well, because I was watching the soap.  When I switched off the light I just heard some noise.  The windows were sort of breaking, and I could smell petrol, and I said to the kids, "Wake up," and to my sister and my brothers I said, "Wake up."  And Gugu, who was sleeping on the sofa, I saw the blanket in fire.  I said, "No, my child cannot burn in front of me.  I had to pull my child.  She jumped and took off quickly her clothes.  Fortunately she did not get burned.  The house was on fire, in flames, and it was burning.  I went quickly to the kitchen as I have already said that - I told myself, "I will die if it calls for dying."  I had a big pot with boiling water in the kitchen, and my eldest son - I said to my son, "Break the kitchen window," and I saw Xebexulu's boy standing there, and Mpanza's boy there, and I just poured the boiling water through the window.  They ran.

KHOZA MGOJO: You poured them with boiling water?

WITNESS:   Yes, I did.  When the others came they were trying to come to the kitchen.  They tried to set the ... (incomplete - end of side A) ... so foolish, because when you throw the petrol bomb at one other, setting it in fire, the flames will come towards you, and that's how they were burning.  Now they ran towards Road 13.  And the house was in fire, and the police suddenly came, and they said to me, "Get the weapons, the guns out now."  I asked them, "Which guns are you talking about?"  They opened up, put the dogs to get inside the premises.  I was standing outside.  I saw Dan taking out a black plastic that he had on.

KHOZA MGOJO: Who is Dan?

WITNESS:   Dan Mthembu, who was a neighbour.  I am thankful, because usually neighbours do have differences, but my neighbours were so supportive that they tried to put on their - to irrigate and try to extinguish the fire.

KHOZA MGOJO: Those who burned your house, those people who burned the house, are they still alive, or what?

WITNESS:   Xebexulu's son is around.  He is staying somewhere in the area.  And Mbongo is somewhere in Umlazi.  Mouser is in Westville Gaol as I am talking.  Bupini is in Umlazi at AA.  Mhluthu Mliphe could be in Ulundi, because he joined ZP subsequently.  Others are teachers.

KHOZA MGOJO: Are they still teaching?

WITNESS:   Yes, they are still teaching.  Dan Mthembu is with Old Mutual.  Pemba Mpanza is with SAP.

KHOZA MGOJO: Where is Ntombela?

WITNESS:   Ntombela is a Special Branch, and I don't know his whereabouts.

KHOZA MGOJO: Is he still working?

WITNESS:   Yes, he is still working.  Myeza is around, and Taylor is also alive.

KHOZA MGOJO: Well, we'll come back to you as soon as we want those people.  After your child left the country according to you statement you say after some time you heard that he was shot and died.  Where was your child shot?

WITNESS:   You see I was also harassed as one already have said, witnessed that I was shot at Chesterville.  I left a three-year-old and I was all over trying to escape the situation, because even people were saying that, "You should be alert and see if you can a place of refuge."  I had to come back because there's something I wanted to do.  I wanted to cancel my bank account so my family could get some money to survive.  I went to Johannesburg, Gauteng.  It was now during the news time.  I heard that there were four people who were shooting with the police at Quarry Road, and one of those was a trained terrorist.  I therefore said, "This sounds like this is my child," and  I contacted a few people in Durban, and they told me, they said, "Yes, that is Thabani."

KHOZA MGOJO: So he was shot in Durban?

WITNESS:   Yes.

KHOZA MGOJO: Oh, so he was back now?

WITNESS:   Apparently.  I got back and tried to get in touch with the family, and they said after the news Andy Taylor kicked the front door and was shouting for Thandi to get out, and they said Thandi was not there, but my sister went to the door and answered him and said, "Thandi is not here."  And he showed my sister the photos of Thabani, and Thabani was in blood, was bleeding at the time.  And they said, "If she does not come forward I am also going to kill her as I killed her son."

KHOZA MGOJO: Is that Andy Taylor?

WITNESS:   Yes.

KHOZA MGOJO: Andy Taylor is still alive.  Is he at C R Swart?

WITNESS:   Yes.

KHOZA MGOJO: Now, I hear you saying you could not bury your child.  Is that true?

WITNESS:   Yes, that's true.

KHOZA MGOJO: Do you know where he was buried?

WITNESS:   Yes, in Chesterville.

KHOZA MGOJO: The relatives - did the relatives bury him?

WITNESS:   He was buried by the soldiers, and they said they were not going to release his corpse.  When I went to the Government mortuary, along with other women of Chesterville, I was taken by car.  When I got there I found out that the person I was supposed to talk to was Msimanga, who was a Special Branch from Lamontville, and I also saw others who were working at C R Swart.  I asked, "Why wouldn't you release the corpse?"  He said, "There was no one who came to claim and identify the corpse."  I said, "But that's not true, because the sister - his  sister did come with my elder brother, and they signed the

KHOZA MGOJO: form to acknowledge that they knew the corpse," and he gave me a form to sign and I signed the form, the identification form, and I hold onto it.  I said, "I would like to see the corpse."  He said, "But there's no key to the room.  Taylor has the key, and he is in C R Swart."  I handed over the form finally, and I said, "Okay, go and call Taylor."  And I told the other women that I was with, I told them to go back to the car.  I know from C R Swart to where we are it's about 10 minutes.  I will go even if I did not see my son.

KHOZA MGOJO: So you never saw your son?

WITNESS:   Yes, until he was buried.  I asked the central if there were any means they could make so I could come at half past three in the morning to see the corpse.  When we came and approached the central I looked on the other side.  I saw them sleeping, and the guns were there.  I told these women, "Let's go back.  I'll try to tell myself that I cannot get to see my son."

KHOZA MGOJO: Is it true that after the funeral they used to come visiting you a lot, and harassing you?

WITNESS:   Yes, it's true.  I already had a way of contacting my relatives, because after Thabani's funeral - just before his funeral, when they had come to kill the boys at Road 16, those who killed the boys came to my place where Shasha was, and Nofomela, and others.  The girl came and showed them the magazine of 9mms.  Luckily at that time I was not at home, but they continued harassing us, to such an extent that my daughter on another day was accosted by certain boers.  They were driving a certain car with the Transvaal registration.  They asked her as to what type of socks I  wear, and what type of perfume that I use, and where could

KHOZA MGOJO: they possibly get me.  Gugu at that time ran away, and she was no longer staying at home.  There is nobody at home who did not get harassed, up until such time that I felt that we were helped by Mr Mandela, though we don't know how liberated are we.

KHOZA MGOJO: We thank you very much for having related this story.  You have also got a good recollection of the people who harassed you.  You have come to the Truth Commission, what are your expectations of the Truth Commission?