Human Rights Violation Hearings — Nelspruit — 1996-09-02

YASMINE SOOKA: Before you begin to tell us your story could you stand so I can ask you to take the oath please.

ANAH MTHINKHULU: (s.s.)

YASMINE SOOKA: Mrs Mthinkhulu I will be assisting you with the telling of your story.  I know it is a difficult one but if you could tell us about what actually happened please.

ANAH MTHINKHULU: It was on the 1st June 1986 ....

YASMINE SOOKA: Mama, is this feeling comfortable?  Not?

CHAIRPERSON: Let them take them off while she is telling her story and then ...   If you talk you - take them out, yes and tell us a story.

ANAH MTHINKHULU: On the 1st June 1986 I saw my younger boy coming.  He is 12 years old.  That boy was actually sent somewhere in one of the areas at Mangweni and then he said to his father there are people who are calling him.  They are calling him in the passage and they want to know whether is he there or not.  While their father said I am not going out, I want to go out and check who are the people.  And when he went out he met the people at the door.   When he met them at the door one of them came closer and said to me is your husband in.  I said to him yes he is in.  As I was saying yes he is in my husband came out and after he came out nothing much was said.  It was a group of boys, I don't know of their age, I don't know what actually was their aim. I saw a lot of people, a confusion in my yard and some of
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the people had sjamboks with them and some had very dangerous weapons.    And my husband when he came out he had a slasher with him.  As they were just chasing him around in the yard and they were just beating him with the sjamboks and they fell down and as he was falling down he surrendered.  And then when they checked him his right-hand ear was already damaged.  After that my boy was also present and he was around there.  His sisters actually were not there, they ran away and then one person came and said and then he said they must take out a tyre and put on my father's neck.  As he was lifting up he took two of them and as they were taking two tyres and then he said to them if you want to kill me kill me.  And then he took the tyre himself and then he said to them do whatever you want to do to me.  And the other person who had a five litre can petrol, he poured petrol and then they took a match and lighted him and I took the match from him when he wanted to open that match.  And then they took the match again from me and they gave it to him.  I took it back again and I took it and I threw it away and someone at the back and he threw the battery.  Actually he was aiming at hitting me with this battery and then they gave me for a second time the very same match.  At the end the very same person who was just standing in front of me took away that match and he set alight.  And they said he must be the one actually who must set alight.  And after that and then they dispersed and he remained there and he was burning.  After that I took water trying to pour the water on top of him.  I could see nothing happened.  I took some soil and at that time he was burning seriously.  I took some soil and I was pouring soil on top of him. My younger boy went to go and ask for a transport
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somewhere.  He went for a long time and by that time I covered him with a blanket.  I did not get the transport at the end but I did get a vehicle to help me.   We went to the clinic and from the clinic we went to the hospital.  At the hospital they tried to treat him and then they said we should leave him there.  They took him to the theatre.  He was tired by then and anyone could see that he was very tired and we went back home.  The next day on Monday it was found that he could not actually reach the next day.

YASMINE SOOKA: Thank you, Mama.  I know that it is a difficult story for you to tell and what I have to do is ask you some questions just to make sure that we understand your story completely.  Can you tell me why you think this was done to your husband?

ANAH MTHINKHULU: I really don't know why such a thing happened to my husband.

YASMINE SOOKA: Was he a member of any political organisation?

ANAH MTHINKHULU: Only what I know he was a member of Inyanza National Movement.

YASMINE SOOKA: And why do you think the comrades wanted to - why do you think they burned him?

ANAH MTHINKHULU: I really do not know actually because they never said anything.  I don't know exactly what they were after.  They only came here and they attacked him.

YASMINE SOOKA: Did the police investigate this incident?

ANAH MTHINKHULU: Yes, they did investigate.

YASMINE SOOKA: Mama, I know that this is a difficult question but do you know the names of the people who did this?

ANAH MTHINKHULU: The names, I can say I know them but I did not see them, but I only heard this from my husband who said he knows them, a few of them.
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YASMINE SOOKA: If you were to see them again would you recognise them?

ANAH MTHINKHULU: Unfortunately I cannot.  Because I was already - I was just two years in that place at Mangweni.  So I did not know the people, I did not know the place itself.

YASMINE SOOKA: Thank you.  I have no more questions.

CHAIRPERSON: I have already said that this country of ours is actually coming from very far.  Many things happened, horrible things in fact.  I would say Satan was actually amongst us.  I think you have seen a very, very horrible thing, to see your husband, they wanted you to set alight your husband and you were just standing in front of him, burning in front of you as if he is just a braaivleis being done by someone.  We really feel sorry, we sympathise with you together with your family to this incident.  We will try our best to see what we can do and to investigate to find out the perpetrators of this act.  Because even though if you think that a person was like that or a person was like that to do it by yourself and I mean take law at your own hands as they have done so you know killing him in this fashion is not something that we would like to see in future in this country.  We request that God Almighty should console you and console your children and He should be through His holy spirit bind your wounds, all of you.  We pray that things of this nature should never happen again in this country, South Africa.  In this country.  I thank you.