Human Rights Violation Hearings — Duncan Village — 1996-09-24

REV XUNDU: What is your request to this Commission?

UNKNOWN: I'm asking that the Commission should help me because I have three young children.

REV XUNDU: Whose children are these?

UNKNOWN: No, they are my sister's children and they are dependent on me.

REV XUNDU: Do you perhaps get any grant?

UNKNOWN: Yes, I've just got this grant.

REV XUNDU: Is that all you have to say?

UNKNOWN: Yes.
DUNCAN VILLAGE HEARING TRC/EASTERN CAPE
7 NC MAHLANZA

BONGANI FINCA: Tiny Maya.

MS MAYA: Ms Mahlanza, I would like to ask you some questions.  You say there was some SADF soldiers who came to collect your brother.  Do you perhaps know who these soldiers were?  Is there any other person who saw this?

UNKNOWN: Yes, there are many people, because it was in the afternoon.

MS MAYA: So you last saw your brother when these soldiers came to fetch him?

UNKNOWN: Yes.

MS MAYA: And the last time you heard, was that he was injured?  Is there any person who told you the extend of the injuries or what had happened to him?

UNKNOWN: No, I don't know, but I think they assaulted him.

MS MAYA: What did Mzwandile say - he met your brother?

UNKNOWN: He said he met him somewhere crawling.

MS MAYA: According to what you know, was he still in a position to speak at the time?

UNKNOWN: I don't know.

MS MAYA: In our statement here you say he died from assault and from kicking.  Where did you get all this information?

UNKNOWN: They got this information from me.

MS MAYA: Yes.

UNKNOWN: I was assuming that they had assaulted him and kicked him.

MS MAYA: Was there any eyewitness that actually saw when they were hitting him?

UNKNOWN: No there wasn't none.

MS MAYA: Did he have any children?

UNKNOWN: No, he did not have any children.
DUNCAN VILLAGE HEARING TRC/EASTERN CAPE
8 M MVUBU

MS MAYA: Thank you.

BONGANI FINCA: We are now going to ask Mzwakhe Mvubu. (tape ends)

UNKNOWN: (tape starts) ... and whilst I was at the bridge just nearby I saw some White policemen and soldiers coming from one direction.  There was some other people in front of me.

REV XUNDU: Were these people, were this White persons dressed in uniform?

UNKNOWN: Yes, they were in caspers.  I then saw one of the people in front of me falling.  I immediately ran away and I think that is when I was shot and I fell.
 I lost consciousness, when I regained consciousness, I was in hospital.

REV XUNDU: How long were you there?

UNKNOWN: I was there for two months.  And I had to go for some therapy for my arm.  The Doctor who was a Doctor Appavo, when I was discharged, I went back to work, but I still felt pain on my head and I went to a Doctor for an examination and I told him that I had some pain on my head.
 And he asked whether I had ever been injured, and I explained, so he sent me for X-rays and he could determine that there were still some bullets on my head which are still embedded right now.

REV XUNDU: Did they take you back at work?

UNKNOWN: Yes.

REV XUNDU: And so you worked for a while.  How did you stop to work?

UNKNOWN: They accused me of stealing paint.

REV XUNDU: Yes?

UNKNOWN: They were selling paint and I gave some money to
DUNCAN VILLAGE HEARING TRC/EASTERN CAPE
9 M MVUBU
a certain Coloured person but I was the one who were accused as having stolen this paint and after all this is the paint that I had paid for.

REV XUNDU: Did you refer this matter to the Union and what did they say?

UNKNOWN: I did refer the matter to the Union and they asked me to appeal to a court, but later on they said everything depended on my employers.  So when Mr Pinnock, the Director came, this White person - this employer said they had discovered that I had paid the money, but they laid another charge now that I had used some other empty tins and so they asked me to leave my work, so I reported the matter to the Union.

REV XUNDU: Do you perhaps have children?

UNKNOWN: Yes, I have.  My last baby is 34 days old.

REV XUNDU: Are you married?

UNKNOWN: Yes, I have a wife.

REV XUNDU: Do you have one wife?

UNKNOWN: Yes, I have one wife.

REV XUNDU: What standards are your children?

UNKNOWN: One is in standard two and another one is in sub A and then the baby who's not - is still very young.

REV XUNDU: Do you perhaps get any grant?

UNKNOWN: No, I did not apply for one, but my wife gets some part-time job.  Unfortunately she got pregnant and she had to stop working.  My request to this Commission is that I cannot get employment full time, because they always see that I have got a problem with my health and now I see that I do not have a bright future.
 Therefor I request that this Commission should pay for my children's education. 
DUNCAN VILLAGE HEARING TRC/EASTERN CAPE
10 M MVUBU

REV XUNDU: Is that all you have?

UNKNOWN: Yes.  That is all I have.

BONGANI FINCA: Mr Sandi?

UNKNOWN: Yes, I did go to lawyer Lalla and his secretary who was a Black told me that I was late because after three months, they do not accept a case.

MR SANDI: At the time you went to Mr Lalla, how long was it after this incident?

UNKNOWN: It was four months after the incident, because I spent two months in hospital.

MR SANDI: Did you again go back to Mr Lalla?

UNKNOWN: No.

MR SANDI: Is there any other lawyer that you perhaps went to see?

UNKNOWN: No, there is none.

MR SANDI: Thank you.

BONGANI FINCA: We thank you Mr Gqeme, Ms Mahlanza and Mr Mvubu for your evidence and testimony as given to the Commission.
 Mr Gqeme mentioned something which people may misconstrue when he said when we were looking at him, he said he would like to see this people face to face, referring to the perpetrators and he said that he hasn't got peace with them.
 Though this may be taken by other people up otherwise, but it is sending a message to the perpetrators of this atrocities that what they did to the people should not be considered lightly.
 Though I see that they did not care what has been done by the Truth Commission.  They did not have a deep consideration of what they have done.  We therefor want to 
DUNCAN VILLAGE HEARING TRC/EASTERN CAPE
11
send word to them that they should listen that peace and reconciliation in this country, is solely dependent on them by them taking everything serious.
 They have injured and shattered people's lives whereby people have got to go on living with some bullets within their bodies and this is something very serious.
 And we therefor wish that the people who are responsible for all this should come forward on their own, so that this Commission should make them see the people they did all these things to.
 If they do not come forward, there is just no possibility of reconciliation.  We therefor thank you for bringing forward your testimony.  We are going to look into all the things you have said to us.
 And I will therefore ask you to take your seats.