Amnesty Hearings — Vanderbijlpark — 1998-08-12

MR STRYDOM: Chairperson, the next applicant is Mplupeki Samu Tshabangu.  His application number is  7391/97.

CHAIRPERSON: May we first hear what language is he going to speak?

MR TSHABANGU: I will speak Zulu.

MPLUPEKI SAMU TSHABANGU: (sworn states)

MR STRYDOM: Thank you Mr Chairperson.  Mr Tshabangu, you applied for amnesty and signed a form in terms of the Act.  Can you just confirm your signature as it appears on page 167 of the Bundle.

MR TSHABANGU: Yes, it is my signature.

MR STRYDOM: Annexed to the application, are two pages, page 168 and page 169 which answers certain questions contained in the application.  Do you confirm the contents of the annexures?

MR TSHABANGU: Yes, I confirm.

MR STRYDOM: You were also asked certain further particulars and answers were provided on page 172, 173, 174 of the Bundle.  Do you confirm the correctness of your answers?

MR TSHABANGU: Yes.

MR STRYDOM: And then you made an affidavit on page 175 up to page 179.  Do you confirm the correctness of this affidavit?

MR TSHABANGU: Yes, I confirm.

MR STRYDOM: Mr Tshabangu, are you a Zulu person?

MR TSHABANGU: No.  I am Tsangaan, Tsonga.

MR STRYDOM: Where were you born?

MR TSHABANGU: At Boipatong.

MR STRYDOM: So can I take it that you know Boipatong, the streets in Boipatong and the whole area of Boipatong?

MR TSHABANGU: Yes.

MR STRYDOM: Did you go to school in Boipatong?

MR TSHABANGU: Yes.

MR STRYDOM: And did you later join the South African Police Service?

MR TSHABANGU: Yes.

MR STRYDOM: Whilst at school, did you hold any position with any political organisation?

MR TSHABANGU: Yes, I was a member of COSAS.

MR STRYDOM: You membership with COSAS, did that lead to any trouble for you?

MR TSHABANGU: Yes.

MR STRYDOM: Can you explain please?

MR TSHABANGU: I would say what happened is during my school days, the youth in Boipatong was very active in politics.  Inside the school we only had COSAS as the only organisation or student movement.
	While I was in COSAS some houses belonging to the Police of the Municipality were burnt at Boipatong and it was alleged that I was one of the persons who were involved in the burning of those houses.  I appeared in court and I was charged for burning those houses.	
	I won the case.  After finishing my matric, I stayed around looking for work in the firms and other places.  I ended up working with the SAP.

MR STRYDOM: Now, did that create problems for you, the fact that you joined the SAP?

MR TSHABANGU: Yes.  Because after that, my former school mates turned against me and I was regarded as an enemy within the community.  I think it was because they thought I was an instrument of apartheid.
	The problems started from that time.

MR STRYDOM: At that stage when you were in the Police Force, were you still living in Boipatong?

MR TSHABANGU: Yes.

MR STRYDOM: Why did, or let me ask you this, did you at a certain stage leave Boipatong?

MR TSHABANGU: Yes, I once left Boipatong.

MR STRYDOM: Can you just explain why did you leave Boipatong?

MR TSHABANGU: During that time, there was intensive fighting within the townships, the war was against the Police or any people who were against the ANC.  On one particular day I went to work.  As a Policeman I was asked to go to Sharpville and I was working in Sharpville, I was told to cool down the fighting in Sharpville.
	As I was approaching Sharpville along Vuga Street, I met a big or large group of people.  They said here comes in Sotho, the little boy who is cheeky.
	Since I was in a van, they pulled me out of the car.  The other one said let's shoot him, the others said no and I managed to escape.  It was on a Sunday if I remember well.
	The following Monday, it was discovered in the morning that the person involved was a teacher Leqwa Shando.  The children marched to the Sharpville police station because of this incident.  I was charged with criminal cases of attempted murder in this incident.
	The attacks continued, directed against the Police and they were attacked by the youth who were aligned to the ANC and I wasn't staying in the township during that time, because most Policemen have to run out due to the fact that their houses were being burnt down, some of them died.
	One day I visited my friend in a shibeen together with some of my other friends.  A group of youth came, this youth were known to me, they were staying around Boipatong.  They asked me to come out of the yard, it was at night.  I said to them if you want me, you know where I stay,   you can come to my home so that we can talk.  Because I could see that they were prepared to fight me.
	As I was sitting in the house, they came into the house.  I was stabbed with a knife and also with a spade fork and they hit me with bricks.   I was rescued by one of the Police who was present, who shot in the air and they ran away.  I went to hospital and I was discharged.
	When coming from hospital, I went to the parents of the youth since I knew them, we grew up together.  Even our parents knew each other.  It was the Zwane family, at Letsia in Boipatong.
	I went to the mother and explained that her child have injured me and I asked them that we should sit down and talk as parents so that we can solve the problem.
	The mother chased me away, saying that she doesn't want to get involved with youth issues which occurred in shibeens.  I went to Vanderbijl police station to open a case.  After three days, I went to the police station in Vanderbiljpark to tell the Investigating Officer that I did see the person who injured me and I demanded reasons why he wasn't arrested.
	No answer was given.  During the time Police were busy with investigations of investigating people who were well known, children and comrades.

MR STRYDOM: Can I just ask you to talk a bit slower, I see the Interpreters will fall behind.

MR TSHABANGU: The Police were afraid to investigate cases against the comrades, because they know very well that if you were seen as a Policeman who has arrested a comrade, you and your family are in danger or in trouble.
	I did meet the youth who injured me.  I was with my friends in town.  We were in the same athletic club with me, I asked him, saying to him brother, since you have injured me, I just want to find out the reason why.  He said to me I am an informer.
	I got angry, we started beating the young man extensively and he died.  That contributed towards the anger against me, there were so many attempts to kill me.  I remember one incident when we had a ceremony where we slaughtered a lamb at home, it was in winter and the electricity was not working in the township.
	I was asleep in my bed at around eight o'clock.  I heard sounds or cracking of firearms or automatic rifles, directed towards my house.  There were in the house  my mother, my relatives who just visited the house and children.  This happened and it passed.  Even if I can't be specific with reference to dates and times, but these are the things that happened in Sharpville specifically, in Voka, we were sitting there, we were called, I was together with Bongani Mbatha and we were called and said, they said in Sotho, here are the Zulu's.
	They took out, they surrounded us and they were armed, heavily armed.  They said Bongani Mbatha should go, they were looking for me only.  They surrounded me.  Fortunately our of pure luck, I hit someone with my fist since I wasn't armed, fall on the ground and I got a passage to escape and I ran.
	They shot at me as I was running away.  When I was turning, they also threw a hand grenade.  I was injured on my leg and I was admitted in hospital.  This is one of the incidents that took place.  So many times I was attacked, and also my family was attacked.

MR STRYDOM: Can you give the Committee just an indication of what period you refer to, which year?

MR TSHABANGU: I am talking with reference to between 1989 and 1992 or 1990.