Human Rights Violation Hearings — East London — 1997-06-10

MR SANDI: Can I now hand over to you to tell the whole story, how it happened what you saw and so on.
MR BELLING (JNR): Okay.  On Saturday the first of May 1993 shortly before ten p.m. my cousin Roland Parker and I arrived at the High Gate Hotel, East London.  On our arrival we immediately entered the bar and took up seating at the bar counter near the doorway to the poolroom, we then ordered bears from the bartender and shortly after our drinks had arrived I suddenly heard the sound of running footsteps approaching the entrance.  I then turned my head to the right and looked directly at the bar entrance where I then saw a Black male person appearing in the doorway.  This Black male was wearing black trousers, white shirt and a brownish coloured jacket.  This Black male was carrying a rifle in his hand the make of which is unknown to me.  I'd just entered the bar area and having just entered the bar area this Black male came to a halt and he then directed the barrel of the firearm to my position.  I then chose for my well-being and dived to my left pulling my cousin Roland Parker to the ground with me.
 On my crashing to the floor I suddenly felt that I had lost the feeling of my left arm and at this stage I was looking away from the door and although unable to see what was taking place I heard the gunman continue to direct fire at the patrons in the bar.  While the shooting continued I suddenly heard a loud explosion coming from inside the bar area after which the light became dull.  I then suddenly heard something roll on the floor behind me and fearing that this object was an explosive device I braced myself for a further explosion.  No explosion came and I heard ssss sound over the gunfire.  I then realised that teargas had been set off in the bar and I was choking on the teargas.  Shortly after my having determined that the teargas was inside the bar area the shooting suddenly ceased.  I then dragged myself into the conference room to escape the teargas and was later removed from this area by the paramedics.  
 As a result of this attack I sustained injuries of  a serious nature to my left arm, left hip and also internal injuries and I feel that nobody had the right or permission to cause such injuries to me or attempt to take my life.

MR SANDI: Was anyone arrested in connection with this incident?
MR BELLING (JNR): I do not know.

MR SANDI: No-one has been taken to court on charges of having done this?
MR BELLING (SNR): No.  The guy my son identified, he identified him from photos that were shown to him long afterwards and then it was told to me at a later stage that this very same guy that he identified as the guy who actually did the shooting towards them was shot and killed in Umtata in a robbery case, an armed robbery case there.  So apparently he was shot then and they didn't have any other person, they didn't catch anybody in any case.

MR SANDI: So nothing has happened by way of criminal prosecution?
MR BELLING (SNR): No, nothing on that.

MR SANDI: Were you taken to hospital after the incident?
MR BELLING (JNR): Yes, I was.

MR SANDI: Can we talk about that part of it?
MR BELLING (JNR): When I arrived at casualty I had to wait for the specialist to arrive, I was conscious all the time.  At that stage they only knew of my left arm that was shot because I was lying on my back and I was busy complaining about back pain.  When the specialist arrived they turned me over on my side and found three bullet holes in my back after which they immediately rushed me to theatre.  By the time I got to theatre I was unconscious as I had hardly had any blood in my body.

MR SANDI: Are you receiving any medical treatment to-day for the injuries sustained?
MR BELLING (JNR): Yes, I am.

MR SANDI: Can you talk about that?
MR BELLING (JNR): My medication?

MR SANDI: Yes.
MR BELLING (JNR): Well at this stage I'm going through six hundred tablets a month for pain and  sleeping.  I suffer from dizziness because of the explosion the balancing of my ears was damaged.

MR SANDI: I understand from your statement you were twenty at the time of the incident.
MR BELLING (JNR): Yes, I was.

MR SANDI: Were you a scholar or were you working?
MR BELLING (JNR): I was working at that stage.

MR SANDI: You're not working at the moment?
MR BELLING (JNR): No, I'm not.

MR SANDI: Is that as a result of the shooting you sustained?
MR BELLING (JNR): Yes, that's right.