Human Rights Violation Hearings — Beaufort West — 1996-08-12

MAPULE RAMASHALA: [indistinct]  isn't mend that you'd like to tell us.

ALWINUS MRALASI: There is quite a lot - a lot of - I would even asked that you should extend my time because I have a lot to say because it happened twenty six years ago.  It happened in 1968 up to now.  
So in Worcester we spent a night there and then in the morning Sentile Bavata together with a man dressed in white came and said - said - he was going to speak Afrikaans to me and ask me to open - and ask me to go in.
There was also an old man, Madgali, who was an old man - who was quite old, even, I would say the age of the bishop.  Then he went in - we asked him to go in - and this bewaarder  - then we thought we were going to keep him there in the room amongst us.  So early in the morning - the next morning - we were taken to Pollsmoor and there were twenty six of us at the time.  At the reception they wrote particulars about our age, about our marital status et cetera, taking all the details.
At about this time there was a sheet of paper with names like Thike, Willie Manene and we asked these bewaarders  what was all this about.  Then this Willie had evidence in this case and had he - his name appeared on this page.  Then they - the allegation was that we were going to be put in poison in the - in the dam and were going to disconnect the electricity.  Because on the side of Victoria East there is a hill and we as twenty six, as we were - we were - referred to as an army.  And they alleged that we were going to lay there and we were going to take over the whole town and that was not true.
We were there for two months and then in July lawyers came to see us - Mr Vallem, Mr Wayne Peffer, Zeckelwitch and Former Kellis.  There were four of them - two lawyers defending thirteen, two other lawyers thirteen of us.  So we gave statements and after that we were told that  on a certain day in August we were going to appear in Court.  Then it happens that in August we appear in Court - that was in Pollsmoor.  They used to take us from Pollsmoor to the Courts - to the Court - that was Wednesday to Friday.  Then weekends we would spend then in Pollsmoor and there it was slightly better.
We could read newspapers, we could write letters home.  I even wrote a letter to my family and tell them that I was healthy and my wife would respond to my letters to.  And she told me that we had got a baby - a baby boy.   My wife had - my wife had a baby two months old - born on the 6th of May 1968.

MAPULE RAMASHALA: This was a month after you have - you were detained?

ALWINUS MRALASI: Yes, because I last saw them on the 24th of April and we were kept in most  -  in -  Pollsmoor and we got a chance to write letters home. Are you now satisfied?

MAPULE RAMASHALA: You were released on the 30th of  April in 1969.  Could you tell us what happened after that.

ALWINUS MRALASI: I'm coming to that, it's only that I want to explain how a person is mishandled,  being - then the judge was -  Mr Theron, one was Hertzog.  The prosecutor was Brunet.  I'm coming now to where I feature.  We - then they talked everything there in court.  There were witnesses giving evidence until it was my turn on the 22nd - on the 23rd of April, on a Tuesday - I appeared in court.
They said to me - they called me as number 26 so I went to the front and they said to me -  I have left out something - the witnesses were Willie Manene, Wilson Mafoeja, Sedeso Pagalitha, Distant Phambo and ...[intervention]

MAPULE RAMASHALA: It's al right if you don't remember.

ALWINUS MRALASI: I'm going to remember just now because I want to - I want to - name these so as these person - so as to get satisfied.  And Harry Mapirey, X54.  I don't know whether  he was a police man or what.  So I was called and they asked whether I was Alfiuns Mralasi.  Then I said no I didn't know that person.
Mralasi was right but Alfiuns was not the name, otherwise my name is Alwinus.  So I asked them to call  Alfiuns in my place otherwise I'm Alwinus.  So I took out my identity book and also a letter that came from home with the news that I had a baby boy and I took - gave it to them.  The judge looked at me and looked at my ID book and said you are Alfiuns.  Then there was an argument about this first name of Alfiuns.  Then he said this belonged to Mr Brunette, who was a prosecutor.
I kept on saying they should call Alfiuns because I was Alwinus.  So Mr Brunette paged through his statements for quite a while.  It was even longer than five minutes and the lawyers were watching and other men were all watching.  And the judge then asked me if I knew Mr Jose - then I said I knew him.  I said yes I was calling him as Chawhe, in his clan name.
Then he asked me what TV Jose meant.  Then I said it meant Thami Victor Jose - he asked about his name.  I said he's - was in Somerset East.  Then he asked - he said Mr Maruma had told him that I could repair a radio.  Those were the radios that had some wires.  And we used to do certain things to the radios, that was before the FM.  Then it happened that they could not get Alwinus so I was discharged.  Then at Pollsmoor I was given a ticket and I got onto the train and on the 1st of '69 I came to Victoria West -  that was the 1st of May 1969.
At home I found my house disorderly, my children were very thin, my wife - who had never worked before -  was working for Mr Van Britten who was a farm owner and I'm now telling you about how we used to suffer those days.  My wife was earning R4.00 monthly and during the day she would get a plate of mealie-meal, half bottle of paraffin - mind you.
We had five children and she had to feed this children with all this, because one of  my daughters was at High School and - but she had to leave because I was not there.  So when I got home, I saw the baby boy and I was looking at my baby and this baby was running away from me - crying - because he could not recognize me.  And it was really hurting to me, then he ultimately got used to me and he grew up such that today, as I'm speaking to you now, they are grown-up men.
Bishop knows my eldest son - he knows what he is today - he is a traffic cop today.  My other daughter is a teacher in Colesburg, my other daughter is a teacher in Richmond, another daughter is a nurse because God has worked.  That is as far I can go ...END OF TAPE 3, SIDE A...

MAPULE RAMASHALA: Mr Mralasi, thank you very much for a very touching tail.  I'd like to ask you one or two questions,  if you don't mind.  Are you all right?  Were you a member - at that time, were you a member of any political organization?

ALWINUS MRALASI: I would say even now as you are looking at me, those days, we the elderly people, we did not have any activities. We are not members of any organizations.

MAPULE RAMASHALA: At that time that the police picked up all of you, were there any Poqo activities in Victoria West?

ALWINUS MRALASI: Even today, I will say there never were any activities or organizations of Poqo there.  I give an example and say that that place is very small - it's very, very small - such that people there know everything, even what you have bought.  People would know - now just tell  me why would people not know that there was Poqo if there had been.

MAPULE RAMASHALA: Mr Mralasi, I'm going to ask  you the same question that I asked Mr Makulani.  Are you working today?

ALWINUS MRALASI: No, I'm not working.

MAPULE RAMASHALA: How are you managing?  I know that your - your - children really came out well in spite of the problems.  How are you managing today?