Human Rights Violation Hearings — East London — 1997-06-13

ADV SANDI: You are asking for medical attention.  What is happening with you now health wise?

MNCEDISI MAPELA: I suffered from a headache such that my right eye went blind.  I was taken to Frere Hospital.  At Frere I was diagnosed of a brain tumour.  I would have to be taken to Cape Town Grootte Schuur to be operated on for the brain tumour to be removed.  I, this was caused after I had been beaten up.  I went to Cape Town in 1982.  This brain tumour was removed.  I was given these tablets and an injection.  Do you see what the price is?  Tell them what the price is.  Tell them.  This is my monthly treatment until I die.  If I stop taking them they say I will D I E, die.  They are R79,92.  I take them monthly.  Every month and these are R35,09.  That is an injection.  It is R106,86.  I take this monthly.  They say that, well, if I want to die, I can stop taking the treatment.  There is a doctor that comes twice a year to Cape Town. He comes to Frere Hospital twice a year.  This I have to take.  I have a headache as we speak.

ADV SANDI: You have a pension?

MNCEDISI MAPELA: I was given a pension after I had been beaten up.

ADV SANDI: According to this statement that is all.

MNCEDISI MAPELA: Excuse me Sir, my stomach.  I had been kicked, my kidneys are damaged.  I went to Intensive Care.  My wife thought I was going to die.  This is all after I had been beaten up.

ADV SANDI: Perhaps there are questions from my colleagues. Thank you Mr Chairperson.

CHAIRPERSON: June Crichton wants to ask one question.  June.

JUNE CRICHTON: The question.  I just want him to tell us the date of the torture so that we can, can I do that?

CHAIRPERSON: Yes.

JUNE CRICHTON: I just have one question for you Mr Mapela.  I want you to tell me, for the record, the date that this torture took place.  What year was it?

MNCEDISI MAPELA: I have forgotten the date.

JUNE CRICHTON: I am not asking you the month and the day, I am asking you the year.  Was it 64 or was it 66?

MNCEDISI MAPELA: 64.

JUNE CRICHTON: It was 64, thank you very much.  Thank you.

CHAIRPERSON: Mr Card has given a reply.  I will request Mrs Crichton to read it into the record.

JUNE CRICHTON: Statement,
"I, the undersigned, Donald John Card, do hereby state I am retired, 68 years of age and live at 5 Avon Road, Woodleigh, East London.  I have been served with a notice by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in terms of Act 34 of 1995 wherein I am informed that between the ninth and 12th of June 1997 one Mncedisi Mapela will be testifying before the Commission and will be implicating me.
 Once again I want to complain about the information supplied to me by the Commission as I find it difficult to identify the persons mentioned and to reply to the allegations.  
 If Mncedisi Mapela is the man who worked in a tailor's shop with a Mark Maziza and who has rimless spectacles then I believe I know who the person is.  I say this because Mark Maziza ..."
excuse me,
"... is the only person with that name whom I know.  In order to explain my involvement with Mapela it is necessary to go into detail.  In January 1963 I investigated a matter in Pretoria where nine men had be arrested in Rhodesia and handed over to the South African Police, because they were suspected of having been trained as freedom fighters.
 In fact, the investigations revealed that they were trained by Russian instructors at a place known as Dablaseur in Ethiopia.  I gave this evidence in court and for the first time South Africa had proof that ANC was working with the Russians.
 This, obviously, annoyed the ANC and their committee in exile decided that I had to be eliminated.  A letter was written to the Rivonia High Command by Theunissen Makiwane, who was then in charge of the ANC office in Dar es Salaam while Oliver Thambo was in London.  This letter was then sent to the Port Elizabeth High Command and then on to the local regional office.  Unfortunately for the ANC I had people within the organisation who kept me informed of every move made.  
 The Regional Committee consisted of Malcolm S Makabela, Steve Tshwete, Ben Mashiyana, Reginald Ndube, Washington Bonqo, Douglas Sparks and Dwaba.  This Committee had a meeting regarding the above letter and they decided to appoint a Secretariat comprising of three men to carry out the instruction received.
 This body consisted of Mark Maziza, Boyzi Gabozi and Dorrington Gabozi who twice set up traps to lure me into areas where I was an easy target.  I, however, knew of their every move and when they complained of being short of bullets, I actually made two packets available of different sizes.  This was done in order to establish where the firearms they were going to use on me were being stored.
 After a long wait I finally recovered the firearms in Mkene Street and the owner of the house told me who had left the firearms there and who were the same people I already knew about.".
I beg your pardon,
"... and who were the same people I already knew about.  We immediately went to look for Mark Maziza, but he was not at home nor were the two Gabozi brothers in their room.  During that day I went to the tailor shop in Cemetery Road, Duncan Village where I spoke to Mapela who promised to let me know where Mark was if he found out.  I kept on visiting the tailor shop until Mapela asked me to please stay away as others may become suspicious.
 A few days later Mapela came to my office with a written address in New Brighton, Port Elizabeth where he said the three men were.  This information he had obtained from Mrs Maziza as her husband had contacted her.  I once found Mapela at the home of the Maziza's when I went to find out whether Mark Maziza had written to his wife.  Within two years of Maziza leaving, Mrs Maziza had a child which she said was not Mark's. 
 I have no idea why Mapela should want to implicate me in an assault on him on the 13th of May 1966.  By that time I believe that we already knew that Mark Maziza had been captured as a freedom fighter in Rhodesia and had been sentenced to death.  This was not carried out and the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment and he died two years later of natural causes.  We also knew that Boyzi Gabozi had been shot and killed in Rhodesia and that Dorrington Gabozi had become the ANC representative in East Germany, which is the last I ever heard of him
 I did not assault Mapela at any time and if Mrs Maziza says that I took her to see Mapela beaten up then she is also lying.  
 Maybe the Truth Commission could look into a lie told by Steve Tshwete at the Makabela funeral about me.  Then we may find the solution.  I, however, find so many allegations very strange and one would believe that I was the only detective working at that time.
 Signed by Donald John Card.".
Thank you Mr Chairperson.

CHAIRPERSON: Again, it is a great pity that Mr Card has not availed himself for questions that the Commission would like to pose to him on this statement, but we are grateful to him for sending it.  Mr Mapela, thank you for your evidence and having divulged everything about your health.  We think that we will take your requests forward.  However, as I said to the previous witnesses, it is not within our own strength to reward you.  Thank you.

MNCEDISI MAPELA: This treatment is very expensive, Sir.  I would appreciate your help.