Amnesty Hearings — Vanderbijlpark — 1998-08-11

VINCENT KUSAHUSA KHANYILE: Okay.  I will first explain and say the beginning of the problem was in July when we had a rally at the stadium at Zone 7.  When we came back from the rally we discovered that anyone who spoke Zulu, that was the day upon which they will be killed.  From there, on the 22nd of July, we were not able to go back to our places or to our homes.
	A person left his home or her home without anything.  Our possessions were confiscated from us. Even those who were selling such things like fridges, such stock was confiscated from them and the cars were burnt as well.  It was evident that we had no place of refuge.  	From there we ran away to the office, to the Zulu Government in Vereeniging.

MR STRYDOM: Can I just stop you here, which office do you refer to?

VINCENT KUSAHUSA KHANYILE: I'm referring to the office that was representing the Zulu nation which was in Vereeniging.  The leader there or the head there was Vivian Velase(?) of the office.

MR STRYDOM: Was that an IFP office?

VINCENT KUSAHUSA KHANYILE: Yes, it was because everything that had to do with IFP we did it from that office.

MR STRYDOM: Were you a member of the IFP at that stage?

VINCENT KUSAHUSA KHANYILE: Yes.

MR STRYDOM: Did you hold any office with the IFP?

VINCENT KUSAHUSA KHANYILE: No, I held no office.

MR STRYDOM: Will you then continue from where you went to this office?

MR LAX: Just before you do, if I could just clarify something, you were going very quickly unfortunately and I didn't pick up everything.  You mentioned a date and I didn't catch it very clearly, was it the 22nd of July, is that what you said?

VINCENT KUSAHUSA KHANYILE: Yes, that is correct.

MR LAX: Was that the date of the rally?

VINCENT KUSAHUSA KHANYILE: Yes, that is correct.

MR LAX: So from that date onward things got bad for  you, is that what you're saying?

VINCENT KUSAHUSA KHANYILE: Yes, I'm trying to explain that as from the 22nd or as from the 22 onwards, the situation got volatile.

MR LAX: What year was that?  That is the other thing I just wanted to check.

VINCENT KUSAHUSA KHANYILE: It was 1990.

MR LAX: Thank you.

MR SIBANYONI: Just another clarification, you started by saying it was an office for KwaZulu government but you ended up agreeing that it was an IFP office, I want to get clarity on that.  What type of office was it, was it the office for the IFP political party or was it the office which was representing the KwaZulu government like it was done in the olden days, that every homeland would have an office in the urban areas?

VINCENT KUSAHUSA KHANYILE: What I could be in a position to explain would be, if that is true, it was an office representing the KwaZulu Government, yet the IFP activities as well would be addressed there.  Like the IFP members, the majority were Zulus and everything would be discussed and addressed from the very same office.

MR LAX: Perhaps I could just assist.  Mr Mvelasi, I have a recollection somewhere the he was the Urban Representative of the KwaZulu Government, is that correct?

VINCENT KUSAHUSA KHANYILE: Yes, that's correct.

MR STRYDOM: Can you just please continue with your evidence, from where you went to this office?

INTERPRETER: The speaker's microphone is not on.  The Interpreter has a problem, the speaker's microphone is not on.

MR LAX: Please just hold on, there's a small technical problem.
PROBLEMS WITH SOUND EQUIPMENT

VINCENT KUSAHUSA KHANYILE: From there hell broke loose.  As we were workers we were harassed and the majority of us, as the office was not too big or was small, it became clear and evident that we can not occupy the office, all of us.
	The life that we led was traumatic because we had to seek refuge in some bush nearby Sasol, where a white man sympathised with us and we came across, or we met the Red Cross workers and they erected some tents for us so we were able to have comfort and we attributed all of that to the white man who helped us with the place of refuge.	
	From there we continued in the same state or conditions that we were being harassed and people were burnt all over the Vaal triangle or were set alight.  In fact, if you were speaking Zulu you would definitely be killed.  If you had an affair with a Zulu man you would definitely be killed.  If you were seen anywhere talking to a Zulu person you would be killed, no doubt about that.
	If your neighbour hated you so much, maybe you had beautiful things or admirable things, he would tell on you to the comrades and claim that you were Inkatha and therefore you will be killed.  
	The Zulu kids who were children or whose parents were Inkatha members, from 1990 they never went to school, they lost education.

MR STRYDOM: When did you move into the kwaMadala Hostel?

VINCENT KUSAHUSA KHANYILE: After we left that place of refuge we found a place called kwaMadala Hostel, it was towards the end of October 1990.  We discovered a place that was not occupied and we did not even ask anyone or from anyone, we just decided to occupy that place with no permission from anybody.  That is how we entered the kwaMadala Hostel in October 1990.  That went on, the harassment went on.
	As we were still at kwaMadala Hostel, we were ordinary workers and we were never able to have transport that could take us or that could transport us from the hostel to work.  People who did try to transport us to work were terrified and they left us alone.

MR STRYDOM: Can you just give the Committee more information about the people that went to kwaMadala Hostel, who were they, who did they sympathise with and to which political party did they belong?

VINCENT KUSAHUSA KHANYILE: I will try to explain in this fashion:  When all of this went on, the killing of people or the killing of Zulu-speaking people, there was a rumour	 that came from the ANC structures that was forwarded to their members, to the ANC members that is, that they should leave the word that says: "We are killing Zulus" because there as people in KwaZulu that are Inkatha as well and that word was left alone.  Instead there was a precise statement that they were killing Inkatha people, not necessarily the Zulus.
	I would say the people who were at kwaMadala Hostel were the IFP members, the majority was Zulu-speaking people or the Zulus.

MR STRYDOM: Now you refer to the Zulu people that were killed, who killed them, according to your knowledge?

VINCENT KUSAHUSA KHANYILE: According to my knowledge we were being killed by the ANC members.

MR STRYDOM: In your application you refer to: "Self-defence Units", can you just tell the Committee more about these units?

VINCENT KUSAHUSA KHANYILE: The Self-defence Unit was a group of youths which ordained itself as a group of warriors and going out or they deployed themselves to kill the IFP members and to set the houses of IFP members alight.

MR STRYDOM: Reference is also made to: "comrades" in your application, were they the same group or a different group?

VINCENT KUSAHUSA KHANYILE: I mean the same group.

MR STRYDOM: Now during the time that you stayed in kwaMadala Hostel, did you have any personal experiences of attacks on your own life or people with you?

VINCENT KUSAHUSA KHANYILE: I don't quite understand your question, would you please repeat it?

MR STRYDOM: Whilst staying at kwaMadala Hostel, did you move out of the hostel into Boipatong township or any township for that matter, and experience any problems yourself?

VINCENT KUSAHUSA KHANYILE: No, I never left kwaMadala Hostel.

MR STRYDOM: Do you know a person by the name of Bongani Mbatha?

VINCENT KUSAHUSA KHANYILE: Yes, I do know him.

MR STRYDOM: Can you tell the Committee what happened to him?