Human Rights Violation Hearings — Newcastle — 1996-09-11

WITNESS:   That is correct, and when he was coming back from school he told me that he had fought with certain members of Inkatha, and the one that he had fought with was Vusi Mapanga.  The Inkatha youth were staying at the school of Ndumiseni, where the vice-principal was the premier's son, that is Dr Mdlalose, and each time Ndumiseni went to school they used to trouble him, as well as other children.  And he told me that he cannot be able to stay there because of the Inkatha youths which was troubling the schoolchildren.  Then on the 19th of May he told me that he had fought with Vusi Mapanga, who had gone to fetch an Inkatha group, and they had been waiting at the gate and they wanted to attack him, and he was helped by other schoolmates.  And when he told me this I told him that I am suspecting that they would be coming to my house, and on the 18th of May they came to my house at about past seven in the evening.  And the person did not want to identify himself, but he said he wanted to see Xabangani.  And I asked as to who he was, but he flatly refused to identify himself.  Mdeni wanted to go and investigate who was at the door, and I restrained him.  I asked for the third time and he said he was a comrade.  And I asked which comrade was he, and Papi went to the door to investigate, and when he talked my son told me that this was Papi, and Papi was one of the people who were killing the schoolchildren.  Mdeni said we should switch off the light, and as we were just about to switch off the light they threw a stone through the window.  And they started breaking all the windows, and lastly we could hear that the stones were now ceasing to be thrown, and they said to me I should come and see the people who were throwing the stones.  And when we looked there were about a group of 40 people, but Mandla Mdlalose and Vusi Mapanga, as well as Sikhumbuso, were the last ones to leave my yard.  Thereafter the police came after they had gone, and we told them the names of the people and they said I should get into the car so that they should take me to 2707.  And at that time the neighbour's children were convened at my place, they met at my place.  And my mother said I should go to the police station to report the matter.  Then at the police station when I was there they just took me as if I was mad or insane or just crazy.  They did not pay much attention to me, they never even arrested the people that I had told them about, the perpetrators.  The following day the police came, and each time it would be different police coming.  Some would say they were coming from Nqutu, but they never arrested the people.  Then on the 7th of June, when I was coming back from work, I was told that the KwaZulu Police were with the Inkatha group, and they went to all the comrades' houses searching for the comrades.  And I told them that probably they were coming to my place.  I slept very late that night keeping vigil, and I just could not sleep because I was somehow scared.  And just when I was about to fall asleep I heard the sound of shattering glass at the sitting-room, and I realised that probably they were starting to attack us.  And I heard the window shattering, and I could see some petrol pouring.  And just when I was about to run away I saw some fire.  The house was being set alight.  Mdeni as well as Sifiso Mpusula were sitting in the kitchen, and they said they heard the sound but they never paid much attention.  But when they went to look through the window they could not see anyone, and they went to investigate at the dining-room and at the sitting-room, and they found that the place was set alight at that time.  And we met at the passage.  He was coming to tell me that the sitting-room was on fire.  And at that time the whole house now was on fire.  I went to check on my grandchildren.  The other one was six and a half and the other one was two and a half years old.  And I tried to pull the blanket on which they were sleeping.  The elder one managed to escape on his own, and when I opened the bedroom, just when I was about to go out I realised that I was burning, I was on fire at that time, and my clothes were also burning.  When I went into the kitchen I decided to roll myself on the floor so that I could extinguish the fire, and I saw Mdeni pulling out the bedspread, and he threw it over me to extinguish the fire.  I picked myself up and decided to go out because I did not want to die inside the house.   And the children refused me permission to go out, but we ultimately went out through the kitchen door.  And as we were still standing on the stoep I heard a voice saying, "Here are the dogs," and by that time Xabangani was saying that and they were running towards the gate, and they were picking up some bricks and stones.  And when they came back running I thought they had come to take some weapons in the house, because when we went out we were unarmed, only to find that at that time they had been shot.  Just when I turned around to look at them when they were from the house I saw Sikhumbuso, who was in front of me - Sikhumbuso Mabaso.  There were two of them but I don't remember the other one.  I looked at Sikhumbuso because I knew him.  Sikhumbuso shot four times.  He had a gun.  Xabangani at that time was standing in front of the door, and he kept on urging me to come back into the house, and at that time my clothes were burnt up and I was naked, and I was just standing there on the stoep.  And I looked at this person in the eyes, because I always told myself that if you look at a dead person there is always that picture that remains embedded in your mind.  I don't know whether I shut my eyes, but later on I saw them that they were no longer there.  I put on a hose pipe, trying to put out the fire in my bedroom.  And Xabangani told me that he had been shot at that time, and I came close to him and I saw that his arm was bleeding and I could see that he had a fracture, and the other bullet was on the right arm, and I said he must point out to me which place else he was shot.  Then I said, "You are not going to die.  Let's go and get you a car to take you to the hospital."  We went to Simelani's house and we asked him to take my son to the hospital, and he duly took us to the hospital.  When we were at the hospital the security who was on duty was Mr Grey, and each time when I had visitors they used to come to the ward.  And they could not sleep at the hospital, they could not be admitted on that night because the hospital got attacked the very same night.  And each time when there was a visiting hour my relatives could not come because they were always blocked from coming in, from getting into the hospital.

MR LAX: You spent, you've told us, two months in hospital, is that right?

WITNESS:   That is correct.

MR LAX: (Inaudible) ... quite extensive burn injuries on your body.  We have a medical report that says that.

WITNESS:  That is correct.

MR LAX: What happened to your son, Xabangani?  Was he treated for his injuries?

WITNESS:   Yes, he was treated.

MR LAX: (Inaudible) ... discharge him?