Amnesty Hearings — Thohoyandou — 1999-06-28

CHINOANE SIMON FARISANI: Okay, let us go back to 1 February 1982 as Masisi.  I was taking a shower in the cubicle, after I had received clothes from home and worn them.  I felt very weak, I felt dizzy, the ordinary police noticed it and they rushed me to Madimbo where I got two injections, one injection on each buttocks.  And a gargling liquid and some pills.  Come 2 February, I collapsed, my heart palpitated, shortage of breath, I needed water every minute or two.  Let me once again thank the local police, were it not for them, I would have died on that spot.  And they rushed me back to Madimbo.  The doctor came to the van and he said 'Is this the guy who was here yesterday?'  The police said yes.  He gave me a blue pill and water and said 'Rush him to the nearest hospital.'  I remember his words, 'He will...' and he hesitated and said 'He may die.'  And I was rushed back to Chilitsini Hospital.  Now, when I changed into hospital clothes, life would return to normal.  The same when I collapsed at Venda Central Prison.  When I got to hospital and changed into hospital clothes, I would feel okay.  This suspicion, I must be very honest with you, comes after the stories around the poisoning of Rev Chikane's clothes.  And I began to try to understand that the symptoms are quite similar to what I went through.

MS MTANGA: Dr Farisani, have you got any other evidence about methods that were used and the consequences thereof?  That were not disclosed by the applicants?

CHINOANE SIMON FARISANI: Yes.  Apart from electric and physical torture, coming to my own case, and I don't want to speak for others but I must mentioned I saw Caviar on, I think it was 8 February who was put in my cell.  He was this swollen and that was after he saw me at hospital and tried to follow the police van.  Until contrary information, I'll take it it is not true that he was not arrested in connection with the Sibasa police station.  Now, let me come back.  In my case, amongst other things they used at Sibasa torture centre, they would knee me in the groin.  Ramaligela, Managa and others, they would knee me in the groin.  They would bring a team of young boys, I think they were Security Police trainees who would come and laugh and mock you.  I'm surprised they forget that expert team.  Now the other thing they used are handcuffs.  You see, I was handcuffed to the back and the handcuffs cut into the flesh, the marks are still visible on my wrists.  Now, what's also interesting, and that's why I question their political motives sometimes, Gabriel Ramushwana told you that he doesn't know why I was detained.  And what he told you is true.  On 7 January 1982, he came to my cell in the company of two youngsters, he sent them out and he said to me 'We know that you innocent in this whole matter.  All our good pastors are going to die but look, just write what we want because otherwise you will die.'  So partly, the story he told you is true.  And also Ramushwana did play a role in the writing of statements, in my first statement, when he came with it for me to sign, I found new paragraphs which I never wrote.  Among the paragraphs was the one that said 'Chipiwa Mohape participated in the bombing of the police station.'  In spite of all the pains I'd gone through, in spite of all the false confessions I was forced to make, I was not prepared to be accessory to the lie that would justify Isaac Chipiwa Mohape's death.  And I resisted.  Mr Ramushwana left and came back and said 'Sorry, it was a typing error.'  Typing error that brings a new paragraph all together into the statement.  There were more paragraphs to which I objected and he told me 'This is enough, we can't remove anything any further.  Otherwise it will create problems.'

MS MTANGA: Mr Farisani, have you got any further evidence regarding the methods that were used by the applicants because we want to confine our evidence to that?

SISI KHAMPEPE: May I ask Dr Farisani, did Mr Ramushwana assault you in any way whatsoever apart from trying to force you to sign a statement which you were not prepared to because it didn't reflect the accurate facts?

CHINOANE SIMON FARISANI: Thank you, your Worship.  At the time when I could see, that is without the canvas bag, Ramushwana did not physically touch me, but his voice together with that of Col Kruger and other White officers whose names were never revealed here, I can say physically he was present on the premises but he never touched me.

SISI KHAMPEPE: Was he ever present when you were assaulted by other police officers?

CHINOANE SIMON FARISANI: On the premises, yes.

SISI KHAMPEPE: No ...(intervention)

CHINOANE SIMON FARISANI: Inside the torture room, I'm not sure because much of the time I couldn't see.  My head was covered.  But occasionally when they removed the hood, there were other people I could see, some of their names I've mentioned.

SISI KHAMPEPE: You may proceed, Ms Mtanga.

MS MTANGA: Dr Farisani, does that conclude your evidence or is there something else you want to add?

CHINOANE SIMON FARISANI: Yes, the best I want to say is that as you may know, my mother is seated over there.  She went through tremendous pain and harassment.  My wife and children, my wife is over there, she went through tremendous pain, the children still suffer from the consequences of not only the Sibasa detention but of all the detentions we went through.  You may be aware that cumulatively all those detentions led to my staying at the ...(indistinct) torture centre for treatment for almost a year in 1987.  The most painful thing for me, I am a pastor by call, I support this act around reconciliation, I supported the processes of the law that you are implementing wholeheartedly.  But, in spite of some of the statements that they are sorry, they regret, the evidence on the floor hides critical elements of information.  Perhaps I should conclude by saying what I'm saying to you I'm not saying here for the sake of amnesty or being against amnesty.  My books, 'Diary From South African Prison,' 'Justice in My Tears,' it addresses Isaac Mohape, it address Nesamari, my congregate and others.  The book 'In Transit' addresses these issues.  There's a video, 'Torture of a South African Pastor' produced by the Lutheran ...(indistinct) Federation in Geneva.  There's another video in America, 'A Remarkable Man' and another one, 'Torture, the Shadow of a Beast' and also the information that the police settled out of court in our case, I know what it means but I also know what it doesn't mean.  Now, if amnesty is based on the truth, I don't think we've heard the whole truth.

MS MTANGA: Does that conclude your evidence, Mr Farisani?

CHINOANE SIMON FARISANI: Thank you very much, yes.
NO FURTHER QUESTIONS BY MS MTANGA

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you, Dr Farisani.  I see that it's now 13h00, I think this would be a convenient time to take the lunch adjournment before I give an opportunity to the legal representatives for the applicants to ask some questions.  We'll now take the lunch adjournment and if we could aim to recommence at 13h45, please.  We'll take the adjournment until 13h45, thank you.
COMMITTEE ADJOURNS
ON RESUMPTION

CHINOANE SIMON FARISANI: (s.u.o.)

CHAIRPERSON: ...(indistinct) questions to put to Dr Farisani?

MR MEYER: I do, Mr Chairman, thank you.  Dr Farisani, do you remember giving evidence before the Human Rights Violations Committee in 1996?

CHINOANE SIMON FARISANI: I do.

MR MEYER: I here have with me a transcription of your evidence that you gave then and, I've read through it and not once during the evidence before that Committee do you mention anything about your private parts being injured.  Can you explain why that is so?