Human Rights Violation Hearings — East London — 1996-04-16

SANDISWA MKHONTO: Sparrow was arrested in 1984.  The police came into our house at 
about twelve.  The police van just arrived, I was with my father and mother in law and 
when I peeped through the door, there were a lot of police around my house. I told my 
husband to put on warm attire.  When he was leaving, he carried his identity document.  I 
gave him warm clothes.  
 The policemen knocked at the door and went around the house looking at every 
part of it that they could get to.  I ended up going to the door and I met the officer, Mr 
Gali, he pushed me and said he wanted my husband.  I fell down and my husband was 
very shocked and quiet at the time.  We regarded him as a cheeky person and Gali 
continued and terrorised him and said, "You will stop being cheeky!", and he grabbed him 
and took him to the police van.
 We stayed for a long time without him. On the second day they didn't inform me 
as to what had happened to my husband.  I went to the offices of Cradora, when I went 
there my husband was there in a terrible swollen state, unable to see because his eyes were 
swollen.

MR SMITH: Did he make a report to you about the condition he was in?

SANDISWA MKHONTO: Yes he was able to tell me that he was assaulted by the police.

MR SMITH: The names of the policemen who assaulted him?

SANDISWA MKHONTO: Yes he told me it was Venter and Gali.

MR SMITH: Was he detained or arrested after this 
EAST LONDON  HEARING TRC/

EASTERN CAPE: 19

SANDISWA MKHONTO: occasion?

SANDISWA MKHONTO: Yes he was detained again for a day. This was fortunate, because 
unlike the others he was arrested for a short period of time, perhaps a day or two.

MR SMITH: Did he appear to have been assaulted every time he was released by the 
police?

SANDISWA MKHONTO: Yes.

MR SMITH: And did he say to you that he was assaulted by the police?

SANDISWA MKHONTO: Yes.

MR SMITH: Now can I take you to the 27th of June 1985.  Can you relate to the 
Commission what happened on this day?

SANDISWA MKHONTO: On the 27th of June, my husband went together with Matthew 
Goniwe, Sicelo Mhlawuli and Fort Calata.  They were going to a meeting in Port 
Elizabeth.  They travelled together but he never came back that day.  We waited patiently 
but he never came back.

MR SMITH: Did he tell you when he was going to return on that day?

SANDISWA MKHONTO: Yes he told me that he was leaving for Port Elizabeth but he didn't 
tell me when he would be coming back. He went through and they did not come back the 
day they left.  After about two days I saw people coming to my place, his family, my in 
laws, Reverend Dano and Geldenhuys.
I was really amazed to see the reverend and asked him what the matter was, because the 
house was full of people. 
 That time I was informed that my husband was injured.  I was told that he was 
found dead together with Sicelo Mhlawuli.  We were taken as families. We went to the 
Goniwes.  After a few days, we heard that Matthew Goniwe and Sicelo Mhlawuli as well 
were found dead.
EAST LONDON  HEARING TRC/

EASTERN CAPE: 20

SANDISWA MKHONTO: In 1994, we came from an inquest  ..(intervention)

MR SMITH: Just before you get you get to the inquest, were you informed by anybody 
as to the apparent cause of 
death of your husband?

SANDISWA MKHONTO: Yes.

MR SMITH: What did the people say to you?

SANDISWA MKHONTO: The people who came to report said my husband, Mkhonto and 
Sicelo Mhlawuli, are dead.  My husband was found at Blue Water Bay together with 
Sicelo Mhlawuli.

MR SMITH: Were numerous multiple wounds on his body?

SANDISWA MKHONTO: My husband, as I've heard was shot twice in the head and he was 
stabbed and burned.

MR SMITH: You were about to talk about an inquest that occurred in 1994.  But there 
was an inquest earlier than that when no finding could be made as to the identity of the 
perpetrators?  Are you aware of that?

SANDISWA MKHONTO: Yes.

MR SMITH: And you're also aware of the inquest that was conducted in 1994.  Do you 
want to say something about that?

SANDISWA MKHONTO: In 1994, we went to the first inquest, we came back, there wasn't 
even a sign of anything that had happened.  The second inquest, the same thing happened.  
But on our return from the second inquest, I tried to clean my yard the next morning.  
While I opened the toilet, I saw something on the toilet floor.  Those were the old toilets 
with buckets, I tried to sweep and I felt something heavy. I pulled it out, it was heavy, and 
I sat on the stoep and opened this parcel.  It was my husband's I D, every time he went out 
he would take his I D with him.  I opened it, I saw it and I was scared.  I wondered how 
come my husband's I D is here?  I rushed to the Cradora offices and I explained to EAST 
LONDON  HEARING TRC/

EASTERN CAPE: 21

SANDISWA MKHONTO: them that I found my husband's I D.  After that they said that I should go and report it to 
the police.
 Well I went to the police.  At SANLAM nobody attended
to me, I spent the whole day there going up and down.  At the end one policeman came to 
help me.  I told him how I found this ID that belongs to my husband, and everywhere he 
went his ID was on his person.  Now all the police in that office ignored me.  They 
suggested that I must leave the ID, they'll try to search and report back to me.

MR SMITH: Did you leave your ID document with the police?

SANDISWA MKHONTO: Yes I left it there.

MR SMITH: Do you remember the name of the policeman that you gave this ID 
document to?

SANDISWA MKHONTO: I cannot remember their names, they were many in that room, White 
policemen.

MR SMITH: In that inquest, the 1994 inquest, the court made a finding that the security 
forces are to blame for the death of your husband, but the inquest court could not 
apportion blame either to the army or to the police, is that correct?

SANDISWA MKHONTO: Yes.

MR SMITH: You have also instituted a claim for damages against the government, are 
you also represented by the Legal Resources Centre in Grahamstown?

SANDISWA MKHONTO: Yes that is so.

MR SMITH: What did your attorneys tell you about the status of the case at the present 
moment? What did the lawyers say to you, how far has the case gone?

SANDISWA MKHONTO: The case really didn't give any direction.

MR SMITH: ...(indistinct) that the case is about to be settled?  So your case is in the 
same position as that of EAST LONDON  HEARING TRC/

EASTERN CAPE: 21

SANDISWA MKHONTO: Mrs Calata?   Are you also asking the Commission to use its good offices to expedite the 
settlement of that particular case?   Can you tell the Commission how this incident, the 
death of your husband, how has that affected your life?

SANDISWA MKHONTO: After the death of my husband my life never stabilised.  My husband 
was everything to me, he did everything for me.  His death was never a pleasant thing to 
me, today I don't have a husband, my child doesn't have a father, I have to answer many 
questions.  Some of the questions I cannot answer.  Today he asks me this question, 
tomorrow the next.  Today I don't have a husband, my son doesn't have a father, the 
family has lost.

MR SMITH: Nonabo is in school, is he doing standard 10?

SANDISWA MKHONTO: Standard nine.

MR SMITH: Standard nine, is he doing fine at school?

SANDISWA MKHONTO: Yes he's going well.

MR SMITH: Mrs Mkhonto, what else do you request this Commission to do for you, 
how can the Commission assist you?

SANDISWA MKHONTO: What I request from the Commission is that I'd like them to make 
thorough investigations about this and please establish who did this to my husband.  I do 
not 
just want them to be exposed, I want them to brought to court so that justice can be done.  
I also would like the Commission to give me a hand in my child's education.

MR SMITH: Thank you Mrs Mkhonto.  Mr Chairman that concludes my questioning of 
the witness.