Special Hearings — Trojan Horse Hearings — 1997-06-02

MAPULE RAMASHALA: Mrs Ryklief, good morning. Do you want to swear or to make an affirmation?

MRS RYKLIEF: Swear.

ZAINAB RYKLIEF: (sworn states)

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: Could I, sorry Glenda, Chris, that microphone, could you extend the wiring please, 'cause it gets stuck.

GLENDA WILDSCHUT: Mrs Ryklief, I'm going to be helping you to tell your side of the story. We are aware that you've had to tell the story many times. Many people have come to your house immediately after the event and several years after that people repeatedly have come to you, your house has been captured on television and in the media and the press, pictures of the shooting and so on. But today we would like to give you the chance to tell us in your own words and to this commission how you experienced that event. I know it's a very difficult time for you today, to witness people dying in your house is not very easy. So we will give you the time to tell it in your own words, you can take your time and you can speak in the language that you feel most comfortable to do.

MRS RYKLIEF: On the 15th October 1985, that day I will never forget. On that day there was a march happening and I could see that things would go wrong, and the caspers and the police vans started driving up and down the
roads. When the children were on their way to the muslim school, Ms Abrahams took their children to a muslim school, and Ms Abrahams returned from muslim school, I could see that something was going wrong. I invited them into the house and I closed the door of the house. One of the friends on my children did not want, wanted to go home, but I told him not to go home, that he had to stay with me for a while because of the obvious danger outside.
 He insisted and I opened the door of the house, as I opened the door of the house and just after the children went out they ran back into the house. I waited until all the children were back into the house and then I locked the door. Then I noted that one of my children and one of my sister's children were still outside and I panicked. I was also shot but was so concerned about my children and because Ms Abrahams was screaming. She said to me "Please help me Zainab, please help me" and I said to her "I can't help you" and then I went out at the back door of the house. I saw my children's son, I opened the back door and the child came in. Then I was still missing my child. Then I noticed my child was sitting in the chicken coup and the police were walking up and down in the passage way behind the house. 
 My one child choked the chickens so that they would not make a noise because of the police walking up and down with their rifles and so that they would not notice him, he choked the chickens so that they died so that they would not make a noise and attract the attention of the police. He then came in. Ms Abrahams was still screaming and then my mother came and said to Ms Abrahams to stop screaming.
 Then this one fat policeman kicked open the door. My sister then said to him " Don't kick open the door there are children in the house." When he kicked the door of the house open, I was convinced that he would kill all of us, because he came into the house with his rifle. One child was under the dressing table and the policeman grabbed him and then I screamed at my sister " Look they are taking Ismail." Then we said to him the child is too small, leave the child. I then went to the kitchen and saw blood all over the kitchen. My food on my stove, and all of the cups and saucers and glasses in the kitchen were broken with the shots that were fired. I was then taken away.
 Then  when I returned home, my two girls were brought to me and the one boy had left and the other was still in the house. I was very ill after that. When I came home there were many, many people in the house, I did not know where to look and there were policemen who came to my house everyday, I think his surname was Steyn. He would come with a typewriter to my house everyday, insisting that I give him evidence. Whenever I get home from work, he would be at my house and then I said to him, "I can't take this anymore." The social worker then came to me. I was ill subsequently and she took me away to a psychiatrist, I don't know where else they took me. I was at the hospital with the nurses and I was given medication to help me with my nerves. From the morning when I got up until the evening, I would see policemen everywhere. It would be something happening everyday for that whole week. 
 In the evenings I had great difficulty going to sleep. My husband asked me what was wrong and I said to him I feel ill, my nerves are, cannot cope with the situation. When Shaun ran into the house, he threw himself on my bed. Ms Abrahams threw herself on the bed also and she had blood on her from the children. The children were wearing maroon jerseys so she did not see the blood. When he fell on my bed, he died and he died there on my bed.
 As the one policeman kicked open the door, he grabbed Shaun. I had a little step at my door and he grabbed the child's leg, the head in such a way that when he pulled up the child's head he then said " The pig has died." He then put the child on the stretcher, and took the child with, away with the stretcher. Whenever I saw policemen or police vans, I could not cope with that. I still cannot deal with seeing policemen and police vans.
 Then the social worker came to my house and took me away to some or other place. It was a psychiatrist or something, I don't know where that was and they took care of me there. At night I cannot fall asleep and I then said to him - I don't want to sleep on this bed. This bed is covered in blood, as the children were lying on the bed and that affected my nerves very much. I will never be able to forget what happened that day. I had become almost like a child, I could not cope with loud noises. I was convinced that they would come back and shoot there.
 When they drive past my house, they look at my house. My house was exactly on the road, you could see right down to St Simons Road from my room. And you could stand anywhere in the road and see what was happening in my house. When the social worker came and took me away and gave me pills, they took me to doctors. For one week I was not able to work and then I had to work additionally. My nerves were so damaged I could not work with children ant longer. Because I was working with children, the principal then told me that my nerves are too tender to work with children, because whenever I go home I was wondering what would happen at home. And things have continued in that way with me in my house and with my children. I always thought about my children, I was concerned and worried about my children. I will never forget the 15th October. It felt like a war and it always felt as if they were going to kill people.

GLENDA WILDSCHUT: Could we just go through some of the things that you said. I thought in your, as you told the story now that you were very clear and we heard very carefully what you were saying, but we need to just go through some of the things that you said. Let's just look at the shooting itself because you were in a sense keeping those children safe. You opened your doors to allow those children to come into your house. Did the police persons actually enter the house and shoot inside your house or were they shooting from outside, inside.

MRS RYKLIEF: They shot from outside the house.

GLENDA WILDSCHUT: And that's when they were shooting into your kitchen and where you were cooking and ...

MRS RYKLIEF: All the windows were broken, there was not a single window that was not broken.

GLENDA WILDSCHUT: We can assume that several shots were fired.

MRS RYKLIEF: Yes, ja.

GLENDA WILDSCHUT: And you say that lots and lots of shots were fired at that time.

MRS RYKLIEF: Yes.

GLENDA WILDSCHUT: And what was the extent of your injury?