Human Rights Violation Hearings — Worcester — 1996-06-24

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: I think we should let her cry, probably it is a way that would relieve her.  I know that she has been bottling this for a long time.  At times it is very important to let somebody to ventilate - he can actually and let's allow her to express her pain in whatever manner that she feels is proper for her.  We quite understand what is happening presently.  We know that we are opening healed wounds.
It is one of the reasons why we are meeting here today.  We want to remind ourselves about all the pain we experienced so that we can heal and we should know the truth of what happened during those periods because some of the people have already forgotten or completely forgotten about this and others don't even know that it ever happened.  We know that we have suffered a lot and we quite understand what is happening now.

MS BAHUME: After my son died the police kept on coming to my place.  One day there were people who came to my place.  I don't know whether they were photographers of whoever.  I was confined in bed and then the people came and asked my son - my eldest son Marshall to say whatever he thinks about what happened.  And then he did talk to these people.  We never rested because we were always harassed by the police.
One day Miriam, was sleeping at my place.

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: Who is Miriam?

MS BAHUME: She is the lady who is just next to me.  The police came in and they all asked us one by one who we were.  We had to inform them about our names,  we were told to wake up.  Some of the police came in and went to the children's rooms and then the others came to my room.  We had to explain who we were.  We did as they wanted.
I can remember when Miriam was asked she mistakenly said she is Mildred.  One of the policemen called her, she was ordered to go along with the police.  When she was going out, she said to me - please phone my place inform  them that I  had been taken by the police.  When the police learned that he  was communicating telephonically with someone else they disconnected the phone and broke the wires and then they took Miriam away.
Thereafter they continued coming all the time asking for Marshall.  When Marshall was asked what his name was he said he would Vuyisili and he would deny that he is Marshall.  And this continued for quite a long time until the day of the funeral.
And we could see that some of them were high ranking officials from the police and they would come with documents - they gave us restrictions and telling us what type of funeral arrangements we should do.  They stipulated the number of people who were supposed to attend the funeral, they also informed us that when the day which is - the child supposed to be buried should be a day during the week.  
I said it would be difficult to say we should stipulate the number because this was a student and he was very popular.  There would be neighbours who would be attending and some of the schoolchildren would be coming along.  So they said it would be all right then to allow as many people as possible but they didn't want any demonstration, they didn't want any placards, nothing out of order should take place.
And then on the day of the funeral we went to the minister of religion and then the police also went to the minister and stated that the minister who will be leading the procession should use a certain street which is extremely out of the location.  And then when the minister was doing as he was ordered by the police, the people were surprised because they thought he had lost his way.  And then he had to explain to the people that no, this was the order from the police and he didn't want any chaos to take place.  So that is why he was obeying the orders.

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: Could you please explain what happened as the police have given restrictions and orders about the way in which the funeral had to be conducted?  Can you explain what was happening at the hall or at the place where you were holding the sermon?  Could you please explain what happened when the minister went there.

MS BAHUME: A night before during the ritual, I was informed that there were a lot of police outside.

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: Do you mean the day before the funeral?

MS BAHUME: Yes very early in the morning every street was cordoned by the police vans.  All the streets and the one which was just next to my place was also cordoned by the police.  There were vans, the big hippos and the police were armed.  They were pointing their guns at our range - directly at us.
They  used also another street so that there should be a blockade so that nobody comes to the street where there is a funeral.  The others were just beyond the main road and they were just guarding the procession and how it was going to be conducted.
When we got to the hall or the venue, the Minister was still holding the sermon and during that period the police came nearer.  We could see that a lot of them were coming nearer the hall.  We could realise that something terrible was going to happen. Whilst we were still listening to the sermon there was a  hailer and there was an announcement through the hailer that we should come out of the hall.  
We were ordered to disperse and the minister said also we must abide by the rules because this is what the police had said and they had even stipulated the time.
When one of the neighbours who was also on the other side of the room and then he also - when he came nearer he was prevented by the police to be part of the funeral.  When we were taking the - the coffin was taken and put on the hearse and  there were gunshots again.  Some people ran away and jumped through the windows.  There were stampede - others were jumping over the fences and most of the people now wanted to go back home because they were afraid that it was going to be a massacre should they followed the procession.
So most of the people disbanded and ran away.  One of the men said he said he saw one woman who was lying on the ground.  We continued - we couldn't do anything because we were afraid so we just went along and continued the procession.  We were now few and there were a lot of police.
There is another road which was corrugated and it was also the road which we were ordered to use.  So we were escorted by the vans and the police to the graveyard.   During this period when we reached the destination there were already people who were already loaded in the van and they were  claimed to have been arrested.  We were all panicking and we did the work so quickly because we were afraid that there might be something terrible again and then we rushed up back to my place.
We learned that there was one child who was shot during the period when there was that stampede.  Apparently this happened when they were trying to get out and it was reported that the child died.  I was afraid.

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: I would like you to go back to the period when Nation was shot dead.  Our Investigation Unit has already made investigations and they have found out that one person was shot dead during the funeral of Nation.
Can you please tell us whether there is anybody who witnesses the shooting when your son died?

MS BAHUME: Ntsomi is one of the witnesses.

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: Is Ntsomi -was Ntsomi there?

MS BAHUME: Yes.

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: Where was Nation shot?

MS BAHUME: It was just a few metres from my place.  The first street next to my house.  It is between the first street and before you can reach the second street.

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: Do you know the name of this street?

MS BAHUME: It is Njela Street

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: Do you have any details as to why your son was shot dead?  Because we realise that - okay we understand that he was a member of the Students Representative Council,  but  you could give us details maybe about the information surrounding his shooting.