Human Rights Violation Hearings — King William's Town — 1997-05-12

MR MNYAPE: As we were standing there a police van came with my cousin and my son.  There was a police that was a guard at Puti's house, they came together.  The police who was guarding Puti's house was drunk.  He was then taken to the van with the gun.  When they saw people coming towards them the one police said that he was going to Nklamo's house to take Nklamo with.  Then that police by the name of Mjomo from Tamacha went to Nklamo to take him, because they were afraid that they were going to be attacked, because one police was drunk.  They then cam back together with Nklamo, but I said that the gunshot at home was from the gun from this police.  He was the one who was shooting at my home.  The people then, they then went to take other police.  I think it was about six they left.
 During the day there was a meeting at school.  I went to that meeting.  There was one police attending the meeting.  When we arrived there this police was together with my wife and my brother.  They were telling him what happened.  I could see that this police did not care.  I then said to him, this is my home, I do not think that when you are called to check the damage you have the right to say what you are saying, because we saw the person who did this.  I told them that you cannot just say whatever you want.

ADV SANDI: Was there any person who was arrested for this incident?

MR MNYAPE: Nobody was arrested, but we gave the statement to the police in Tamacha.

ADV SANDI: Let us now go to Ntsikelelo's case.  Ntsikelelo was your son, is that so?

MR MNYAPE: Yes, that is so.

ADV SANDI: How old was he at the time?

MR MNYAPE: He was 19 years old.

ADV SANDI: Can you please tell us what happened to him.

MR MNYAPE: I was in East London, when I was in East London at Pulzana.

ADV SANDI: Or maybe we can ask Mam to tell us about Ntsikelelo's case.  Let us give you a break Mr Mnyape.  Mrs Mnyape, please tell us about Ntsikelelo's incident.

MRS MNYAPE: At the time we were in East London, the soldiers were after us, they were chasing us, because the lawyers took me as I was taken to Ginsburg.  They then said that I must go and stay there.  My boys were in the circumcision school.  I then asked the lawyers to take me back home.  They said that they are going to Masele and they will go and check the situation.  They then came back.  They told me that I cannot go back to
Masele, because the police were looking for me. I then went to East London.  On the third day my son, my last born son, came to me.  He said that the previous day, on Sunday, it was Themba, Themba Dumizwene and himself, when they were approaching Mashlole's shop, the hippo came with the soldiers.  It came towards them. When they were trying to run away the hippo came.  They then, the hippo then ran over Ntsikelelo's head.  The soldiers then looked at him.  They then left.

ADV SANDI: Before that, Ntsikelelo was pointed and someone was pointing him to the soldiers.  Who was this person?

MRS MNYAPE: It was Mr Puti's son, but I do not remember his name.

ADV SANDI: You said Ntsikelelo was 19 years old.  I assume that he was taking part in the organisations.  Is that so?

MRS MNYAPE: Yes, that is so.

ADV SANDI: You buried him at home?

MRS MNYAPE: Yes, we buried him at home.

ADV SANDI: Were you disrupted in the funeral or what happened in the funeral?

MRS MNYAPE: The soldiers did not come, but they were in the village looking at the funeral.

ADV SANDI: You mentioned other people in your statement.  You said that they were beaten by the soldiers.  Is that the same day?

MRS MNYAPE: At the time when the soldiers came I went to the tap to fetch water.  I left the bucket there to visit my uncle.  I saw three men washing their faces in their tap.  They had batons, but they were not wearing soldiers uniforms.  I did not know that these men were going to my house, but when I went back to the tap I heard that there were people crying in my house.  I went back to my uncle.  I told him that I heard people crying from my house.  They then assaulted everybody who was there.  My mother came to this house.  I asked her what was happening.  She then said that the three men came asking for the residents of this house.  My mother then showed them.  At that time she was lying in the bed.  They then assaulted her at that time.  She was trying to take her shoes.  They left with her, beating her all the time.

ADV SANDI: Are you talking about the grandmother?

MRS MNYAPE: I am talking about the mother, my mother-in-law.

ADV SANDI: How old was she at the time?

MRS MNYAPE: She was born in 1918.

ADV SANDI: This means that she was old at the time?

MRS MNYAPE: Yes.

ADV SANDI: Where is she now?  Is she still alive?

MRS MNYAPE: No, she passed away.

ADV SANDI: How did she die?

MRS MNYAPE: She died due to the injuries sustained on that day, because she was coughing, she was vomiting blood due to internal injuries.

ADV SANDI: In other words, you say that she died due to the injuries?

MRS MNYAPE: Yes.

ADV SANDI: You were also assaulted on this day.  Is that correct?

MRS MNYAPE: Yes, that is correct.

ADV SANDI: Were you assaulted by the soldiers?

MRS MNYAPE: Yes, I was beaten up by six soldiers.  They were coming together with Puti.  Puti then pointed me out saying that here is this bitch.  One of them called me saying that he was going to ask something.  I went to them.  He then kicked me in the stomach.  I fell down.  At that time the soldiers came.  They were kicking me and they were beating me.

ADV SANDI: They were also clapping you?

MRS MNYAPE: Yes, they clapped me and they were kicking me with their boots with, and they were beating me with electric pipes and ropes.  I was then taken to the hippo.

ADV SANDI: They took you to the hippo.  Where did they take you?

MRS MNYAPE: The six of them took me with their hippo.  I fell down.  They took me to the hippo again.

ADV SANDI: Where did they take you?

MRS MNYAPE: They were taking other people to the hippo.  When we approach Xhanga the soldiers, the three soldiers came and they said that these women cannot be taken, because they know nothing.  We were then taken out at that time.

ADV SANDI: Who is Xhanga?  Was he a member of ADM?

MRS MNYAPE: Yes, he was a member of ADM.

ADV SANDI: Is that all you wanted to say, Mrs Mnyape?

MRS MNYAPE: Yes, that is all.  I was not arrested.

ADV SANDI: The other people who were with you in the hippo, were they also assaulted?

MRS MNYAPE: Yes, they were assaulted.  They would take us under the chairs.

ADV SANDI: Were they women?

MRS MNYAPE: There were women and others were men.  They would take us under the chairs and they would beat us and assault us.

ADV SANDI: Inside the hippo?

MRS MNYAPE: Yes, inside the hippo.  Others were under the chairs and they were beaten while they were under the chairs.

ADV SANDI: Do you have requests to the Commission, Mam, by coming here to the Commission, Mr Mnyape and Mrs Mnyape?  In your statements, especially you Mrs Mnyape, you mentioned that you would like medical treatment.

MRS MNYAPE: Yes, I would like medical treatment, because after this incident I suffered a lot.

ADV SANDI: Do you have any other requests?

MRS MNYAPE: Yes, I do.

ADV SANDI: Can you please tell us your request.

MRS MNYAPE: I would like to be reimbursed, because I suffered a lot.

ADV SANDI: Do you have something to add Mr Mnyape.