Human Rights Violation Hearings — East London — 1996-04-15

MR SMITH: Mrs Godolozi, we've already heard when Mrs Hashe gave evidence that your husband was involved in a political organisation called PEPCO, that is a Port Elizabeth black civic organisation.  Can you tell the Commission when he became involved in P?

NQABAKAZI GODOLOZI: He started in 1978 and was elected as a president in 1981. He was involved in 1978 after it Tosamila Botha, who is presently a minister now, he took that position.  We stayed for four months and we were expelled and we went to find another place. When we were at Zwide in
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the location in Port Elizabeth, there were some problems between the councillors who were elected by the past regime and PEPCO.  Because my husband was the president at the time, there was a clash of ideas between the mayor who was Linda Tamsanga. At that time Linda and his gangs started assaulting people at the meeting, the policemen were complaining and they stated to my husband that they are not satisfied with what was happening.  Linda, the councillor at the time sent people to my place and my husband was not available at that time.  There were 45 men who were highly armed.  They had balaclavas on their faces, only their eyes were visible and they opened the door and wanted my husband.
 When I told them that he was not available, they threatened that they're going to kill him.  They were going to assault him with knobkierries and they told us, Linda wants them.

MR SMITH: And this occurred?  Can you recall when this occurred, the incident that you're referring to?

NQABAKAZI GODOLOZI: I can't remember very well when this happened. I think it was in 1984, but I'm not quite sure about the month.
 Those 45 men left my place and just after they left, my husband came in a car accompanied by Mr Hashe.  A few days later when we woke up, our car was on fire.  People were trying to wake us and they told us about the problem that our car was on fire.  We tried to extinguish the fire and then, can I just go back?  When my husband came in I informed him of the 45 men who came to assault him, and then he said that we must move away, so that these people, when they come, they should not find him.  When I told him that we should really move and that this was a threatening 
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situation, he refused because he was a very stubborn person. I started crying, was so emotional, because I knew what was going to happen.
 So I requested somebody to take him to another part of the location which is Zakele and when I went to work the following day, I went to my cousin, informed her about what is going to happen and also told him about the people who threatened to assault him, and also the story and gave an account about the arson which has taken place.
 Our cousin offered us a house and then she promised that she would go and stay with her family.  This was a one-roomed house but we endured the situation. I was working at the time and my husband was still unemployed.  The police discovered that I was still employed, the building in which I was employed was just in front of the court.  
 After the house belonging to Mrs Hashe was burned, the police, Mr Ndiyani and Mr du Preez, came in at work and asked for Mrs Godolozi.  When they arrived I denied that I was Mrs Godolozi, they went further and asked and then were informed them that she's gone out.  And they were angry and went up the stairs and came back again.  They wanted the manageress and made enquiries about this Mrs Godolozi, and I was called in by the manageress, and when I went there, she showed them  who I was.
 They were very angry at me because I had made a fool of them, but I just kept quiet.  They took me away and when I went to SANLAM, they made enquiries again and they interrogated me.  They asked me whether I had a child and I said that I did and I told them his name. They were very angry because  my child's name was Umkonto Wesizwe and wanted to know why I gave him this name.  I just told them 
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that that is none of their business.  We exchanged words and they were questioning me about my background, asking me where we were staying, and I gave them an incorrect address.
 One day they saw him on paper next to Mrs Hashe's place.  They asked us if we stayed there and we told them that we were not.  I was kept for hours at SANLAM and they were exchanging others who came in speaking in Afrikaans, I just kept quiet because I didn't always understand what they were saying.  
 When I came I informed my husband of what had happened at work.  We stayed for a few days.  My husband came back and informed me about some books which he had brought along.  He would bring some books at times from Lesotho and at times he'd take them away again and would no tell me what happened, and then he would also tell me that some of the books were banned.  He told me that these books were taken to his friend.  When the books were kept there, they were asking also at the friend's place and some of the books were burned there.
 The person whose house was burned was also taken away by the police.  They searched the house and got these books and this person was interrogated.  He informed the police that the books belonged to my husband.  They started looking for us and we were right inside the house.

MR SMITH: Who's the person that you are referring to, whose house is burned?

NQABAKAZI GODOLOZI: Sorry?

MR SMITH: Which person are you referring to whose house was burned?

NQABAKAZI GODOLOZI: I'm referring to his friend, his clan name was Mbanjwa.  I do not know what his real name was.
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 They were always looking for my husband, searching all the places and they said they would also get this Mbanjwa.  And at times I would get a call from his mother stating that she was being terrorised by the police that she should look for her son and inform the police where he is.  There was this stay- away organisation, during that time he was reflected on paper, after the government was threatened by this organisation that if the government didn't want to listen and doesn't take care of what is going on then they will see what will happen.  
 The stay-away was very successful, it took three days, Friday, Saturday and Monday and they were going around looking for any damaged and nothing was reported to being damaged.  We stayed there and my husband was happy because the stay-away was a success. I was still a bread winner because my husband now always on the run because the police were looking for him.
 On the 8th of May, when I woke up preparing for work, The police had come at 12 midnight.  When I came back from work I used to come and look for him to see if there was nothing which was out of place.  On this day I came and informed him about the fact that he was still looked for the police.  I told him about my dream that the police were going to take him away. I ordered him to go out fearing that my dream can be realistic and then he took some possessions and said he would be coming back.  We had our pass codes and pass words so that we did not open for the enemy.  At  about 12 he did not come back.  He was not yet back in the morning, now I was beginning to fret about his absence.
 When I woke up I went on duty, my son had been restless the previous night, but I had to wake up and go to work 
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because ...(intervention).

MR SMITH: Sorry for interrupting, can we just go back a little.  Can you recall whether your husband told you anything when he left on the evening of the 8th of May where he was going to? Did your husband say where he was going to when he left.

NQABAKAZI GODOLOZI: He said to me he was going to a meeting, that is all.

MR SMITH: Was anyone with him when he left?