Human Rights Violation Hearings — Durban — 1996-10-24

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you, Mr Lyster.   Mama, thank you very much for coming here.   Before you go, let me say quite briefly that Mzizi Dube was a community leader and he believed so passionately in what he was doing, he risked his very life, as you know.   His commitment was total and he paid the ultimate price.   And if I listen to you carefully, and read the words that you gave to us earlier, what you told us that he was fighting for the right of his people, his community.

WITNESS:   Yes.

CHAIRPERSON: For their dignity, for their self-respect, for them to be treated as human beings, and to have equal opportunity.

WITNESS:   Yes.

CHAIRPERSON: In other words, he fought for a democracy and especially at local government level and one of the miracles that has taken place in this country, is in a very short space of time we have had elections at a central, national, provincial and local government level. The very very things that your brother fought for.  And as Richard Lyster has said already, you must have great comfort, you and your family, that the things that he fought for have actually come about, and I really appreciated your words about his love for young people.

WITNESS:   Yes.

CHAIRPERSON: And the fact that his presence was missed and that you feel sorry for some of those young people.   So, it is a wider family that was affected, yet again.

WITNESS:   Yes,

CHAIRPERSON: I wasn't alone in losing my brother.

CHAIRPERSON: Yes.

WITNESS:   The whole community of Lamontville lost, they shared the same grief that I did share.

CHAIRPERSON: And that's why we want to thank you very especially in coming today.   Your grief is not a private one, it is a very public one, and we are glad to share in the memory and the victories that have been achieved.   Thank you very much for coming and Go with God.

WITNESS:   Thank you.  Keep up the good work.   May God bless you all.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you.

CHAIRPERSON: /CHAIRMAN

CHAIRPERSON: The final witness in today's hearings is Mr Harold Strachan, and I will ask him to come forward now, please.
HAROLD STRACHAN

CHAIRPERSON: Mr Strachan, welcome.   Just before you take the oath, would you let me just say that we really appreciate the fact that you have been sitting here since 9 o'clock.   I know that you have participated already in the stories that you have been listening to, because you were part of them, and the experiences you had were not dissimilar.   Somebody said it, I think it was Jan Turner, that, "Thank goodness, they missed, that you are at least here alive to tell that story" and I suppose that is true of many many people in South Africa.   We are very glad you are here, and we are going to listen to your story with interest, but as you know I have to ask you to take the oath.
OATH ADMINISTERED AT THIS STAGE

CHAIRPERSON: Mr Strachan, Mr Dlamini is going to lead you as you tell your story of harassment and attempted assassination, and we wait with keen interest to hear what you have to tell the commission.  Thank you.
QUESTIONED BY MR DLAMINI

CHAIRPERSON: Mr Dlamini?

MR DLAMINI: Thank you.

WITNESS:   To be giving evidence I find it very strange to be giving evidence without that nasty feeling that I might just say one wrong word which will get me 10 years in Pretoria Central Prison.  It is a good friendly atmosphere.

CHAIRPERSON: I am very pleased you feel that way, because you really are amongst friends, and we want you to open your heart to us.

WITNESS:   Ja.

CHAIRPERSON: Without reservation.

WITNESS:   Good.

CHAIRPERSON: And/or any consequence.

MR DLAMINI: Thank you, Mr Chairman.   Good morning, Mr Strachan.

WITNESS:   Good morning.

MR DLAMINI: Can I check first before we start if there is any from your family and they are present here?

WITNESS:   My daughter was here, but she felt too badly stressed and she went home.

MR DLAMINI: I see.

WITNESS:   It's Fatima Meer's story that she wrote on a little note, "I am taking flak", and she just left.   I wanted her here with me.

MR DLAMINI: Mm, okay.   Thank you for the time that you have accorded this commission.   Your story relates to two attempts on your life.

WITNESS:   Yes.

MR DLAMINI: And I am sure this commission and the audience would like to share your experience.   Would you take us through?

WITNESS:   Yes, should I start with the circumstances of the actual attacks?   All right.

MR DLAMINI: Yes.

WITNESS:   I should perhaps explain first here our situation at home at the time.   We lived in a corrugated wood and iron house, next door was a similar house.   We were close to Chapel Street and the premises were long and narrow and they went right through to the next street, East Street.   Each house had a double entrance gate at the bottom, though the one next door had been removed, all this is going to be relative - relevant later on.  Between the two houses was a small gate which I made in the wall, because we were very friendly with the family next door.

MR DLAMINI: This is the situation.   Now, the daughter - the family next door comprised a divorcee with three children. The eldest child, a daughter of 17 or 18, was employed at the police radio centre up on Ridge Road, where the masts are, I think you all know it.   And her job there was transcription typist.   And amongst other things she used to transcribe stuff for the security police.

MR DLAMINI: It seemed a bit clumsy I thought at the time that they hadn't checked on her address, and that she was living next door to me, but they seemed to find out soon enough, because she there met an exceedingly handsome young constable and they established a relationship and he moved in with her next door.   And he had clearly been put there by the security police to watch me.   I mean there was never a less arduous police assignment, this was some daughter I tell you.   But I knew he was watching me and he knew that I knew this and everybody was happy and the police thought they were getting information about me, I suppose.

MR DLAMINI: But the mother, as I say, was friendly with us and she used to come across often in the evening and have a drink with us.  And from time to time, you know, she would drop little snippets and sort of nuggets of gossip and scandal that came over the police radio network, you see.  And one of the one evening the mother, Eunice, told us was that there was a hit list out, and that my name was on it. Now, this was shortly after the murder of Ric Turner.  And I thought about this, you know, and I thought well maybe, you know, there is actually a security branch hit list that existed.   On the other hand, maybe they have picked up information that there is a group somewhere which they have got this hit list, and it might just have been sort of excitement of the moment after Ric's murder, you see.  But in any case, I decided to take no chances, and to arm myself.   But I wasn't allowed to own a weapon, because I have a criminal record, but my wife was able to own a weapon, and I went out and bought this very ugly pump gun, a pump action 12 bore shotgun, with 8 shells in the magazine, and I taught myself to use this.   You ... (inaudible) ... the use of weapons from a military background.