Human Rights Violation Hearings — Sebokeng — 1996-08-07

MR NTSOERENG: When the residents accepted this that was on 
the first day, it was on a Saturday, people from the 
administration offices in Sebokeng came with a fire 
extinguisher.  When they brought this fire extinguisher it 
was a very surprising story, though I had already heard that 
there was going to be a rent boycott, now I wondered as to 
what was the fire extinguisher going to do.  It so happened 
that on that day, from that day up to Monday it was the 
third day, but it was on a Monday at about 9 o'clock there 
was some violence within the community.  After that violence 
had started I realised that there could be some problems 
arising because the shops were burnt.  That is when I 
decided to move away from my place and I went to my 
brother's place.  This went on and on up till the afternoon. 
 At that point when I was listening to the radio I realised 
that some of my members had already died on that very same 
day, and we realised that the situation was quite volatile 
and I could not go out of the residence.  Up till sunset 
even the following day then on a Wednesday it was between 5 
o'clock and 7 o'clock my house was burnt down.  As my house 
was burning I really discovered that it was now quite bad 
but I slept there and friends who were with me at that day 
tried to help me get out of that place and they tried to 
help me as I am a widower.  They took me from there and they 
took me to the Administration Board at Houtkop. I related 
this matter to the police and asked them to go and fetch my 
sons who were left there as well as their sister.  When I 
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got there the policeman went to fetch my sons and they 
brought them to Houtkop.  I will try to explain this a 
little bit further.  As I'd already explained that we were 
sent a certain matter and there was a fire extinguisher my 
co-members they were not only fire extinguishers but they 
also got guns.  
 I'll just explain it a little bit further so that it 
may be clear that we were a different organisation.  There 
was a Mathlasedi organisation.  There was also an LPP as 
well as Bafutsane.  I was a member of Bafutsane 
organisation.  This really surprised me to get that some 
others were armed and we were not armed.  Probably they knew 
what was going to happen thereafter.  We remained there.  As 
we were still there we had to hold certain meetings to try 
and get some solutions and resolutions to the situation.  
 As we were still furthering this matter there was 
another aspect that was troubling us within the community.  
That was the issue of the liquor outlets.  We, as the people 
that we could be able to go on as a community and develop 
ourselves.  I hope it is clear that at that time the liquor 
licences cost a lot of money to obtain because the bottle 
stores outside were not allowed to bring liquor into our 
location, and we realised that that was the only thing that 
could help us out of this predicament.  As we were taking 
this matter further we realised that we could not see eye-
to-eye with the administration board because the 
administration board and the council was already there at 
that time.  They told us that it was a matter for the 
administration board and they wanted to privatise the liquor 
boards.  It is true that was the end of the matter, and 
these were separated in a surprising matter because most of 
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them, that is the greater part went to the other people.  
That is another matter that troubled the community.  We 
stayed as the situation went on.  
 Now as we went to the meetings we kept on having those 
meetings and we started having altercations and we were not 
seeing eye-to-eye with the other organisations that I have 
already explained, and they started moving out of the 
organisations and crossing floors to other organisations.  
Some of them were being helped by the administration board. 
 And it so happened that as time went on we discovered that 
as we were staying at DC Group we had to move away because 
we did not have houses anymore.  And at the time when we 
decided to move we had to get another place to stay where we 
were going to build and we got the space at Zone 10.  I can 
still point it now.
 We discovered that we did not have anything, any 
possessions, because all our possessions had been burnt when 
our houses were burned, and it so happened that at that 
juncture I can say that most of the people who were there 
got money which could be to the amount of R5 000 in order to 
start our living.  I, and Mr Musala was one of the people 
who did not get any money.  It happened that at that 
particular time I saw another fire extinguisher and it is 
still there at my place.  
 It happened that those houses were rebuilt and when 
these houses were built there had to be a division and I got 
a unit next to the hostel.  All the other ones from the 
other opposing group had to go to other houses at Zone 10.  
They went to stay there and this place was surrounded by a 
fence.  There were certain policemen who were guarding that 
place 24 hours of the day.  I was given the third fire 
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extinguisher.  When I got out the fire extinguisher was 
there, there was no fence, nothing.  And when I enquired 
about this issue I was told that the person who was issuing 
the R5 000 rent money was the Commissioner.  When I went to 
see him at his offices he said I should wait for the State 
President's Fund, there is no money that I will ever get.  
It so happened that the next year if I am not mistaken, it 
was in June, the State President's Fund arrived.  I wasn't 
living peacefully and I decided to go and rebuild my house 
in the township.  It happened that thereafter the houses 
that belonged to the councillors, the houses that were in 
the townships were now fenced.  Now at the hostel unit where 
I was staying there was nothing.  I nearly forgot that my 
friend Mr Musala who was with me in this trouble decided to 
leave Vaal Triangle to go to Pretoria.  
 It happened then that when they were busy fencing the 
houses the then town secretary Mr Scholtz he was involved in 
this scandal, he was taking money for himself and there was 
a court case and he was sentenced.  If I remember well he 
also made an appeal, I don't know whether he succeeded with 
the appeal or not.  
 This is the trouble that I have been through.  All this 
started in 1984 until in 1987 because you will understand 
that I was between two trouble areas.  In the township I was 
being chased by the people and on this other side I was also 
being chased away.  There were bursaries afforded children, 
but my children couldn't get even a cent from those 
bursaries.
 I want to say to you today my community harassed me 
because we negotiated with them at first before I could get 
into the council and the administration and the council 
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itself was harassing me.  Now you have to understand, a 
father who has got children, what kind of life was a man 
supposed to live in those years.

DR BORAINE: Thank you Mr Ntsoereng.  You have described 
very clearly what it was like in that period 1984 and 
onwards.  Now you mention that you were a councillor but 
your weren't a member of the LPP, you weren't a member of 
the ruling party?

MR NTSOERENG: I wasn't in the ruling party Sir, I was in 
the Bafutsane Party.

DR BORAINE: And that was an opposition party?

MR NTSOERENG: Yes it was the opposition party.

DR BORAINE: But the community were opposed to councillors 
whether they were in the ruling party or in the opposition 
party, is that right? Shall I repeat?

MR NTSOERENG: Yes you can repeat that Sir.

DR BORAINE: I was saying the community were they opposed 
to the ruling party and to the opposition party?