Special Hearings — Prison Hearings — 1997-07-22

DUMA KHUMALO: I didn't know the routine in the cell, but my neighbour knocked on the door that I should stand next to the wall and then we were counted.  After that they brought food.
 I was not able to eat.  It was difficult.  My neighbour said to me, said to the Sergeant - Sergeant give me those food because he is still drowsy.  It is true that I was emotionally affected because I took some days without eating.
 They took us to the Doctor when we arrived there.  I had pimples on my face, I told the Doctor that I have pimples on the face, then he said to me it doesn't help, because you are going to die.
 It is useless to remedy those pimples because you are going to die.  Then I said to myself, I am not going to wash any more, because it doesn't help, I am going to die in any way.
 After some days, because we arrived on the 13th of December and it was - there were no hangings as from that day, and the room in which I was, there was a pot.  I arrived on the day that the person who was hanged on that day, has been hanged and I used his clothes, or his blankets.
 On the 18th, they put some colourful objects on the passages, then I said to myself, this place, they are killing people, but they are decorating it, which means they are happy with what, they are satisfied with the work.
 On the 2nd of January, they opened again.  The cell in which I was, the two cells on the right hand side and on the left hand side, mattresses were taken out of those cells.  They were making pots because they were putting people who were just about to be hanged.  When you were to be hanged, they give you 24-hour freedom.
 I was not able to sleep and I was frightened when I see people who were to be hanged.  Because those people who were to be hanged, they were given R7-00 to buy anything they liked.  I was surprised to see those people, that they were not emotionally affected by the experience.  On the last day, they were given chicken.
 Those people are not eating that food, they were giving those chicken to their neighbours.  After some time, it is then that I saw - because we were stuffing on the deaths of somebody, those who are left behind, are able to be well fed.
 In this way he is going to be hanged, and then he gives you  a piece of that chicken so that you will fill yourself.  It continued that way, you know the hanging continued and I was frightened.  After some time I was used to that experience because I had no alternative.
 After people were hanged in the morning, they would bring food.  We would eat, we didn't have any alternative.  Like Paula has said about the wood.  That wood was washed by the person who is giving us food.  He was condemned to death.
 I don't know how he was able to regain his strength to wash the wood which was blooded, knowing that he is on the queue to be hanged.  I remember (indistinct) who said to the Mayor, he said to the Major, the food you are giving us is not sufficient.  The Major said you will only get food when you are in the pot because you are going to get chicken.
 Many things happened.  Like when the Chairperson said to me I should take an oath, because there they were using the Word of God.  We used to pray all day from Monday to Friday. You would hold services for those who are just to be hanged.
 When we were at those night vigils, we didn't say to them go and die, but we would say to them, go thee well.  Because there was no alternative.  When you are in that pot, it is difficult.
 You always think that if somebody would arrive that you are given clemency, or maybe you will be given a stay of execution.  I remember the day when Lucky Payi was to be hanged and Tosondo and Siphoqolo, it was on the 9th of September 1987.
 They were singing this song, saying Thabo drive the car because the nation is dying.  They decided that something should happen so that they should not be hanged.  When you are in that pot, time is running fast.
 When I look at some things, I am able to laugh.  I don't believe that I was the one who was in that kind of experience.  I remember the day we were taken to the pot.
 What affected me is the way they unlocked the doors.  Then they said to you pack your things, you become drowsy.  I just took my things and put them in the jacket so that the jacket is small.  I took a sheet and put my things, then they said to me, come, come, come, then I said, that is the last.
 I wanted to buy time.  When we arrived somewhere they said to me, they said that in Afrikaans, the God of this world doesn't have mercy.  You will be hanged on the 18th, there will be no mercy for you.  
 After that, they made us to undress our clothes.  They took our underwear, they took our stockings, then we saw that we are going to be hanged being naked.  When we arrived there, what was hurting more than anything else, was that we are going to die without the knowledge of our parents, because this has happened many times.
 Parents come later after their child has been hanged.  We were blessed because of Paula because on Monday they arrived, then Robert showed me a sign that we are leaving.  Then when she arrived home, she phoned our parents, then the following day our parents arrived.
 There is a minute where you are supposed to write letters, write letters to your parents and your next of kin and your friends to tell them that you are leaving.   That is difficult.  Where do you start, you start by saying what?
 I wrote those letters, but I don't know what I said in those letters.  You would say I don't know how I said good bye, I don't know how I said good bye.
 At times Ministers who visited us, they made mistakes.  They saw that what was happening was evil, but they would come, they would give us the Word of God, they would give us Holy Communion whilst you are just about to be hanged.
 We would sign an agreement that we are ready to die.  But we didn't believe.  We would sign in that big book, we didn't agree, because you don't have an alternative, because you are going to be hanged, your parents would not be there, they would kick you and do anything.
 When you consult with somebody who was there, then they would say to you your day will come, I will get you.  You don't know what he is going to do to you.  It was that kind of a fight.  Me, yes, White people used to harass us, torture us, but we were hurt by own people more than the boers or the White people who were there.
 They used to call me Nqutyoi, then I complained many times to the Major.  The torture we received in that prison, we got it from our own people.  Some of them today are in high positions, some of them are Captains now.  The torture we experienced there, I agree with Paula, when she said those people who say the death penalty must be brought back, they don't know anything.
 They speak because they are ignorant.  I am fortunate today because I am living.  I am still alive.  I was nearly hanged for something I didn't do.  I didn't know anything about it.  I asked myself that how many people who have been hanged, who were innocent.
 How many people who are imprisoned, who know nothing, who have not done those things which they are alleged to have done?  I would like that the nation should stop to entertain the return of the death penalty.  We have not arrived at the stage where we could even think of the return of the death penalty.
 When we looked at the list of people who were going to speak, they spoke of Warrant Officer Steinberg that is going to give evidence.  I thought that he is somebody who has tortured us there, but when I arrived there, I saw that he was somebody who didn't torture us, that is why he is brave to be here.
 I remember one day when we went for an exercise, when we left for an exercise, we saw a certain Warrant Officer having a rope.  All of us were frightened, because we did not know when you would be called.  There were strong men, but at night people would cry. 
 When you ask him why were you crying, he said I was dreaming on my way to the death row.  They used to take people, when it is in November and December and October, you would find that 21 people are hanged per week.  On Monday they would hang seven, in the pot and on Tuesday they would put seven people, on Wednesday and Thursday and Friday, we would only get arrested on Saturday and Sunday, but Sunday at night, the process would start that tomorrow it is Monday.
 People are going to die, but there was only one day, that was in December.  They came on Saturday evening, they took people.  We knew that seven people were hanged per day, but on that day eleven people were hanged and we were not able to eat.
 There was this thing which was spoken up by the political organisations saying "save 32".  Unfortunately Robert McBride is not here.  We were crying that those people were saying "save the 32".  Because the government concentrated on the 32 people who were to be hanged.  
 Then we said people outside are  accessibating the hanging, because they don't know the pain we are suffering.  Even today, I am not able to believe that I was in death row because when those people were to be hanged, they are taken in the morning, then they would say ...  Because we stayed three years.