Human Rights Violation Hearings — Empangeni — 1996-11-05

PROF MAGWAZA: political groups.  And they were friends with a certain family and this family was an ANC family.  Then they would stay together at times and they were told that they were not supposed to go there.  He was told by his brothers that he no longer had to go there because they were members of the ANC.

PROF MAGWAZA:  When Vusi was a member of Inkatha did he do that by choice or was he forced?

WITNESS:   No, he didn't do it all on his own.  He came back from prison and when he came back to the area everybody who resided in that area was a member of Inkatha and they were told not to visit a certain house.  They were forced to be members of Inkatha.  They were assaulted.

PROF MAGWAZA:  Just explain to us briefly.  You said Vusi was now no longer sleeping at home.  Just give us a short explanation as to what was happening that made him sleep in the forest.  Just give us a clear picture up to the stage when he disappeared.

WITNESS:   As I've already said, when they got out of the houses they were running away from home because there would be imminent attacks.  He decided to sleep in the forest and come back in the morning to have his breakfast and he wouldn't even sit down when he was eating.  Then he would go to his temporary jobs that he was holding with the contractors.  Then he changed from Inkatha and became a member of the ANC.  Now, when you become a member of the ANC you wouldn't sleep at home because you would be threatened day in and day out and you'd be literally attacked and you would eventually be killed inside your house.  So once you joined the ANC you would have to go to a different area where there are other members of the ANC  or of the same group whereby you could protect each other and they used to walk in large groups.

PROF MAGWAZA:  Let's just refer to your statement.  From 1993 where you said you were attacked by the police, that is the stability unit, just give us a brief explanation as to what took place that day.

WITNESS:   When the police came I was not violated by the ordinary man in the street but I was violated by the police force, the stability unit.  The police used to come to my home and my children had run away at that time and they would come looking for him.  When they come in my yard, whether I'm in my yard just standing there, they would kick the doors and they would point guns at me and at times I used to cry and scream and do all sorts of things but I could not find help.  Even when I was standing outside I would be pulled outside and be taken into the house to open up the house and they would be looking for some things that I didn't know about.  Then after quite some time whilst that was happening they were looking for Vusi day in and day out until such time that I got injured in my eye and I went to Empangeni Hospital.  I was transferred to King Edward in Durban.  When I came back from King Edward, I discovered that my other child Zakhele was being hunted by the police and they chased my daughters and said they must go and hide behind the houses and Zakhele was with his sister's child.  They took him and they chopped his little finger.  When he was screaming the other daughter came and tried to have a look and she discovered that they were cutting his little finger with a knife.  The police were doing that. Why were they doing that?   ---   They were looking for Vusi and they wanted my son Zakhele to tell them where Vusi was.

PROF MAGWAZA:  You said you got injured in your eye.  How did that happen?

WITNESS:   I was pierced by a thorn.  It was just an accident and I could not stay at home.  I used to go to the fields to stay in the fields until evening and at times I used to come in the evening and just eat without even sitting down and each time the police used to come as well as the soldiers and at the time Vusi was no longer at home.  I was with Zakhele as well as my other daughter and they used to violate me so terribly when they were looking for Vusi.  My other son Sangenisiwe used to run away when the police came because it was a daily occurrence.

PROF MAGWAZA:  I'll ask a few questions if you're ready to answer them.  We do understand that this is a very painful story.  We do understand that you're emotionally troubled.  Now, tell us what happened in April 1993, that is the day on which Vusi disappeared.

WITNESS:   Vusi disappeared on Good Friday and we heard on the Sunday that Vusi had disappeared.  His friend was injured and they used to tell each other whenever there was anything that had happened, like a disappearance or being killed and they would go to the scene.  But he never came back. They went together with his friends.  We heard on a Sunday in the afternoon whereas this had happened on a Friday that Vusi had disappeared on a Friday evening and another boy called Du.  Then we went to look for him.  We later heard rumours that there were corpses somewhere down in the area and I sent my other boy Khulekane as  well as my younger brother to go and investigate because they said they had sent an undertaker to collect the corpses and they were chased away by the funeral undertakers because they were told that they could not come and have a look at the corpses without any identity documents.  They ultimately went to look.  They found that they did not know the bodies that were lying in the mortuary.  They promised me that they would come and investigate the matter.  Up till today I do not know anything about my son.  I don't know whether my son died or he was hidden somewhere.  I went to report the matter to the police because they were also looking for him.  They said they would be coming to my place.  Up till now they're still coming.

PROF MAGWAZA:  Let's go back to Vusi's matter because it's very important for us to try and trace his last whereabouts. At the time when they went to look at the friend who was injured, what was this friend's name?

WITNESS:   The surname was Thulani Msweli who was a friend to Vusi.

PROF MAGWAZA:  What about Vusi's friends that he was with just before he disappeared?  Do you perhaps know their names?

WITNESS:   I wouldn't know who they were because they went away as friends.  We did not see them.  But the females used to see them because I used to stay at home.  I never used to go with them in groups.  They knew each other and they knew how to trace each other when they disappeared.

PROF MAGWAZA:  Who came to give you the message that Vusi had disappeared?

WITNESS:   Two females who were crying.  I met two females.  The other one was standing with Vusi's brother.  Khulekane was no longer staying at home.  He  had run away.  So he had just come that Sunday morning but we heard about this matter in the evening just before we went to sleep.  I had also run away from home.  I used to go home during the day, prepare food, eat outside because I could not stay inside the house.

PROF MAGWAZA:  Do you know the names of the two females who told you about your son's disappearance?

WITNESS:   I don't remember their names but if I can try and find out, maybe I can come up with some tangible information.

PROF MAGWAZA:  Have you heard any rumours as to Vusi's whereabouts?  Maybe somebody said Vusi was accompanied by certain friends.

WITNESS:   Even if they were there because I'm a parent I stay at home.  I wouldn't know who he went out with.  We also used to be told that they were at a certain place and the youth in the community would look for them or they would look for one another but we as parents were just sitting at home.

PROF MAGWAZA:  You said you were troubled by the stability unit.  Did you also count the IFP.  Do you know their names perhaps?