Human Rights Violation Hearings — Kimberley — 1996-06-11

DAVID MABEKA: I was at home when the State of Emergency was declared.  I decided to sleep because I realised that the State of Emergency was now declared and PW said the police should arrest anybody that they suspect or they should arrest anybody who appears in public as a threat.  I decided to stay at home and I just slept.
I realised that if I went out into the township nothing would be perfect and I decided to sleep.  Two hours after that - it was 12 o'clock midnight, a knock woke me up and I heard a police voice saying  maak oop - open the door - I woke up I opened the door.
 A white policeman entered into the house and he asked me, he said  Are you David Mabeka.  I said to him how could you search for a person knowing the name but not knowing the person self.  And they searched my - the shack in which I was sleeping.  I asked him whether he had a search warrant and he answered back, he said  You, Mandela's child - Naidoo taught you to be clever - you think you are clever.
While he was saying that my mom went out of the house and he - and she asked them why do you want David.  The - the policeman who was talking to me was Double Eyes - his name was Double Eyes and my mom asked him where are you taking David too.  And he said no don't worry  he was speaking in Afrikaans.
And they took me into their car - it was a Sierra and I realised that they had two vans and two Sierra cars and a Hippo.  The Hippo was parked a street from ours, they drove off with me and they went to arrest another friend of mine - we were doing Std 9 at that time.  They also hook him up, they took him into the car and we went to Barkley West Police Station.  They took us out of the Sierra and they took us into the van.  We were then handed over to the Kimberley Police and the Kimberley Police came with us to Kimberley.  We went to the Detective Branch - two white policemen received us and one of them was Rosa - that's his name.
Rosa looked at me and he said Who are you?  And I said to him I am David Mabeka.  And he slapped me on my ear and he said  If I speak Afrikaans with you, you don't have to speak English with me. He wanted me to speak Afrikaans with him.  
 I wanted to protect my cheeks with my hands in case he wanted to slap me further.  I looked - he looked at James Morake who was my friend and he gave a sign to the other policemen.  After doing that the other policemen grabbed James Morake with - by his hand and they went into another room and he followed them.  They didn't take long, they came back to me.  Rosa asked me then, he said I should tell him what do we do at Barkley West.  I said to him we are pupils - we go to school and he said to me you don't have to tell me nonsense and then they started assaulting me.  And he told me that he heard from Double Eyes that I'm a clever boy in Barkley West and that I've been sent to Kimberley so that he can work with me. 
They assaulted me with fists, they kicked me and I fell on the ground.  They didn't ask me anything, they didn't tell me what do they - what did they want.  He said to me  Right David, tell me what do you do at Barkley West. I said to him there is nothing more that I will tell you.  I am a scholar, they left me - they went to James.  I was sitting there on the bench, whilst sitting I heard from the other room James was crying and I realised that they were assaulting him.
 This took place for about 15 minutes and they came back to me and they said yes now you'll have to tell us the truth.  Your friend that other side told us the truth and the two of you know exactly what's happening in Barkley West.  And I said to him  What James told you, that's his own business - that's what he knows, I do not have any knowledge of what he told you. I told them that I am a scholar at Barkley West - nothing else.
He's colleague was behind me and I wasn't aware that he was behind me.  I only heard  [indistinct]   want to tell us the truth and I asked them what do you mean,  and they didn't give us an answer.  They took us into the cells  they locked us up, we stayed in those cells. After a few days a Major came to us end of Tape 1, side A... at about seven  - and we asked the same doctor.  We told him that we've assaulted, we don't know why and we would like to know why.  And we told him that we are in detention, can he please help us.  We told him that we are scholars we have to be at school but we are not.  And the doctor did just that, he helped us.  He took our statements - we were taken back to the cells at Transvaal Road Police Station.
We stayed there for a month and after a month we were called into their offices and they said to us - they said we should - we should know that we are going to stay 180 days and if they so wish they can add this number.  They then transferred us to Bougroep Prison - we met other comrades from Vryburg and some comrades from Kimberley and from Warrington and there was also one comrade from Christiana.  Some of the comrades from Barkley West were also there, we stayed in that Bougroep Prison  for two months. It was towards September and the police arrived and they took us, it was now close to three months in detention.  
They took me together with James Morake to Transvaal Road Police Station.  On our arrival they said  David Mabeka and James Morake we are now releasing you, you have to go back home.  But anything that will happen in Barkley West you'll be the first to be arrested.  They gave us our belongings like our belts, the watches that they kept with them and they took us home.  They took me to my home and they took James Morake to his - to his home.  It was on  a Thursday, I still remember.
The following day - it was a Friday and on Sunday together with my mom we went to church.  We came back from the church - at 1 o'clock we were having lunch and a police van arrived.  I peeped through the window and I realised it was a police van and I sat down.  And they hooted,  my mom said it seems as if the police wants someone from this house.  I went out and I went to the van, it was Rosa together with another policeman.  And he said to me  David, as you see me here - he said to me  You know that one hand washes the other hand,  because we released you before the 180 days, it was a favour we actually did.  He said  You know you've - you've open a case against us, I'm  here to ask you can you please drop the charges.  
And I gave him an answer, I said to him - I gave Rosa an answer, I said to him  It's difficult to go and drop the charges because it was just - it was a time to appear in court.  And I said to him  I've lost three months of my education.  I said to him  The second point, you arrested me not knowing why.  I said to him  You picked me up from my home,  you took me to the cells and when I came back I wasn't well anymore.  I said to him  I cannot drop the charges.  I said to him  I would  appreciate it if the case continues.  Rosa said to me  I'm giving you time - I'm going to give you time so that you can think about it, I will come back later and if you don't want to give us your co-operation I will come and arrest you and take you back to the cells.
He left me there, it seems as if he was - he was heading to James Morake's house and I went back into the house.  I told my mom what Rosa was saying to me.  I said to my mom, I'm deeply disturbed - I said I feel disturbed by what Rosa told me.  I said to her I know that most of - many of the comrades have been arrested.  Some of them have been killed in the cells and I was scared this would also happen to me.  I asked her to give me money so that I can - I can leave Barkley West because I didn't want anything to happen to me.
On that day my mom didn't have money, she went to one of her friends to borrow R50-00.  I packed my clothes and I didn't waste any time,  I said to her I'm going to - to catch a train to Johannesburg and the train normally left at half past seven.    I went to the play fields because one of - one person told me that Brother Speedy was around in Barkley West.  He was also arrested during that time - the State of Emergency but he was released.  And I went to the play fields to - to look for him.
When I got there I explained to him everything and I told him that I'm now planning to go to Johannesburg.  I said it's better to leave the place.  I said to him seeing that you are going to Kimberley can you - can you give me a lift and take me to the station.  He said  Yes, that's fine we would leave at about 5 o'clock.  I gave him my address at home and I went back home to wait for him. He arrived at home, I said goodbye to my family and we drove off to Kimberley.  He dropped me at the Kimberley station, I waited for the train and I boarded to Johannesburg.
I met a friend of mine, Albert Benn in Johannesburg.  This is a friend with whom I was arrested in 1985.  After his release he - he went to Johannesburg and I met him there.  I told Albert everything that happened here at Barkley West and I said to him I thought it was better to be in Johannesburg.   I told him that if - if things were possible we would even skip the country and he said to me  No, I've a brother here in Johannesburg.   I will - I'll ask him to give us information as to whether which way to follow so that we can skip the country.  
In that week we were busy trying to get information and his brother in law was working in Johannesburg and he said to me there is a temporary job where he working.  We can go and do some temporary jobs there.   On Monday the following week myself and Albert Benn got temporarily employed.  I was - I was - I felt a bit safe now and I started forgetting about the ideas of fleeing the country.  
This left ear of mine gave me a lot of problems.  I only heard funny sounds and I tried to see the doctors and I went to see a specialist - an ear specialist.  They tested me with those machines and they said to me there is nothing wrong with my ear.  I told them that there is something wrong with my ear because I cannot hear perfectly well.  I only hear funny sounds and that was the end of it all.