Human Rights Violation Hearings — Tembisa — 1996-11-28

MR LEWIN: Welcome Mr Hoboyi.  Could you please tell us who is with you?

LIZO LEONARD HOBOYI: It's my mother.

MR LEWIN: Before you tell your story, and we will ask Joyce Seroke to lead your evidence, if you could please take the oath.

LIZO LEONARD HOBOYI: (sworn states)

MS SEROKE: Lizo and your mother we welcome you.  Before you tell us the whole story as to what happened on that day, we would like you to tell us what you are doing currently?

LIZO LEONARD HOBOYI: I am sitting at home.  I used to play soccer and I am attending school.  I had to stop soccer because my foot is now stiff.

MS SEROKE: What standard are you doing?

LIZO LEONARD HOBOYI: I am doing standard 7.

MS SEROKE: How old are you now?

LIZO LEONARD HOBOYI: I am 17.

MS SEROKE: How old were you when this happened?

LIZO LEONARD HOBOYI: I was 14.

MS SEROKE: We will then ask you to continue and explain as to what happened on that day.

LIZO LEONARD HOBOYI: The people who attacked us, we didn't know where they were coming from.  We were asleep, it was me and the other twins were staying next door to us.  The house was a newly-built house, it didn't have burglar proofing.  Outside I heard gunshots.  I was dreaming of people
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shooting.  However I didn't worry myself about the gunshots.  However, after when the windows were broken in the house we were sleeping in I woke up and I met this one person who was facing me.  I found that there was nothing that I can do and I decided to run away.  As I was jumping he hit me.  I was still in the air when he shot me.  I tried to move but I couldn't.  I tried to pretend as if I am dead and the gunshots continued.  I thought they would leave the place but they continued shooting and I didn't move, I just slept on the ground.
 I just saw the door was open by then.  I didn't know who opened the door, but what I heard is that one of the twins who ran away came to open the door. The other one was killed in the house.  After they have left the place I started calling my mother.  They were in the bedroom.  My mother told me to come to the bedroom.  I told her that I can't move because I've been hit.  She couldn't hear well because we were all shouting, calling me.  I told her again that I can't walk because they shot me. Then they came and took me and put me on the bed and my dad went out to look for transport.  He came back with the transport and they took me to hospital.  I stayed in hospital for four days.  The doctor came to me and asked whether I could walk and I said to him yes I can, but I was lying. He said to me you can leave and then I walked, tried to walk.  Then the next day I went home because I didn't like staying in the hospital.
 I didn't stay at Tafene, I went to stay with my other mother somewhere.  That's where I stop.

MS SEROKE: At the time when they attacked your house what was happening within the community?
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LIZO LEONARD HOBOYI: There was some fighting. The Inkatha fighting against the ANC.

MS SEROKE: What was the reason, why do they have to attack your family?

LIZO LEONARD HOBOYI: In my opinion as we were staying at Tafene my father wasn't there he was in jail, it was a time when the violence erupted and then when he came back we went to stay at Tafene, and because he was a Zulu they wanted him to go and stay at Vusumuzi and he refused and he went to stay at Tafene.  I think this might be the reason why they decided to attack us.

MS SEROKE: They attacked you because your father didn't want to go and stay at Vusumuzi?

LIZO LEONARD HOBOYI: Yes that's what I think.

MS SEROKE: Maybe they wanted you to join them?

LIZO LEONARD HOBOYI: I think so.

MS SEROKE: After you were injured did they try to attack your father?

LIZO LEONARD HOBOYI: No they didn't.  It stopped there.

MS SEROKE: They didn't come back again to harass your family?

LIZO LEONARD HOBOYI: I won't know very well because my family was staying at Tafene and myself I was staying at Bazelo.

MS SEROKE: This twin who survived is he still alive?

LIZO LEONARD HOBOYI: Yes he is still alive.

MS SEROKE: Did he come to give a statement?

LIZO LEONARD HOBOYI: Yes.

MS SEROKE: He gave a statement?

LIZO LEONARD HOBOYI: Yes he gave a statement.

MR LEWIN: I don't have any other questions myself because in fact the next witness also is related as you probably
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know, Phalane.  We would like to thank you very much for coming forward today.  This is part of the scene that we hope is beginning to quieten down now, of this antagonism and violence between the hostel people and the township residents.  It's clearly a battle that has caused immense grief in the whole place.  A large number of people have been attacked and like yourself injured and it must be very hard for you now not to be able to play soccer and to take part in sport as other students would do.  We would urge you to see if there is more that can be done.  We will investigate that ourselves to see if you can be helped. If there are other people who know about this incident or who have further information about it we would also issue an appeal to them to come forward and to help.
 We would like to thank you and thank your mother for coming to join you.  Thank you very much for being with us today.  Thank you.