Human Rights Violation Hearings — Soweto — 1996-07-23

JOHANNES DUBE: After I was released from hospital I tried to go back to school.  Unfortunately, the school in which our school has already been demolished.  I tried to find a school which was nearby.  I tried to look for a school.  I went to Naledi High.  Seemingly I did not get accepted because the principal of the school was thinking that what I was doing there, it was just a waste of time.  Then it went into such an extent that he had to expel me from school.
 I remember one day I was walking with my friend.  He called me.  He asked me, do you not know that you are wasting your time, you have to go home.  Therefore I went 
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back and stayed at home until I approached a lady who helped me to rehabilitate at Baragwaneth Hospital.  An occupational therapist, Ms Glynnis, she arranged a meeting with a District Inspector, Mr Metrovich, so that we can devise a method which will help me to study.  So I started to learn and I could also type.  I could even make a comparison between the schools there and the schools in the location.  I found that it was not a problem for me to go back to school, to the mainstream school rather than going to a special school.  
 There was a problem because by that time I was over 18 years.  Unfortunately, the special schools have got an age restriction.  If you are over a certain age they could not take you.  So I had a problem.  So I had to go back to the mainstream school.  This lady tried to arrange with Mr Metrovich and he tried to talk to one of the principals in Jabulani.  That principal had a meeting with his staff and tried to discuss that there is a child who is disabled.  He wants a place to study, he would like to study here and he can type.  I went there and I wrote my tests using my typewriter and I was using to record my lessons.  I studied up to matric level.

PROF MEIRING: And you still want to become a teacher?  You said that your ambition was to become a teacher.  Do you still want to become a teacher?

JOHANNES DUBE: I would like to do that, but on the way I was frustrated.  It appeared that I do have a problem.  When I write exams they do give me extra time.  I have a problem because I normally do not finish my exams when writing.  As a result my certificate was not good and I got a school leaving certificate.  I tried to improve it, but I still
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have the same problem that I do not finish my exams.  Until I stopped I decided to specialise in brail.  At the present moment I am busy working for an organisation dealing specially with the blind people to improve their reading skills.

PROF MEIRING: Thank you very much.  Thank you very much.  I think those are the questions I wanted to ask.  Maybe some of my colleagues would like to add to the questions.

CHAIRPERSON: I will start with you, Joyce Seroke.

MS SEROKE: Johannes, I would like to ask at the time the police came to you in hospital to take your statement did they tell you the names of the police who shot you.

JOHANNES DUBE: They did not tell me the names, they just came to me to take a statement.  They just asked me when I was injured and I explained everything to them.

MS SEROKE: Thank you.

CHAIRPERSON: Hugh Lewin.  Yasmin Sooka.

YASMINE SOOKA: Johannes, I would just like to ask you two questions.  In your statement you actually mentioned that the last thing that you saw before you were shot was a green Chevrolet car.  I just want you to confirm for me that you were shot by policemen from a green Chevrolet car.

JOHANNES DUBE: Yes, the police were travelling in a Chevrolet, green in colour.  This is the car that stopped in front of us.  They took out their guns and one of them shot at us.

YASMINE SOOKA: The second question that I want to ask you is that you say that at this point in time you work for an organisation for blind people and in your statement you mention that you are now a brail proof reader.  Will you tell us a little bit about that please?

JOHANNES DUBE: It means that, I am talking about the brail proof
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reader.  It is a letter which comes out from ink print and put in the brail.  In other words the type is people who could see, they can take what is written in ink and put it into the brail and that brail will come to us as proof readers and we proof read it.  What is written in the brail and work in conjunction with the person who is working with the ink printed script and read whatever is written in the brail and to find out whether it does correspond with what is written in the ink.  We also check mistaken spelling and other mistakes like typing errors and some omissions.

YASMINE SOOKA: And you earn your living doing this?

JOHANNES DUBE: I would like to say this is how I survive.

YASMINE SOOKA: Thank you very much.

CHAIRPERSON: Johannes, maybe before I thank you we would like you to help the commission in trying, sort of like, to help the Government.  What can they do to help people like you?  Especially those who were injured during 1976.

JOHANNES DUBE: As I have already said that I felt the compensation that I got was very little taking into account of the children who were also compensated with amounts up to R200 000.00.  I feel R15 000.00 is so little and there are so many times it was R200 000.00.  I feel so bad about it.  I think people who do not have money should be assisted and they have to be compensated especially those who are still alive, who would still like to continue with their lives because most of us are still young and we do have ambitions.  We have, like, plans that we want to live in a particular way and we do have children and we would like our children to have a good life, even a better education.  When I think that they will need, they need to stay in a decent home where they could be able to continue with their studies.  I
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am very much concerned with the education of children so that they can say, well, I study.  I also think that people like me should be compensated.

CHAIRPERSON: Some of the things that I would like to explain to you about the aims of this Commission is that people can be helped in other means rather than money and I am trying to find from you what you think, what other recommendations can you make in that regard?

JOHANNES DUBE: At the moment I think we have to deal with the needs of the disabled people.  For example there was a lady here this morning and she told us that she does not have a wheelchair and I am also thinking that maybe even in the house in which you stay, I mean, there must be some improvements in a way that it will be easier for her to get in and out using the wheelchair.  In other words so that she can be in a comfortable position within the house, to reach to heights in every corner of the house.  Also for those who would like to continue with their education they should be given a chance to study.
 I also believe there are media people here.  The media have to try and educate people, more especially people who are disabled within the society.  They should accept them and try to treat them in a better manner.  They should not be surprised when they meet a disabled person and they should be brought into school so that they can continue with their studies.  So that even the kids at school when they see a person holding a walking stick they know what kind of treatment this person should be given.