Human Rights Violation Hearings — Durban — 1996-05-08

WITNESS:   Yes, I am coming to the A Team issue.  I met Lefu, and they were driving their Chevrolet car.  I can't remember the registration.  There was a street next to ours, Muthibedi Street, and I ran towards Ace Mahahle's area, and I got into his house.  These boys were coming with different cars, Stanzas.  They grabbed me, but I hid under the bed.  I have to say the granny in that house couldn't see clearly.  I didn't want to let loose to where I was handling under the bed.  They assaulted me with spears and hammers.  I escaped through the window.  I was dizzy, but I kept on running.  I was dizzy because of the beatings I got.  I wasn't aware that I was running towards their direction.  I met a woman as old as this one, and she took a jungle and the stabbed me.

MRS GCABASHE: Who stabbed you?

WITNESS:   Yes, it's that woman.  She was belonging to this A Team group.  I could walk a distance from here to the candle, and I was now powerless.  I was bleeding when I fell down.  This knife was still in my body, and when I fell it went deeper.  I don't know who rescued me, but when I woke up I saw pipes.  While I was breathing the blood would come out of my body into a bottle.  After two days I was taken out because I was in hiding.  I never went to the hospital.  The doctor who operated me, I don't know what place was that, but he operated on me.  That was very close to Ace Mehahle's area.  Because I didn't want to go home because I knew they would kill me, because they thought I was dead.  My parents at that time only had an information that I am dead.  I don't know who told the police where I was hiding, but they took me and they said I am a springbok.  There were no doors in that place where they took me.  They said I was getting married.  I couldn't even walk, they made me crawl.  The bottle was now out of my body.  While breathing one could feel that I was breathing heavily.  They took me to Parys Police Station.  They removed me from the police station, they took me to Vredefort.  In Vredefort while I was in detention I couldn't see anything.  I was alone in a cell.

MRS GCABASHE: When they took you to Vredefort were you healed?

WITNESS:   No, I was not yet healed.  I was still in that condition.  After four days they released me.  It was going to be Starfish' night vigil.  I could see, but just a little.  I am referring to Lefu Raseko.  I didn't have  any information that Lefu was dead.  I only ended with him

MRS GCABASHE: while they were chasing us.  I am still bleeding at that time, but I could manage to go to the night vigil.  I was full of stitches on my face.  After two months the same group came back.  They were now attacking me.  I don't have to go into my house.  If I want food I have to hide myself next door and start shouting, because they were threatening my parents, saying, "If you don't bring him to the police station we are going to kill him."  They arrested me under the state of emergency again.  I met Mr Mothaung.  They took me from Parys to Sasolberg.  That's where they put a tyre on me, poured with petrol, and they said I should be naked.  I undressed myself and they said, "You are now going to feel the pain that the other policemen felt."  There was a very small tape recorder on the table with a very small cassette.  As I was talking it was taping.  I was being assaulted for many things.  The first one they were asking me, "Where is Ace Magashule, where is Tait Magoyi?  When did they skip the country?"  Because even if I told them everything I knew they kept on assaulting me.  I remember one of them, it was Mr Mothaung, stationed at Welkom, you would never say he is a policeman.  He used to wear a coat.  He took me into a car, in the boot of the car, from Sasolberg to Heilbron.  And he went back to find another car, a three-litre van without a tent.  I was handcuffed at the back.  They said to me I should take out Ace Magashule.  And they put another one on my penis.  They took the cords, electric cords, put them on my finger again.  They took another bag, they put it over my head.  They said to me, "You have to tell us where Ace Magashule is."  I said to them, "Gentlemen, I don't know his whereabouts.  They took me to the high building.  He put me again at the back of the van.  You know, he was so dirty I thought he was taking care of the bandits, not knowing that he himself is a police.  When interrogating me I saw a gun, and I said, "This is a policeman."  He handcuffed me at the back of a van until we reached Heilbron.  I was half-naked, and you know when handcuffed you feel pains, because he said to me, "You don't have to raise your head, you have to lie.  If you raise up your head I am going to shoot you."  He stopped at the road and he said to me, "This is now a pump station.  Go and have a look at Mr Masipidi.  He is lying somewhere there."

MRS GCABASHE: Who is Mr Masipidi?

WITNESS:   He is staying in Parys.  He was the first to be detained under the state of emergency.  And he said to me, "Go and see him because he is dead."  You know, my face was already developed, it was swollen.  He used his torch, he said, "Follow the light," and as I was following the light he took a gun and he shot.  Mr Masipidi was a heavily built man.  I thought he was sleeping there, because it was so dark I couldn't see clearly, but in actual fact it was a stone.  He said to me, "I am going to shoot you.  You are going to die next to Mr Masipidi."  I said to him, "I want to see my parents."  He shot, and I knew that nobody was around and I felt that I am going to be killed as well.  He handcuffed me and we left.  When we arrived at Heilbron I didn't even know where we were.  He took me into the cells, half-naked as I was.  My body was full of lice.  After ordering some meal at the shop you normally get bread at the table.  They gave me that kind of bread.  My parents didn't know where I was.

MRS GCABASHE: Are you finished?

WITNESS:   Yes.

MRS GCABASHE: Thank you very much.  I think you have indicated to us the harassment that you got.  In your statement you referred to the A Team.  Can you please tell us briefly how come did you say they are the A Team?  Where did they start?  How did they function?  Who were the members?

WITNESS:   I only heard that there was an organisation called A Team.  They were people against us, I mean the UDFs.  They used to drive in the township in their cars.  They started this organisation working together with the police.  I stayed one year, six months, two weeks in prison.  It was detention without trial.  On my release I realised that this was continuing.  I think I have mentioned Malulu Mbele.  That's the man I met.  I met him the second time.  It was round about past eight, the same A Team group, even a person who has been assaulting me.  I think every year he was getting promotion.

MRS GCABASHE: Can you tell us were you together with Malulu Mbele?

WITNESS:   No, he wasn't belonging to the A Team.  He was with us.  The same person who assaulted me is getting promoted at work.  I don't know is it the promotion that he killed many people.  Every year he gets promoted.  He is the only person who gets promoted.

MRS GCABASHE: Can we go back to the A Team?  You said the A Team was working with the police.  What really showed you that the A Team was working with the police?

WITNESS:   It's because they don't get arrested.  They kill a person now.  After killing a person there would be a case held, but you will never know the end of the case.  Even now ... (inaudible - end of Side B, Tape 6) ... I think their shocks have affected me a lot.

MRS GCABASHE: If the A Team was working hand in hand with the police do you have any idea how they chose them?