Human Rights Violation Hearings — King William's Town — 1997-05-12

MATONGISI WILLIE BANGELI: We asked, she is arrested because of this whole matter that concerns all of you.  So I thought, oh Lord, who is going to represent us now.  When is she going to be released, because we need representation?  They do not know they said.  They said we must wait.  We waited and waited.  I went back to this doctor.  Doctor, what do I do now?  He then gave me a letter and said I must go back to the attorney.  I went and they said that I must come on the third month.  I went there and the interpreter said you cannot get her.  The Ciskeian Law says that no attorney should stand against the Government.  Therefore you have no legal representatives, you can do what you need to do.

MS MAYA: Was that that then?

MATONGISI WILLIE BANGELI: Yes.

MS MAYA: According to your statement, sir, you said that one of the reasons why you were beaten up is because you were collecting the snip cards and were burning them.  Is that so?

MATONGISI WILLIE BANGELI: Yes, it is so.  At work we joined SAWO.  As a man you had to pay R30,00 and a woman also had to pay R30,00 for weapons and you had to pay R3,00 for Nbadagandoda and also R3,00 more for a card.  You had to pay all this money.  We got nothing.  They just said that they are upgrading the standards, but nothing happened.  My health deteriorated.  Even under the second Government I am not well.  Then I said that I am not going to pay all this money.  We then said that each person must burn their own cards.  If you had a green card just burn it.

MS MAYA: What requests do you have before the Commission?

MATONGISI WILLIE BANGELI: Well, sir, as a person who realises that the battle is not yet over, I need compensation, I need a third leg.  My two legs are not good enough, because of the Ciskeian police.  I need support.  I must get something, because I have been fighting in the struggle and the people I was fighting with are now dead.  I am still alive, I am on this platform, therefore I should get support and compensation.

MS MAYA: Are you saying, you say that according to your statement you lost seven teeth when you were beaten up.

MATONGISI WILLIE BANGELI: That is so.

MS MAYA: And you also said that the Commission must buy you false teeth.

MATONGISI WILLIE BANGELI: That is so. I was kicked by a young boy, kicked my seven teeth away.  Therefore, the Commission must get me false teeth.  Yes, I need them.

MS MAYA: Milile, your incident is similar to Mr Bangeli, but your case happened on the 14th of September 1985.   You were only 11 years old at the time.

MILILE IVEN VELAKHE: Yes, that is correct.

MS MAYA: Can you please tell us briefly what happened to you.

MILILE IVEN VELAKHE: In 1985 under the Sebe regime, Mr Sebe was an authoritative leader.  In our village, Nkqonkqweni, on the same date, on the 14th of September the youth took the Sinnip membership cards from the people.  We were still young boys at the time.  We were still playing boys.  This happened while we were playing together with others.  We saw people coming towards us.  We were playing together with my friends.  They took our tyres, because we were playing with them.  We followed them.  We did not know where they were going, but we just followed them.  We also climbed in this vehicle.
 The police came with their Ford Sierras, a powder blue and white Ford Sierra.  They were coming towards us.  People were saying, were telling us not to run.  We were in the back of this group.  I just saw people dispersing and I heard gunshots all over.  I also ran away.  While we were being chased by the police there was one police who approached me.  He shot in the air telling me to stop.  I did not stop, because I told him that you are going to beat me.  He then assaulted me with the rifle butt.  I fell down.  After that he beat me with sjambok and then the police left me there.  One other police came.  He asked me, who are you.  I could not talk, because I was swollen up.

MS MAYA: Where were you injured?

MILILE IVEN VELAKHE: The police beat me in the head.

MS MAYA: How were you then helped?

MILILE IVEN VELAKHE: I was not helped, because after the police assaulted me I stayed at home.  I was looking after my health.

MS MAYA: Did you go to a doctor or hospital?

MILILE IVEN VELAKHE: Yes, I did go to a hospital.

MS MAYA: Were you admitted in hospital?

MILILE IVEN VELAKHE: No, I was not admitted.

MS MAYA: Which hospital was this?

MILILE IVEN VELAKHE: I went to Cecilia Makiwane.

MS MAYA: Were you treated?

MILILE IVEN VELAKHE: Yes, I was treated for my eyes in Cecilia Makiwane and I use to go there for treatment, because they saw that my eyes were weak.  I have to attend treatment now and then.  I decided to go to the doctor, because I could not see clearly with the spectacles that I got in Cecilia Makiwane.

MS MAYA: Did you manage to go back to school as you were at school at the time?

MILILE IVEN VELAKHE: Yes, I managed to go back to school. I am doing standard ten now.

MS MAYA: What happened to you after this incident?  You said that, in your statement, you cannot see clearly, you have partial eyesight and you suffer from constant convulsions.  Is that correct?

MILILE IVEN VELAKHE: Yes, that is correct.

MS MAYA: This is due to your injuries you sustained in your head?

MILILE IVEN VELAKHE: Yes.

MS MAYA: Did you notice any police who did this to you?

MILILE IVEN VELAKHE: Some of them passed away.

MS MAYA: Who is alive?

MILILE IVEN VELAKHE: These police, they all passed away.

MS MAYA: Was there a court case?

MILILE IVEN VELAKHE: No, there was no court case.

MS MAYA: What is your request, then, to the Commission?

MILILE IVEN VELAKHE: My request to the Commission is that as I am in this situation, I pay for my treatment, my eye treatment.  I have spectacles today because of what happened to me.  I would like the Government to help me in this matter in order for me to pay for the treatment, because according to myself, I see myself as paralysed.  I cannot work for myself, because sometimes I get nervous.

MS MAYA: Do you receive any treatment now?

MILILE IVEN VELAKHE: No

MS MAYA: Do you receive treatment in hospitals?

MILILE IVEN VELAKHE: Yes, but for my eyes.

MS MAYA: Would you like us to help you with medical treatment?

MILILE IVEN VELAKHE: Yes, I would like you to do that for me.

MS MAYA: Thank you Milile.  I will now hand over to the Chairperson.  Thank you.

CHAIRPERSON: Did you say that you were shot, where were you shot?  Did they shoot you or did they beat you?

MILILE IVEN VELAKHE: They beat me with a rifle and I fell down.

CHAIRPERSON: We thank you gentlemen from Berlin.  We also thank you Milile.  We could see that you were injured due to this incident.  We noted your request or your requests, but I would like to thank the gentlemen who told us this story.  Although this is a very painful thing, the way they told the story was very interesting.  We thank you because you are the last ones for today.  Thank you.  We will now come back tomorrow at nine o' clock.