Human Rights Violation Hearings — Pietermaritzburg — UNKNOWN

MR LYSTER: "KwaZulu Cabinet circles and among militant Inkatha supporting chiefs in the Pietermaritzburg area about Chief Maphumulo's policy of non-alignment, which has resulted in the peaceful co-existence of UDF and Inkatha members in his area, Maqonqo, near Table Mountain.  Chief Maphumulo recently made newspaper headlines when he threw a party in his area to celebrate 15 years of peaceful reign over Maqonqo.  The party was attended by COSATU and Inkatha officials, and it saw young Comrades rubbing shoulders with hundreds of traditional stick-carrying warriors.  Although he was praised from many quarters for his strong neutral stance in the midst of political violence Chief Maphumulo said that there was strong opposition to his policy of non-alignment from Inkatha chiefs ruling over the wartorn Vulindlela district."

MR LYSTER: It's clear to us from what we know about your husband, both of you, and you know that better than we do, that your husband was a peacemaker.  He was famous man, and he had the widespread support of people from the UDF and Inkatha people in the Table Mountain area.  It seems clear that the fact that he successfully brought these two groups together, that this was seen as a threat in some political circles, and it is a terrible, terrible tragedy that someone of his calibre should have died for such a noble cause.

MR LYSTER: Although you have suffered a terrible loss we hope that it is of some comfort to you to know that your husband was and still is a heroic figure to many thousands of people, and we also hope that you have been able to give each other support and comfort by coming here today and sitting together and telling us the story of your husband's death.

MR LYSTER: As my colleague, Mr Dlamini, has said, we will make every effort to ensure that this investigation goes forward, and that the person/people responsible for the death of your husband are brought to justice.

MR LYSTER: We thank you for coming to talk to us today, particularly to Mrs Nombulelo Maphumulo, who came all the way from Umtata, and we wish to every strength as you go.  Thank you again very much for coming to talk to us.

MR LYSTER: The next witness is Mrs Alvina Ngcobo.  Can she please come up to the stage ... (inaudible) ... earphones.

ALVINA NGCOBO: Yes, I do.

MR LYSTER: You have come to tell your story today.  You have been very patient, you have waited most of the day.  You have come to us from Mpophomeni township near Howick, and you have come to tell us about the death of your husband.

ALVINA NGCOBO: Yes.

MR LYSTER: Before you tell that story please will you stand so that you can take the oath.

ALVINA NGCOBO: (Sworn, States)

MR LYSTER: Mrs Ngcobo, your statement relates to the death of your husband, so you are now a widow.  Do you still have children who are residing with you, or near you, or supporting you?

WITNESS:   I don't have kids who are working.  I only - my husband's brothers took two of my kids to take them to school for me.

MR LYSTER: (Inaudible) ... working yourself?

WITNESS:   No, I am not working.

MR LYSTER: How do you manage to survive?

WITNESS:   I got hurt when they were killing my husband.  I can't use my left arm because I still have a bullet in my body.

MR LYSTER: Mrs Ngcobo, you wanted to tell us about two incidents.  The first was an attack upon yourself in 1991.  I think it was then that your house was burnt.  That was in April 1991, 24th of April.  Can you tell us what happened on that day?

WITNESS:   It was at about 8 o'clock pm.  I had two kids.  One was two years old and the other one was born in 1973.   At about 8 o'clock I heard something hitting me from the back.  My husband was in his bedroom.  He was off on that night because his work was the security guard of the school.  I heard something hitting me from the back and I knew that it was a gunshot.  I fell down.  And they hit again and bullets came from the wall.  And my husband came from the bedroom.  He came rushing and asked, "What's going on?"  And people were surrounding the windows.  I don't know whether they held my husband, because he went out to check and I tried to run.  I ran to the maize field and I left the kids, the two kids, behind.  And the girl told me he left through the window and one kid was left inside.  And then they set the house - they set the house on fire.  I slept on that maize field.  I didn't see what was going on inside the house.  All I heard is that my husband as well was burnt.

MR LYSTER: (Inaudible) ... took place not in Mpophomeni but in Sweetwaters, is that correct?

WITNESS:   I was still at Sweetwater, and my sisters took me from that place to Mpophomeni.

MR LYSTER: So, just to go over some of that evidence again, Mrs Ngcobo, after you were shot, and after your husband came through to see what was wrong with you, you saw people actually setting the house on fire.  This is how you have put it in your statement.  Is that right?

WITNESS:  Yes, that's what I saw, and I tried to ran into the maize field.  So I've hidden there.  I didn't see them when they were burning my husband.  We only found ashes.

MR LYSTER: Do you know the person who set the house on fire?

WITNESS:   The person that we saw is now dead.  He is the one who can explain more, who can actually identify the others, but now he is now dead.

MR LYSTER: (Inaudible) ... you said that his name was Phindi Mngadi, is that right?

WITNESS:   Yes, that's what I said.

MR LYSTER: (Inaudible) ... or what political organisation he belonged to?  Do you know why he should have wanted to burn your house down?

WITNESS:   Yes.  They said, "Why don't we agree to go with the king or the chief?" because these two boys from my family didn't want to belong to that.

MR LYSTER: (Inaudible) ... didn't want to come under the chief?  You said there were two boys from your family.

WITNESS:   They were my brother's kids.  I didn't have a son.  They were my brother's kids, or rather my brother-in-law's kids.

MR LYSTER: (Inaudible) ... then you said that you ran from the house into a nearby mealie field, a maize field, and you hid in that field, and you stayed there until dawn.

WITNESS:  Yes, that's true.

MR LYSTER: (Inaudible) ... said in your statement that you were then taken to Edendale Hospital.  You were taken to Greys Hospital and then to Edendale Hospital.

WITNESS:   Yes, and after I left there I went to the induna, and the induna took me, and those were the people who called the ambulance to take me to hospital.

MR LYSTER: And when you were in hospital your brother came to tell you that your husband had been found in the house, that he had died in the house, is that right?

WITNESS:   Yes.  One boy - and that's my brother's son - came and told me, because I didn't see what really happened.  And the policemen from ... (inaudible) ... came and told me.

MR LYSTER: (Inaudible) ... down.  You've said here in your statement that,

MR LYSTER: /"I was

MR LYSTER: "I was later informed that we were attacked."

MR LYSTER: ---   No one told me why my house was burnt.

MR LYSTER: Mrs Ngcobo, you said that you still are suffering from the bullet wound that you received, is that correct?  You said you still had the bullet in your body, is that right?

WITNESS:   I have seven bullets in my body, and one of my eyes can't see.

MR LYSTER: Was there a death certificate in respect of your husband's death?

WITNESS:   Yes.

MR LYSTER: (Inaudible) ... reflect as the cause of death?

WITNESS:  No, I don't know, I won't know, but I do have it.

MR LYSTER: (Inaudible) ... that you recall relating to your husband's death?

WITNESS:   The Indian who came and took the statement never came back to me to tell me when to go to court, so even if there was a case I never attended one.

MR LYSTER: So at this stage you have no idea who burnt your house, who killed your husband, and why they did it?