Human Rights Violation Hearings — Soweto — 1996-07-22

THOMAS MANTHATA: Was he a student leader even at that age?  Was he a leader at his school at that time?

DOROTHY TSHABALALA: ...(indistinct)

THOMAS MANTHATA: He was not a leader.

DOROTHY TSHABALALA: There's a lot of noise.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Okay thank you, thank you.  What do you think could have led him to be considered a leader when they got to detention?

DOROTHY TSHABALALA: They didn't suspect of him being one of the leaders.  They were marching on the 23rd of September in Eloff Street in town and they were all arrested.  After they were arrested they were questioned.  I could hear them singing, they were singing the song ...(indistinct).  He was not alone there were many.  He said on the day in which they were electrocuted, in front of him there was a boy called Dumisani Dlhamini, when they electrocuted him, thinking that he will tell them what the other boys had been saying he just dropped and died and he thought he was going to save himself from dying.  From that time they got the chance to give him the injection.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Why I say he could have been regarded a leader is because they were saying he was a dangerous child.  During this whole time who was supporting you in your efforts to trace where he was?

DOROTHY TSHABALALA: That the child was arrested some young boys
SOWETO HEARING TRC/GAUTENG
7 D TSHABALALA
they've seen him he was caught while the others were running.  He was arrested, I didn't go around looking for him, I knew that he was arrested.  When we asked at Orlando they told us he's at Modderbee Prison.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Yes.  My question is on the basis of your strength and courage to trace him from one hospital to another until you could even take him to Baragwanath Hospital.  So my question was who was giving you, who was the source of your support, morally?

DOROTHY TSHABALALA: I was alone.  I didn't suffer much.  Since I was working far away from home I had the transport to go all these places.  All the information I got I didn't struggle, I followed it right from the beginning.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Since he became what he is what support does he still enjoy from those students of his age group and his grade, that is of his standard?  Do they still come and check on him, chat with him?

DOROTHY TSHABALALA: Kids do come.  In the beginning they used to come a lot of them, as he was becoming worse with the sickness and they were realising that it was going bad they never came back.  Some of them believe that he's all gone.  I met one of them and they are thinking that he's dead, but some of them do give him some support.  A few of them know that he's still alive.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Did you ever have a lawyer to lean on?

DOROTHY TSHABALALA: No I never thought of getting one.

THOMAS MANTHATA: And did you ever get a private doctor who could diagnose and perhaps suggest to you what the disease was?

DOROTHY TSHABALALA: I went to private doctors, they couldn't tell me what the sickness is.  One of the doctors did a
SOWETO HEARING TRC/GAUTENG
8 D TSHABALALA
small operation on the head.  He told me that it wasn't a tumour and he doesn't know exactly what the matter was.  At the present moment he's taking drugs just to get him better and be able to sleep, not to ...(indistinct).

THOMAS MANTHATA: In short the condition of your son has always remained the concern of the family without any opinion from outside the family.

DOROTHY TSHABALALA: This has become a family matter.  There is a thing that we didn't discuss much, it seems as if it's something wrong that he did that caused his arrest.  As a family and others we are the only people who knew exactly what happened.

YASMINE SOOKA: Mrs Hlengiwe Mkhize will just ask you a few questions.

MS MKHIZE: Mama Tshabalala we would like to thank you for all that you have explained before the Commission and all the victimisation that you have suffered and also the burden that you have to carry through with regards to your son.  You might help us, we would like to know if there is any help from the government to get these drugs?

DOROTHY TSHABALALA: Yes he does get a disability grant and he does get the drugs from the hospital or the clinic.

MS MKHIZE: Perhaps as a parent when you are trying to cool down, at the same time you still have to face the burden at home, if you were to help this Commission what do you think how the people, parents like you should be helping the situation?

DOROTHY TSHABALALA: I would like to thank you because this Commission has given us a chance to speak what's inside us.  I think there is nothing else that the Commission can do except to help and sort of give support to organisations
SOWETO HEARING TRC/GAUTENG
9 D TSHABALALA
like care groups so that people who have suffered, or the victims can go there for help.

YASMINE SOOKA: Mrs Tshabalala I would like to thank you for coming to share your story with us.  It's quite tragic that an incident in 1976 should have changed both the lives of yours and your son.  We are very very happy to see that despite all of what has happened to you your thoughts are not for yourself but rather for other groups and organisations and for their support.
 We thank you for sharing your story with us.  Thank you very much for having come.