Human Rights Violation Hearings — Welkom — 1996-10-08

MR DLAMINI: me.  We are not going to open the door because the people in the house are sleeping."  It was cold on that particular day and I asked the police that I wanted to get into the car because it was cold outside.  And at that time they put the cars into the yard and the lady of the owner of the house had burglar proofs and they did not want to get in through the windows.  Pule refused that the door should be opened up till such time that they threw teargas canisters inside the house and they realised that the door was not being opened despite the fact that they had thrown teargas canisters inside.  They broke the door and they were told that there was a child inside the house who was being suffocated by the teargas.  And all the policemen were standing at the door having guns with them until such time that all the people had to vacate the house.  And Pule himself came out of the house and he tried to run away and they held him.  They asked him whether he was Pule.  He denied that and said he was Thabi so he was not Pule and he went inside and he put on his trousers and everybody went out as well as the owner of the house.  At that time Pule had already run away and they asked him as to whether he was Pule.  The owner of the house denied and said, "I'm not Pule.  Pule has run away.  He's the one that you arrested initially."  And he asked them as to why they thought he was Pule because they knew that he was not Pule.  One of the policemen said they should have looked at me and they should have looked at another person who looked like me.  That would be Pule.  And he further said that if they had to get Pule any time from that time, they would kill him.  They would shoot him  dead.  And they said to me they were going to take us to Jan Hofmeyer where we would be arrested.  I asked them what I had done because I had not committed any crime.  They told me that my son was a terrorist and that I was going to get arrested because I was harbouring terrorists and I was having guns as well as explosives.  Certain investigators came with Pule, my son.  They told me that they were going to kill him.  He was not going to given them any hard time any more.  They said they were going to kill Pule.  And I told this other policeman - we had an altercation and they said they wanted to assault me.  I said they could assault me if they wanted to because I was telling the truth.  We were told to go away.  We were taken back to our respective homes because the had Pule with them now.  And on that particular day he said to me he was not feeling well and I told him that I have been asking him all along to stop being involved in politics.  And the police have been running after him, so he must go and open up case against the police.  And he showed me some injuries on his head as well as the chest.  He had been assaulted as well as electrocuted.  And he showed me all the injuries that he had in his body.  And I told him that if he didn't open up a case against the police the police were going to ultimately kill him.  And when he came back he looked like he had lost his mind.  He did not look normal at all.  And they said my child was scared because he was coming from prison.  They took him to the provincial hospital.  They said he broke a doctor's car's window as well as a window at the hospital.  He also assaulted another security and they said he must be  /given

MR DLAMINI: given an injection so that he could calm down.  When I got home I got this message that Pule was behaving very strangely and when I got there, he was very wild.  He did not want to see a soul.  He did not want to see anyone.  He looked really mad.  And I asked a certain gentleman to look after him and I went to the police station and I wanted to see the policemen who were ... (incomplete)   Can I mention the policeman's name?

MR DLAMINI: Yes, by all means.

WITNESS:   Para was among them together with John Delinga.  They brought him back home and I went to the police station to enquire as to what happened to my son because he was now insane and I said to them, "I do not know what have you done to him.  Why do you bring him back home.  Why don't you take him to the hospital where he would be taken care of?"  They said, "He is very scared."  They said, "Please, don't trouble us.  He's just a mad boy."  And I went back home.  I didn't know what to do.  We used ropes to fasten him.  I called an ambulance to take him to the hospital.  I met a doctor who was examining him.  I said, "Doctor, I don't see any reason to keep this child at home.  He doesn't want to see anybody.  He's just fighting.  He's very aggressive.  But, you know, we can overpower him.  We cannot spend out days with this person at home.  Can you please transfer him to Bloemfontein immediately.  Don't give us any further date."  The doctor agreed and they fastened him and he was sent to the hospital.  We told the doctors that we don't want him to leave alone.  We want to accompany him.  I think ten doctors examined him until the next morning they retransferred him from Orange Hospital to  Pilinomi Hospital where they wanted to check as to whether he wasn't attacked by a stroke.  His body was numb and we were then told to be transported by an ambulance.  On our arrival here in Welkom I called the hospital to confirm what the doctors say.  They said, no, he didn't have any stroke but he was severely beaten but he should be then taken to Oranje Hospital.  And then he spent the whole year at Oranje Hospital.  I was called now and then by the policemen telling me that I have to go and sign for his treatments.  There was nothing they were giving me, not even the transport.  I used to spend my own money to go and see my son and sign all those documents.  And every time I would give the hospital a call to enquire about his health.  We were worried we thought that he would die but I'm glad that he survived.  He couldn't eat.  He was just helpless. The doctors said to us, "Please take him."  The treatment cost was up to R6 000,00.  They said I should take him back to Welkom and should take care of him.  We brought back home and I took him to the provincial hospital where he was getting treatment until such time that the doctors agreed to examine him front Bloemfontein.  They come every month.  And the second time he was struck by this sickness, in the forms that I've filled in they asked me when was it the second time that he was attacked by this sickness and I did indicate.  We keep a very good eye on him.  We don't want him out of our sight.  Every time he is attacked by this we have to take him to Bloemfontein.  After I requested my child to fill the statement to the police because they brought him back and the following day they  /arrested.