Human Rights Violation Hearings — Nelspruit — 1996-09-02

MR NDLAZI: Yes, they did not take responsibility.  Maybe you can find out for us who was actually responsible for this.

MR LEWIN: We can certainly try and do that.  I would just like to ask one final question which has already come up this morning in other peoples' testimony.  The fact that the police tried to limit the number of people taking part at any funeral.  Can you explain why they did that and what
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authority they had for that.

MR NDLAZI: I don't know actually why they did this.

MR LEWIN: Could you give us some idea why you think they did it.

MR NDLAZI: I tried to think deeply but I don't come up with an answer.  I also don't understand why there should have been a limited number.  I can't understand it.

MR LEWIN: Thank you very much, Mr Ndlazi.

YASMINE SOOKA: Mr Ndlazi, I just want to ask you a few questions.  You say that your son was a member of the ANC Youth League.  Could you tell us a little bit about what sort of activities they were involved in in the township.

MR NDLAZI: There is nothing that I can say because really they don't tell you, they just disappear from home, you don't know what they are doing the other side.

YASMINE SOOKA: You also talked about the fact that three other people died in the same shooting incident.  Do you perhaps know what their names are?

MR NDLAZI: If I think their names I can remember one boy but I don't know what the surname of the boy, the other girl was Mteto girl and then Ndlazi, I can't remember the other, whether he is a brother or is taller or something of that nature.  I don't know exactly.

YASMINE SOOKA: Was an inquest ever held into their deaths?

MR NDLAZI: Can you put it clear to us, if you say inquest do you mean inquest conducted by me or whom?

YASMINE SOOKA: No, no an inquest is usually conducted by a magistrate in court to determine who was responsible for the deaths, if the persons die in that particular way.  Did you ever have to go to court where they told about what had happened?
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MR NDLAZI: No one from the Ndlazi family did go there or make such an inquest.

YASMINE SOOKA: Did you ever appoint any lawyer to assist you to find out who was responsible?

MR NDLAZI: No, nothing.  I didn't.  I just kept quiet up to now.

YASMINE SOOKA: The other witness before you also linked a burning incident to this gang Cabasa.  Do you know anything more about that gang?

MR NDLAZI: No, I don't know anything about Cabasa. I only hear it as it was something that existed.  But what happens about that organisation actually I know nothing.

YASMINE SOOKA: You don't know who belongs to Cabasa?

MR NDLAZI: Truly speaking I don't know actually who is working for this Cabasa.  I don't know.  I only heard some people saying, calling a name of Rex, Rex, Rex.  Whether that is the real person or he is responsible I never met him, I have never seen him.

YASMINE SOOKA: Thank you.

MS MKHIZE: Mr Ndlazi, I am going to ask one question.  We are here, it is actually our objective that somebody should be done by the community.  You said that you are a Christian.  If we look at the statements that have been presented to us this name Cabasa appears on the statements.  I want to know from you what can be done by the church organisations, all the different churches to sort of remedy this situation?

MR NDLAZI: I really don't know what can be done actually in that regard.  I really don't know what can be done.

MS MKHIZE: I thank you.

CHAIRPERSON: We feel very much sorry, as one of us has
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already said that we will try and investigate to find out exactly who was actually responsible for the death of your son.  They killed him in a very cruel manner.  As you have already said that his legs were actually boneless.  There is no way perhaps you can comfort a person who has got such a very big wound in his heart because if this thing has not  happened to you you can simply say anything but I want to say this to you so that you can understand that we as Commissioners here, together with the other counsel, we are people actually who sympathise with you.  We believe that by coming here to tell your story maybe that in itself will sort of be a key to open that God will sort of pour his holy spirit in order to calm you down and give you comfort to the wounds inside you.  We believe that what we are doing here as a Commission will sort of - there are people actually who would like to ask to hear me.  I believe that the work done by the Commission will bear some fruits and will be successful because actually we want to cross the bridge.   After crossing the bridge once we have entered Canaan but we must know exactly what took place in the past and there are many things that happened in the past and those loads should actually be left the other side of Jordan and we are trying to do exactly that.  We are soldiers, we should move forward, we should move forward and gain whatever we are getting from the other side of the land.  We ask that God should actually comfort you, we will try our level best to assist you.  We thank you.