Human Rights Violation Hearings — Klerksdorp — 1996-09-25

M S HASSIAN HAFFEJJE: Yes. I was detained in 1964, in the month of
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July.  I was a student at the teachers' training college in Johannesburg.  I remember I came home for holidays, vacations.  It was the night the Johannesburg, the power station went off at John Harris Street. It was the same night, the special branch from Klerksdorp came to look for me, looking for some sort of literature, books and so forth, banned books.  With the help of the local police in Bloemhof, they raided my house, or should I say ransacked my house, because they got into the wardrobes and just about everwhere, touching the ceilings for any kind of information, papers and pamphlets, books.  They couldn't find any banned literature at all. 
 They got hold of my Quran, you can say the Holy Bible.  Being a Muslim, the Holy Quran.  Fiddling through there and paging through there and making, sorry to say, asses of themselves.  Eventually they took me to the local police station.  I was questioned there by a Lieut Cloete and a person from Klerksdorp known as Oosthuizen. I don't know what his rank and file was, and they said they are taking me to a place called Stilfontein and I am going to be detained, I am a rebel.  A rebel-rouser at the college of education in Johannesburg. 
 I was 19 years of age, very young.  They took me away.  My father bid me good-bye, my mother crying.  I was held for 89 days in solitary, I repeat solitary, solitary confinement in Stilfontein. I was not allowed - I must say this beforehand, that it was a traumatic experience for me.  I was not allowed the daily half an hour exercise that normally a detainee should be getting under a certain section, I think section 17 of 1963.   I couldn't have washing facilities. I didn't have a bath for 90 days, 
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believe me.
 I remember they used to give me washing every three days, in a bucket, a filthy bucket, by convicts in the court yard, pushing my fingers inside and then within four, five minutes I had to be back in my cell again.
 That is one time I will never forget.  I want to relate this to you. It is important for me.  Is that - imagine I was in the cell, solitary, solitary confinement and this big court yard, people's living quarters on top.  Police living quarters on top.  Once I demanded I want a bath.  It was on a Saturday morning.  They took me outside to the court yard, stripped me naked, mid-winter.  They told the convicts give him a bath, because he demands a bath.  They dispersed ice cold water on my skinny little body. People standing on top, man and woman, watching, gaping and the others making a mockery.  I believe that some of those young kids, White young kids had never seen an Indian before living in Stilfontein.  So they said "dis hoe 'n koelie lyk, en daardie is 'n `cheeky' koelie".
 That is how an Indian looks and that is a cheeky Indian. I promised myself I will never bath again.  
 Of course, in my detention, as I said, it was a traumatic experience, I was questioned for lengthy hours. I became very ill.  I was taken to the district surgeon in Klerksdorp.  I was questioned most of the time in Klerksdorp, the buildings here, and taken back to and fro.  But when I had been taken to the distric surgeon, I do remember I was put at the back of this bakkie, this police bakkie. It was open at the back.  Those screens are rolled up and slowly they go through the taxi rank in the so-called Indian area, where a massive amount of people are there.
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A mass of people are there.  So they can see that we have somebody in our midst here.  It was almost animalism to see.  Because I was almost disfigured, hair hanging on shoulder length. I hadn't shaven for two months almost.  Imagine, picture me how I looked. I was skinny, skin and bones. I had to go through that.  People looked, they were curious. I took it, because I know I was fighting for only one thing, for humanity, for justice, nothing more, nothing less, come with me.
 I was released after 89 days, yes, but it so happened that perhaps after two months in my cell, when I became very ill, the light was kept almost at very low ceiling height. I used to get tremendous headaches. 
 I also remember very well that the cistern, the toilet cistern didn't work at all.  You would flush and water would flush out. You throw in the dirt and the dirt comes out. For this I was rapped over by a station commander at the time in Stilfontein, if I remember - it is 30 years back, was a certain Mr - I think, I am speaking under correction - Taljaard.  Short-cropped hair, almost bulldog-faced, thick, reminds me very much of Nazism.  To look at him was to look at fear.   That was it.  They said that I am dirtying the cell.  I only replied back I am not dirtying your cell, it is my backside which is dirtying the cell.   I am alive, my backside is dead already, of your kicks.  And I was given a slap and I saw stars.
 In any case, after 89 days I was to be released.  They said I am free.  I came home.  I want you to picture this, honourable members.  My father had a very small business.  He was 85 years of age, old, very old, suffering from rheumatism.  He couldn't walk, he could hardly walk.  When
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the special branch dropped me in front of my father's shop, when I walked into my shop, my father was crying aloud.  I asked him Pappa, why are you crying. Why? I am home, I am free, more than anything else, I am alive.  He said son, they just took your elder brother away for 90 days. You came in through the front and they took your elder brother out of the back.  
 This happened, I will briefly tell you why. Because after two months detention, a certain Mr King, who was an electrician at that time, there was something faulty with the globe, came to repair the electrical fault, as I will call it.  I was well, after going through sheer hell almost, I was asked - he told me well, he can see how the cell looks; dark, black, a dungeon almost.  He said don't you want to send a message out. He gave me a piece of paper and a ball-point pen, where I scribbled out to my father - to my brother actually, because my father couldn't read, he was too old. I said I am well, keep hope, something to the effect, if you can take me out, please take me out.  In the meantime this person went and handed this letter over to the special branch.  The original copy he sent to my brother, phoned him up in Bloemhof.  He came down on a Sunday with two of his friends, to Stilfontein.  I think everything was taped.  They thought my brother knew where the border was and where people used to escape - at that time into Botswana and Basutoland and Swaziland.  They could get nothing out of my brother.  He was detained for just over 60 days, until such time that John Vorster, at the end of 1964, repealed that draconian style of system or law of 90 days.  But one worse was to come, the 180 day law was about to be formulated.
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PROF MEIRING: Yes, thank you very much.  That was the first incident you wanted to tell us about.  Then we have to turn the pages of history to get to 1976 and 1980.  Will you please tell us about that.