Human Rights Violation Hearings — Heiderveld — 1996-04-22

YASMINE SOOKA: Mr Rani, the person doing the translation says that you talking so fast that she can't hear all of the things that you saying, so if you could just talk a little more slowly then she can relay what you saying, more carefully, all right.  You - if you could just tell us who Mr Titus is please, you mentioned [intervention]

MR RANI: Titus is a lawyer who was - who was my lawyer.  He escaped and he went to exile into Russia which is his place actually, okay I was left alone now.  But because he had already made his statement for me, when I went to the synagogue in that's when now in high treason where the proceedings took place.  General Attorney, I am sorry I didn't get the name.

YASMINE SOOKA: The Attorney General.

MR RANI: The prosecution went on and then after that okay everything just - disbanded.

YASMINE SOOKA: How long were you kept in the prison before you were brought to the proceedings in the Court, before you were put on trial, how long did they keep you?

MR RANI: They kept me for a long time - a long-long time.

YASMINE SOOKA: Do you remember the date at all?

MR RANI: The only date I can remember is the one that I was sentenced, that's on the 2nd of January.

YASMINE SOOKA: The year [inaudible]

MR RANI: 1962.

YASMINE SOOKA: You were sentenced to two years imprisonment, is that?

MR RANI: Two years that's right, I was sentenced for two years.  When I got out of there, they sent me to Cape Town, that's how I came here.  When I came here, I reported I did my claims, all my clothes were also stolen by the police.
I just came with nothing at all.  I went to the - [indistinct] they gave me a little paper where I went to take it to Caledon Square where I can claim for my clothes, yes I did that.  They told me okay I am going to get it soon, then after that I was told - I was told that I would be detained for three years and then every morning I was told to report at eight o'clock.

YASMINE SOOKA: You were told to report at the police station - how did you feel about that?

MR RANI: It was terrible, it was really terrible for me, I couldn't work, I didn't know where to work.  I also have kids.

YASMINE SOOKA: [Inaudible] how many children have you got?

MR RANI: They were ten at the beginning.  But three passed away.

YASMINE SOOKA: How did you support yourself then Mr Rani?

MR RANI: I tried  their mother and themselves, I use to go and fish and I would even get some work from the contractors for a while, just for my kids to have something to eat.  But there was nothing else I could do.

YASMINE SOOKA: I want to take you back a little bit to what you told me before, you said that you were told to report to the police station every morning, but were you - where you kept under house arrest at all when you came back to Cape Town?

MR RANI: Exactly, the reason why I got  144 - 194 I got it because I was under house arrest.  I was - I was given that instruction that every eight o'clock I must go to report at the police station, and 6 pm I must also go and report to the police station.

YASMINE SOOKA: What else did they tell you to do, did they tell you that you can't speak to other people, what did - did they say you must stay at home, what did the police tell you at the time?

MR RANI: The instructions were that I mustn't get any visitor and I mustn't also visit anyone, I was just house bound with my family.  Even at night at 1 am or 2 am they would - they use to come in, they use to come and check me up, just to see if I  have any visitors or I have visited anyone else.

YASMINE SOOKA: Did they harass you for a long time?

MR RANI: Yes they did, they did harass me.  Then eventually I got a job at Cavana, it was known then as Cavana at Salt River.  I worked there for a while on my fourth week working there, they took me from that work - from my work place to Johannesburg.  Only to find out there is another case that I have to be taken to there.
When I got there I was arrested.  They got hand grenades and all other firearms.  They were told that they were from abroad, they were send to me.  When I got there I was surprised to find that these were mine.  And I was asking them okay why are these with you instead of with me if they are mine, and they told me there is a box with your name on it.
So they said okay now why didn't I go to the post office myself if it's mine, that's how it's suppose to be, why did you go and fetch it.  They didn't answer me with that, they just - they just send me to [indistinct] that's where I was arrested.

YASMINE SOOKA: Who arrested you the second time, was it the same person who arrested you the first time?

MR RANI: It's the first group, still the first group who arrested me.  I can say that they don't arrest because it's the same people.  It was Sergeant  Rani and Sergeant de Villiers and Hambo, those are the people who took me who sent me [intervention]

YASMINE SOOKA: Where did they take you to?

MR RANI: They took me to Johannesburg in the Central Prison.  From there they took me to East London.  And they took me to East London until the date of the trial, I stayed there, I stayed there until I had to come to - to appear to Court.  When I did, they were accusing me of all these grenades.
Now I told them to please call Lebranch for me, who was handling the Gorilla affairs at that time, he refused, so he send his Lieutenant, when he got here, I told him look this is what I am being accused of, just tell this Court that I have - I am innocent, I had to go back to my kids.  The Lieutenant got back with the response that, that is not my place to say that I am innocent, it's for the Court to decide that.
But can - now I - when I asked you to come  end of  Tape 3, side A ... all of this things were in this box, and now.  Now tell me where were these made, England, America, I told them I've never - I've been - I've never been to England, I've never been to America.
The grenades that I was using, they were from Cuba and Russia ja.  Those are - those are the ones I was using.  These are the Bazookas I have no idea of - of them.  I told the Judge but you people are framing me because I - you even made a mistake, you people have no rest.

YASMINE SOOKA: What did the Judge [indistinct] you.

MR RANI: The Judge agreed that yes they were framing me and they were framing me with really sore hearts, because they didn't - they didn't  want me to be free outside.  They wanted me to be in the prison, inside.

YASMINE SOOKA: Do you remember the name of the Judge who heard your case?

MR RANI: I think it was Justice Roedolf.

YASMINE SOOKA: Could you tell me how long it was after - do you remember the date when you were taken to East London for this?

MR RANI: It was Mondee not East London, I went to Mondee.  Now I do not know the date, I mean we uneducated people we have no idea of these dates.

YASMINE SOOKA: What happened after [indistinct]

MR RANI: Well nothing happened really, I lost my house, it went to their side and my kids just went all over the place and my wife left me, I mean she couldn't life with an unemployed husband.

YASMINE SOOKA: So - so one thing in fact being arrested, being detained, being tortured all of this has meant that you've had very little life with your family?

MR RANI: The only chance I got to stay with my family was before I was arrested which was 1952.  Now after that I was never outside prison, I would - I was with Mr Nngovela, I was always in prison, in and out - out to the last minute.  It's only now that I have a rest.

YASMINE SOOKA: Mr Rani could I  take you back a little bit, I just want to ask you a little more questions about the time when you were kidnapped in Rhodesia.  Could you tell me where you were when you were kidnapped and where you were taken to by the Rhodesian police please.