Human Rights Violation Hearings — Durban — 1996-05-08

WITNESS:   I had explained that we were all attacked inside the house, but at the time when these people left, as I have already said that I took my family out because I realised there was a lot of smoke inside the house when they were throwing in the petrol bombs.  So I took my family out and then I went to stay inside.

KHOZA MGOJO: Nobody was injured in your family?

WITNESS:   No, nobody was injured on that day.  Nobody was injured in my family.  The person who was already injured it was me.  I had gotten injured on the 17th, but when this other incident happened at my home it was on the 19th.

KHOZA MGOJO: At that time when they were stabbing you and injuring you until you were unconscious did you see the doctor?

WITNESS:   I went to the doctor on the 21st at Verulam, because there was no way that I could go to the doctor at that time on the 17th.  I was nearly killed in my house.  It was because of my traditional medicine, because I drank some of my traditional medicine.  On the 18th I couldn't see properly.  My eyes were swollen and my whole body was sore.  And on the 19th they came at night.  They were coming to burn my house as they were stabbing me on the 17th.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you, Sir, for coming here, that you came to give your explanation here.  We have listened.  We have also listened to your wishes.  We will try as a Commission to do what we can do.  Thank you very much.

DR BORAINE: Mrs Jokweni, can you hear me?

TRIFINA JOKWENI: Yes, I can hear you.

DR BORAINE: That's great, because I want to welcome you, and to thank you for waiting such a long, long time before we can hear your story.  And you are the last today, and we are looking forward very much to hearing what you have to tell us because you have personally experienced torture and detention and arson, and it's not easy to talk about these things, but we are grateful that you have come because we want to have the widest possible picture of what has happened in South Africa.  I would like you to please stand in order to take the oath.

TRIFINA JOKWENI: (Sworn, States)

DR BORAINE: Thank you very much, you are now under oath, and I am going to ask my colleague, Mr Hugh Lewen, who is from Gauteng, and is working with the Commission as a committee member of the Human Rights Violations Committee, and he is going to take over from me now.  Thank you.

MR LEWEN: Thanks very much, Dr Boraine.  Mrs Jokweni, can you hear through your earphones?

WITNESS:   Yes, I can hear.

MR LEWEN: Again I'd like to thank you very much for your coming here.  It has been a long day.  We'd like to thank you for your patience.  It's also - as the Archbishop mentioned at the beginning of the day it's quite an auspicious one in terms of our history.  So much in fact is happening very quickly, and I think that it is both useful and apt that we should remember more slowly some of the things that happened in our history.  And I would like just very briefly to put the context of your story as I understand it.  If we look back, particularly at the history of the 80s, where we're talking about the history of the struggle inside the country was very much a mixture of people inside and outside.  Those outside in exile, many inside could be said to be in internal exile, those in prison.  And then apparently, as in your case, an internal activist against the system.  And I would like to say that your story in many ways brings together the outside and the inside part of our history.  And I'd like to welcome you as one of the first, and I am not sure, possibly the first, person to come as a woman combatant to appear before the Commission.  I'd like to thank you for that, and welcome you on that note, and then ask you please slowly, in your own words, to tell us your story.