Human Rights Violation Hearings — Nelspruit — 1996-09-03

JOHANNES FREDERICK VAN ECK: As you have seen my statement, it was myself and a friend, Mr de Nyschen, holidaying on his game farm in the Messina area and we were just going to watch wild animals. It was on the 19th of December 1985, it was around about 5 o'clock in the afternoon when the vehicle in which our two families were travelling detonated a landmine. The right back wheel actually negotiated the landmine, the NELSPRUIT  HEARING TRC/MPUMALANGA
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vehicle which we used was blown through the air and landed on the ground some way from there where we were covered by flames. When I regained my consciousness, I discovered that my 18 month old baby boy who had sat on my lap was actually was still alive and he was looking at me. It appeared to me that no he was uninjured. The car was covered in flames.  I realised that the driver of the car was lying on the steering wheel had his hair on fire and blood was spouting from his forehead. I tried to get out of the vehicle but because of the effects impact,  I could not manage. I tried to kick open the door, I could not manage and I realised that we were going to burn to death inside this vehicle, because before we came on this journey we had filled up the tank.  I then crawled out through thee window taking my boy with me and I just laid him down on the road nearby.
 Thereafter  I saw that Mr de Nyschen had regained consciousness and he climbed out through the same window. He sat down next to my boy. I bound his head because I realised that he was bleeding to death. Thereafter I was trying to look around for those people who were still alive. I looked at the back of the vehicle.  About five metres from there were my wife and my friend's wife. They were both seriously injured. Then I looked around and after some time I came upon my daughter and her little friend. They were also dead. Shortly after this I came upon little Kobus de Nyschen who still had some life in him. I returned to his Nyschen and told him about the boy still being alive but that he is very seriously injured and burned. He Mr de Nyschen asked there at the scene that the child should rather die. This  happened.
 Furthermore I noticed that the daughter of Mr de NELSPRUIT  HEARING TRC/MPUMALANGA
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Nyschen, Geroselle, came walking towards us from the veld 
with a cut on the nose and was walking with a limp.  I also looked around for my three year old son but I could not find
him. Up to this day I haven't found him. 
 After this I went to find help. About 8 km from there I had difficulty to talk to the police because I realised that I was deaf at that stage and we returned to the scene. The few that were still living were sitting and waiting on the arrival of help. This happened at about five  o'clock, and assistance arrived at about 9 pm. Mrs de Nyschen was seriously injured.
 At 9pm that evening when help arrived we were obliged for us to return through the bush by ambulance because we were afraid of negotiating another landmine on the road.  It was shocking to see how my wife had to hold on in that ambulance for support with bare burned hands.
 We got to Messina hospital at approximately 12 o'clock that evening where the injured were treated and I did not receive any treatment at all.  Thereafter we were transferred to Pietersburg hospital where myself and my son were later discharged. Thereafter we went home, my son and I and at a later stage we buried our three family members and the following day our three friends, the de Nyschens.
 At that stage I was a bus contractor with three school busses. I had five whites working for me.  My brother and I were co-farmers and we had approximately 900 labourers on our farm and I was in a situation where I had to sit back and look at my child.  I was extremely nervous and I started experiencing back ache problems and I heard from the doctors that they gave me five years and I'd be in a wheelchair, and I had to learn to live with that.
NELSPRUIT  HEARING TRC/MPUMALANGA
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 Mr Chairperson, as a result of these happenings, it was logical that my business suffered. The trauma I experienced led to me sitting around a lot for many days with the result
that my business went under.  I had to retrench workers. This incident meant that I degenerated into nothing but a poor burden in society.
 Mr Chairman, the impact that this had on the rest of my family and also on our friends in the immediate vicinity, I cannot find the correct words to describe. Today it is 10 years ago. And the question I have is this? What are you going to do? What is the ANC going to do about this? Are we going to overlook this evil deed and let sleeping dogs lie, so to speak?  Are you ...(end of side A)
.....my question is, do I have to live with my injuries and in a situation that has made me so poor, that you cannot do anything about it? Do I just have to accept that as if I deserve it?
 Mr Chairman I appreciate the fact that there was an opportunity like this one that I could speak about this. You have responsibility, I say, you have responsibility.  
The question is, are you going to take this up or are you going to turn a blind eye?  Thank you very much Mr Boraine.

YASMINE SOOKA: Mr van Eck before I hand you over to the Chairperson, there are a few things which I want to clarify with you.  At this point in time, are you employed?

JOHANNES FREDERICK VAN ECK: Yes.

YASMINE SOOKA: What do you actually do?

JOHANNES FREDERICK VAN ECK: Since the beginning of this school term I have a permanent appointment from the Mpumalanga Education Department.