Human Rights Violation Hearings — Witbank — 1997-06-05

UNKNOWN: They didn't do anything for us.  The police didn't do anything for us.  They only came to see us in the hospital  and we asked them why they shot at us but they couldn't answer.  When we read the newspapers, it was written that we threw stones at the and  I asked them, how could we throw stones at them whilst sitting down.  They couldn't answer that question.

MR MALAN: Do you have any papers at home from the lawyers perhaps, which we could look at and see if we can get more information from the lawyers?

UNKNOWN: They didn't give us papers.  They never gave us any documents.

MR MALAN: You wouldn't have a case number or anything?

UNKNOWN: I don't have any case number because we didn't even attend a court hearing.

MR MALAN: Mrs Vilakazi, we do try and do some investigation on each and every case that comes to us.  We're investigating each statement, we're trying to establish the circumstances and we're trying to establish the veracity of all statements.  We will see what more information we can get and we hope we do find ourselves in a position where we can get some which will make your pain less than it is at the moment so you'll have little more understanding of the situation.  In the meantime I have no further questions.  I can only say, Siabonga.

UNKNOWN: Thank you.

DR RANDERA: Thank you, Mr Malan.  Miss Mkhize.

MS MKHIZE: Mrs Vilakazi, I discovered that you got injured on the very same day as Stafnurse Mzwakali.  Stafnurse Mzwakali told us about the situation at that time and we want to find out why you happened to be called by the police to come out because we have discovered that there was some conflict between the community and the police.

UNKNOWN: I'd say my house is near the stadium so when they were announcing through the loudspeakers, I heard them.  I could also hear the students announcing that we should also come to the meeting.

MS MKHIZE: To set the records straight, who was calling you?  Was it the students or the police?

UNKNOWN: The police were announcing through a loudspeaker.  They were going around with a police van and there were three White men.  When we arrived at the police station in Lynville Park, the three White men were armed with rifles and the other police were on top of the cars.

MS MKHIZE: My question was, when you got out of the house responding to the call, did you trust the police?

UNKNOWN: I didn't know that we would be meeting the police together with the children but when I arrived I found that there were so many people at the park.

MS MKHIZE: Do you remember what happened?  Was there any conflict between the police and the students or did the students sing or anything?

UNKNOWN: On that particular day, there was nothing like that.  It might have happened in other parts of the township but nothing like that happened next to the police station in the park.

MS MKHIZE: If I could take you back to the shooting incident, you say the Comrades selected you as one of the four women to stand up?

UNKNOWN: Yes, that's correct.  The children selected me as one of the four women.  I think they were used to me because I'm a vendor, I sell things.  That is why they asked me to be one, together with the other three women.

MS MKHIZE: When you stood up, were you facing the police?

UNKNOWN: Yes, that's correct.  I stood before them but I didn't say anything.  That's correct.

MS MKHIZE: When you think back, do you think they suspected you as one of the political activists?

UNKNOWN: If they shot at me in particular, I would think so but they were shooting at everybody.  It was because the students told us not to say anything, to rather keep quiet because we don't know anything.  They were saying if the police wanted an answer they should go and release those who were arrested and then they will get the answer.  They went to collect the and when they arrived at the police station, they instructed us to go to the stadium.  The children refused that we, the elderly women should go to the stadium.  After the children refused us to go to the stadium, the police gave us five minutes to disperse.  About one minute after telling us to disperse, they shot us.

MS MKHIZE: Can you explain more about your injuries?  We'd like to know more about your condition after you were shot at but before that I would like to find out who gave the five minute ultimatum?

UNKNOWN: I would say it was the police.  I don't see well at the present moment but I even saw him at the hospital.

MS MKHIZE: Did you recognize the person who shot at you?

UNKNOWN: I can't hear you well?

MS MKHIZE: I'll repeat the question.   The person who shot at you, did you see him?

UNKNOWN: I saw him when they came to see me in hospital but I can't recognize or identify him now because I've got eyesight problems.  I only know that there were three White men who shot at us.

MS MKHIZE: Maybe you can further explain to us, after you were admitted to hospital, you were physically affected.  Can you tell us how you were injured?

UNKNOWN: I was so badly injured.  I was a person who was a vendor, selling things, but unfortunately now I cannot help myself to survive because I used to live on selling things.

MS MKHIZE: Can you specifically explain your handicaps, saying, I can't see or I can't walk.

UNKNOWN: I can't say exactly what happened but I know that after I was injured I had a few problems.  If there is lightening, my wound on my head normally swells and my hand is damaged because I can't do my own washing.  My daughter-in-lay had to stop work to come and help me at home.  This is so painful to me because she has children to support and she has to come and work for me.

MS MKHIZE: You said many people got shot on that particular day.  Can you estimate how many people were shot?

UNKNOWN: I will talk about the people who were in the same ward as I.  It was the one who gave evidence before me, Mrs Mkosi and Emilina Sindani and another one from the Mkosi family who has just passed away.

MS MKHIZE: Were none of you politically involved?

UNKNOWN: No, we're not.

DR RANDERA: Mr Malan?

MR MALAN: Mrs Vilakazi, when you heard the message over the loudspeaker and you went to the stadium, how many people did you find there?  Were there lots of the parents or just a few of them?

UNKNOWN: There were many parents and many children as well.

MR MALAN: Thank you.

DR RANDERA: Mrs Vilakazi, is there anything else you would like to say before I sum off.

UNKNOWN: I don't whether I will be making a mistake to say, as a disabled person at the moment, I don't have a very comfortable place to stay.  I would like to ask the Commission to just build me one room and a toilet.

DR RANDERA: Mrs Vilakazi, thank you very much for that.  It's been a long day for you.  You've been sitting very patiently and also, without realizing it myself, you've actually made us understand what happened on that day because as we said, somebody else came to speak about a shooting and her injury earlier on.  You have clarified things for us.  We are very glad that you came.  We've heard and noted your request to the Commission.  We do not of course have those powers to support requests as they come to us but we will note it and Miss Mkhize is the Chair of the Reparations Committee and those recommendations will go forward to Government.  Thank you very, very much for coming to-day.

UNKNOWN: Thank you too.  I would also like to add that I need a walking stick, if possible.