Human Rights Violation Hearings — Mooiriver — 1997-05-28

WITNESS:   On the 3rd of December I was painting the house, particularly the sitting-room, and just as I finished - my mother was present, as well as my sister's daughter.  Just as we were starting to put the furniture back into the sitting-room, as we were doing that - I think we were fitting the curtains at that time - we heard some gunfire outside, and my mother said we should leave whatever we were doing, we will finish off the following day.  And we abandoned those duties.  At that time we heard gunfire up to the time that we went to bed.  I think later on, at about half past three in the morning, I heard my mother waking us up.  She was at the sitting-room.  She woke us up and she said, "Here is Inkatha group.  They have come to attack."  At that time we heard the sound of shattering glass.  They were breaking the windows, and we were scared to go out of the bedroom.  It was myself, Thando, as well as my daughter, who was six years old at that time, and my boy, who was one year six months at that time.  We were scared to go out of the bedroom.  My mother was saying that she could see people breaking the windows, as well as the wall cabinet, and she said that I should come out and help her to remove those goods so that they would not be broken, but I was very scared to go out.  And Thando said that I should open up the wardrobe so that she could hide herself in there.  As I was just opening the wardrobe she said she was smelling smoke and she could see some flames from the back house.  We went out through the back window, the bedroom window, which was obscured by a shack and they couldn't see us from that direction.  So she jumped out and we ran to the neighbour's place.  I threw the other baby, that is the one year six months old, and I threw the other one who was six years old.  We jumped the fence and went to Zokela's place.  Just as we were entering the passage we noticed that we were being followed, and some were accosting us at that time, and when we tried to knock at this  house they just couldn't open the door.  I think they were also scared.  I took the smaller child into the toilet.  As they were still knocking at the door I got into the toilet, and luckily the toilet was not locked.  I pushed the door.  I was having the baby in the other hand, and I could hear them saying that they should come and push the door and kill me because I was in the toilet.  I think it was the Almighty's power that they did not come for me.  I stayed in the toilet for quite some time, and when I went out to try and see what had happened to the rest of the group I saw my sister's child, Thando, sprawled on the ground.  She had been stabbed, and at that time they had opened the doors at this house because there were soldiers.  The child who was six years old had been taken into the house, and I ran to my place because when we left the house was burning, and I knew that my mother did not survive.  And when I went out the soldiers refused me permission to go to my place, and I insisted on going because I could see that the house was burning.  And as I was going there I came across them along the way, but I also survived.  I was rushing home to try and rescue my mother.  When I got to the house the house was filled with smoke and I couldn't see anything.  I couldn't even see where my mother was.  I was not able to go into the bathroom to fetch some water.  I asked for water from the opposite house and they gave me water.  They also helped me to try and put out the fire until I was able to put out the fire, and I went inside.  I found my mother sprawled on the passage.  The way that she had been stabbed the whole place was just a pool of blood.  She had 24 stab wounds.  I think everybody just took his turn to stab.  I tried to pull her outside because the house was still burning.  I dragged her outside and I was trying to extinguish the fire all at the same time.  And I left her lying outside and I ran back to the house where we had sought refuge, and I discovered that she had been taken an put alongside the road, and some had speculated that she was already dead at that time.  And my six-year-old was hit with a big rock on the chest, and they left him there for dead.

CHAIRPERSON: When did the police come?

WITNESS:   Thereafter we tried to get some transport to ferry these people to the hospital, because I have a strong belief that had she been taken to the hospital in time she would have survived, but the police and the soldiers refused.  They said that they were not able and they were not going to take anyone to the hospital.  When I went down the passage to go and check my mother there is a person that I was able to identify who was leaving my place at that time.  He was an Inkatha member working for a certain firm.  I came across him.  He was from my place.

CHAIRPERSON: You don't have to give his name now if you don't want to, but do you know who he is, do you know of his identity?

WITNESS:   His name is Lagcabasi.

CHAIRPERSON: Did you say anything to him?  Did he say anything to you?

WITNESS:   No, I never spoke to him, because at that time I was rushing to my place to try and rescue my mother, and he was leaving the place at that time.

CHAIRPERSON: What did you do after that?

WITNESS:   The police and the soldiers dispersed the Inkatha group and they left us, so I was able to go back home and try and rescue some of the goods.  I was collecting shattered glass and trying to extinguish the fire.  Even the back house or the outside building was burnt down to ashes.

CHAIRPERSON: Who took the bodies to the mortuary, or to the police station?

WITNESS:   I am not really sure, but it was white men who came to take the bodies, but I don't know where they came from or who they are.

CHAIRPERSON: Did you make a statement to the police about what happened?

WITNESS:   They didn't even tell us to submit a statement.  They just took the bodies and put them in the mortuary until such time that we went to fetch them for the burial.  No statement was submitted.

CHAIRPERSON: Was there any inquiry or inquest or court case that you recall, or that you were ever called to or that you took part in?

WITNESS:   No, nothing of that sort happened.  I was never called anywhere to answer any questions.

CHAIRPERSON: Now, we heard evidence yesterday from many other people about what happened during that period.  Are you aware of how many other people were killed on that same night?

WITNESS:   I think there were 18, because there was a mass funeral that was conducted for all the victims - children, women, as well as men.

CHAIRPERSON: How old was your mother at the time, Ria?

WITNESS:   She was 65 years old.

CHAIRPERSON: And Thando, your daughter?

WITNESS:   She was 18 years old.  She's my sister's daughter.  She was 18 years old.

CHAIRPERSON: Were there any men in the house at the time?

WITNESS:  No, we were staying all by ourselves.  There was no male in the house.

CHAIRPERSON: Do you have any idea why they attacked your house and killed your mother and your niece?

WITNESS:   I do not know, because we were not even involved in politics.

CHAIRPERSON: Ria, are you still staying in the same house now?

WITNESS:   Yes, I still am staying there.  My brother advised me to move away from the place, and I moved away and went to stay with him in Durban, but I came back home.

CHAIRPERSON: And how have you managed to cope with this tragedy in your family?

WITNESS:   I was very traumatised.  I lost a great deal of weight.  I wasn't able to eat for quite a long time.  I even went to Ladysmith, to my sister, and I became quite reclusive.  I couldn't mix with other people.  They even had to take my child for a period of two years, and they were also complaining that she was having panic attacks.  She was always scared, and at times they would wake up and pray in the evening, pray for my daughter.