Human Rights Violation Hearings — Moutse — 1996-12-04

CHAIRPERSON: According to your understanding anybody who was disturbing the people or was disturbing the peace, you know amongst the people belonging to the chief, couldn't you have arrested those people in the name of the powers upon you from the chief?

JOB NDALANDA: I don't understand your question.  Can you please repeat your question.

MR MALAN: What I mean is as the police ... (nothing further on tape).

JOB NDALANDA: My job was to look after what is wrong within the village.  I am just giving you an example.  If a wife and a husband quarrels so I took the case to the chief.  That was my job.

CHAIRPERSON: And when Mbcoto was disturbing that peace you know you wouldn't even have appealed or reported to the chief and wait for orders from the chief regarding what you should do to those people who were disturbing the peace in the village?

JOB NDALANDA: Actually we were working, we were not threatening anyone, we were working peacefully.  We used to discipline everyone.  We used not to oppress anyone.  I could not do that because even the chief who was ruling that area didn't recognise Mbcoto.

CHAIRPERSON: And yet the powers of Mbcoto were above the powers of the chiefs, if I understand you correctly.

JOB NDALANDA: Yes. Because they were supporting the government.

CHAIRPERSON: And for that reason even when they arrested you or when they called you the chief's office would have no
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power to find out where you were and who was withholding you from the normal duties for the chief.

JOB NDALANDA: During that day when they attacked us actually the chief whom I was working under, he was my father.  They told him that they came to me and told him what happened.

CHAIRPERSON: What did your father say or what did your father do when he learned that you were abducted?

JOB NDALANDA: He was also surprised as to what happened.

CHAIRPERSON: I will come back to those people who were shot and killed.  What did you do, did you report this to their families?

JOB NDALANDA: No. Actually the one who died was Malaza.  His family moved from the area.  After Malaza died they moved from that area. They ran away because they were afraid.  I can put it like that.  Because we went there with the police to go and look for his parents.  They said since they left, that day after Malaza was killed those people that area.  We were told by their neighbours.

CHAIRPERSON: We thank you, Mr Ndalanda and you have contributed to the much needed knowledge about the true state of affairs in Kwandebele at this time.  We are truly hurt too with your family for what has happened to you.  After all this assault did you ever go to the doctor?  I don't know whether I heard you say about that, talk about that.

JOB NDALANDA: Yes, I went to the doctor.  I am also undergoing the treatment now.

CHAIRPERSON: What are you being treated for?

JOB NDALANDA: After having been assaulted I was frightened, I was having trauma.  I had sugar diabetes.

CHAIRPERSON: ... this regularly now?
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JOB NDALANDA: Yes, I go to H F at the end of the month.  I will go next week on the 9th, on Monday.

CHAIRPERSON: We are truly sorry for that and I will repeat that we are grateful that you did come to share with us of the plight of the people of Kwandebele at that time.  And we will do the best we can to trace and report on our findings with regard to the whole set up.  We thank you.