Human Rights Violation Hearings — Grahamstown — 1997-04-08

MR MBEKELA: I was no longer sleeping at home, I was sleeping all over the show.  On that day when this incident took place I had already received information that they were guarding my place and I'm sure some people who are here had been working for the police at the time would know that.  I wasn't sleeping at home any longer and I don't know what happened that day.  I entered my from the back, I never used the front door any longer, we used to jump over the fence and it was after 11.  This incident took place at 12 midnight.
 When we got in we went to the room and what I remember was the way in which we were startled by the flames which started to come in and it was not a petrol bomb, it was a fire bomb which became apparent during the investigations. It was discovered during the investigations and a specialist opinion was obtained and it was established that it was started by a fire bomb. 
 Chairperson when this incident took place and when we were startled I grabbed Miseka and we ran.  The room in which we were was engulfed by flames.  By the time I grabbed her, I'm sure that we must have parted when we got to the door because I would say that at that time I was not thinking straight and she was shouting looking for me and I was looking for her.  But what we did was to phone the police firstly.  I knew they were very sensitive because they would always have an excuse.  In spite of the bad situation I phoned the police and their phone was engaged so I tried again but it was still engaged.  I tried to phone the ambulance but it was engaged, I then phoned Priscilla Hall who was someone who worked with us and she responded and said she was on her way. 
 Someone else who I called was Olivia Visser, I know that her name was associated with investigating people who were involved with the ANC at the time.  I got there and we were taken in different cars to the hospital.  When we got to the hospital Mr Chairperson we were separated. Miseka had 80% burns on her body and I was told by Superintendent White that I should be admitted.  I think he's in P E now.  I refused to be admitted because at the time there was information that the Security Branch was outside and at the time they thought that I was dead and when they discovered that I was still alive they wanted to kidnap me so that I would not be traced.
 The person who advised me was Roland White because he had pictures of me as well and he said to me that I should not allow myself to be admitted because if I did I would disappear without a trace.  And Roland White was chased thereafter, I don't know who chased him, although security branches were involved.
 The fact that we are here now is because we as victims deem it very important because the people of South Africa have shown the new government that we do not bear grudges as such.  We did not fight for liberation at the time so that we could prosecute these people once we were in power and the person who was leading the security branches, Meister, should come to the fore and say whether these took place with his knowledge or without and if they were done with his knowledge, what he did about them. The names of persons who were used by them to prosecute us should be exposed so that we can know who we can forgive, because you cannot forgive someone without knowing who to forgive.
 If I'm not mistaken, the following day Miseka was sent to Livingstone Hospital where she died.
     That is what happened Mr Chairperson.

MR SANDI: You said in your statement that you did not lay a charge with regard to this?

MR MBEKELA: We did not lay a charge Mr Chairperson, the situation I was in at the time would have made it very difficult for me to go and lay a charge because if I had done that I would have been arrested. I would have been handing myself over to the police basically because they came to look for me several times to get me to lay a charge. I only made a statement in jail.

MR SANDI: When you were arrested in June, what was your situation like?

MR MBEKELA: Firstly I was not arrested in June, I was arrested after the state of emmergency was declared after Mathews Goniwe's burial in July.  The situation at the time was that all activists were psychologically unwell because what was important was that you had to understand your situation so that you could do your own self-counselling by psyching yourself.  The situation which I and others were in was that psychologically we were unwell because on the one hand you were being hunted, on the other hand you were not sleeping at home and privately you were disorganised, so I was in a situation of turmoil, to put it properly.

MR SANDI: You said that you wished to know who these people were that did this?

MR MBEKELA: Mr Chairperson I would like to know the perpetrators, the people who did this to me and the people who were working with them, so that we can reconcile here in South Africa because what is important, is to build the nation, because we saw what Apartheid did to the people.

MR SANDI: Is that all you wanted to say?

MR MBEKELA: Secondly, if it is possible, the Truth Commission, I would like it to help the victim because she is no longer here.  The life of a person is priceless but if the Government or the Truth Commission would recommend something that would show that her life had value, the family would be satisfied to know who were the people who did this to her.

MR SANDI: Thank you Mr Mbekela. Let us now go to Ms Koliwe Tonyela.

MR SANDI: Is Misaka Tonyela your sister?

KOLIWE CHRISTINA TONYELA: Yes Mr Chairperson she was my sister.

MR SANDI: How old was she at the time?

KOLIWE CHRISTINA TONYELA: She was 21 years old.

MR SANDI: What was she doing?

KOLIWE CHRISTINA TONYELA: She was working in Checkers.

MR SANDI: How did you hear about this incident that Miseka got injured when the house was put alight?

KOLIWE CHRISTINA TONYELA: Miseka visited her boy friend.  She was supposed to go to work at six but she did not come home.  We thought that she woke up late so she decided to go straight to work.  We went to work and at half past nine our father came and said me Miseka was in Livingstone Hospital, she was in a house that was set alight so she was burnt. I asked who did this and my father said he didn't know but we have to go home and go to the hospital to visit her.
 Before we went to Livingstone, my brother decided to phone there and we were told that she had been admitted to that hospital and was in room 3B.  We then went to Port Elizabeth and arrived there at about 12 and went to see her.  She was badly burnt, I didn't even recognise her.  She was dark, black like a tyre, she couldn't even see.  I asked Miseka what was it and she told me that they were looking for Christian and were bombed while sleeping.  She tried to escape but couldn't.  I asked her who did this. who did she suspect and she said that she thought that they were boers.
 We couldn't talk to her and then decided to go back to Grahamstown and phoned our brother in Port Elizabeth.  He visited her the following day at about eleven and was then told that she passed away.

MR SANDI: On the day of the funeral, were you disturbed by the police?

KOLIWE CHRISTINA TONYELA: We were not disturbed by the police, the funeral continued without disturbance.

MR SANDI: Do you have a request to make before this Commission today?

KOLIWE CHRISTINA TONYELA: Yes I have a request.  I would like the perpetrators to come forward so that we can know who they are.

MR SANDI: You also mentioned a tombstone.  Do you remember what you said about a tombstone?

KOLIWE CHRISTINA TONYELA: Yes I did mention something about a tombstone.

MR SANDI: Can you please tell us what it was?

KOLIWE CHRISTINA TONYELA: I told my family about this but they disagreed with me.

MR SANDI: Is that all you want to say?

KOLIWE CHRISTINA TONYELA: Yes that is all.