Human Rights Violation Hearings — Pietermaritzburg — UNKNOWN

WITNESS:   We went back into the house.  While we were in the house there was a sound as if something had been thrown to our houses.  We can hear the sounds on top of our zincs, our corrugated iron.  And this was happening next door.  It was like the falling of rocks thrown from a distance.  People were afraid and they started running into their houses.  My husband, "Who is at the Ngcobo place?" because it seemed as if these sounds of stones thrown onto the roof it's happening at Ngcobo's place.  I said, "Yes, they are there," and it seemed as if he wanted to get up and go out to help.  I told him, "Don't worry, they are there," because I didn't want him to go out.  We were confused and we didn't know what was happening at that time.  We sat in the house.  I put the food on top of the table.  We started eating, and my husband was sitting by the window at the extreme end of the table, and I was sitting facing - on the other side facing the table.  He was just sitting next to the window and the window was open, but there was a curtain on the window.  We just opened it a bit.  While we just started eating I heard an explosion.  I stood up.  I started shouting, I said, "It had happened," and then I started to draw back.  I went to the passage, I stood next to a fridge which was on the passage.  I tried to peep to find out what exactly was happening, thinking that I could see anything, or people running outside.  I couldn't see anything, and the children from the dining-room ran to us - towards us.  I heard my elder daughter saying, "Mum, they have shot my father."  I looked at her.  I looked at  my husband where he was sitting.  He was still sitting there, but I could see there was some blood oozing from his head.  I went straight to him, I hold him.  He stood up, he came to me, and then I was staggering because he was now falling on top of me.  I was trying to find a place where I could lay him down on the floor.  I heard my children crying.

MR DLAMINI: Won't you need some water?  Can they please give you some water.  (Pause)  Take your time.  We know it's difficult to remember such painful events.  Please take your time.  (Pause)  You can continue when you feel well.

WITNESS:   I put him down on the floor.  I tried to resuscitate him.  I sort of like untie his belt.  I could see that he was dying.  My clothes were full of blood.  One of my younger child came near.  He was seven years old at that time.  He hold his father.  He held him and he took off the watch on his hand - from his hand.

MR DLAMINI: You can take your time.  (Pause)

WITNESS:   I took off his shoes.  I could see that he was dying, but I didn't know what to do because I was alone.  I knew even if I could try to find some help people were afraid, they couldn't come to help me.  I told myself I have to be strong.  I did everything.  He looked at me as if - it looked as if he was laughing, smiling.  I thought maybe he will say something.  He didn't say anything, and from that moment I realised that he is gone.  And then I closed up his eyes.  After that my children came near.  They started crying.  I tried to comfort them and tell them to keep quiet, because if they continued to cry that will affect me very much.  There was nothing to do, so they have to be strong too so that we can all try to work something out.  I had to think to find out what I can do, to find out where I am going to sleep and how I am going to survive from there.  After that I told my daughter to run to make a call in one of the families.

MR DLAMINI: We would like you to sort of speak up.

WITNESS:   I asked my daughter to go and make a call in one of the families nearby, and a daughter from our neighbour started coming towards - was coming running towards our house.  I gave them the number where they had to call.  They had to call one of my brothers.  They ran to go and make the call.  I decided to contact my relatives who were staying next to us to tell them what had happened.  I closed the door and I left my husband inside the house lying on the ground.  I took my two children with me.  We went straight to Maduna family, where Ma Ziqubu resides.  We were standing by the gate and we told them.  One of their in-laws came and we told her that, "They have killed your uncle."  And she started crying.  I told her not to cry.  She went back to the house and I passed.  I knew that she would go and tell the others and they would see what to do.

MR DLAMINI: I would like to take a short cut here.  During your husband's funeral, since he was a member of the IFP, although he was no longer very much involved, did the IFP play any role during the funeral, or did they ever come to the funeral, or did they ever come to comfort you?

WITNESS:  No, nothing happened, because even after I just came back from Ma Ziqubu one of my daughters went to Mr Mlaba, the leader of the IFP, to tell him exactly what happened.  They didn't find him.  They came back.  They came back with his brother called Bheki.  He arrived at my place.  He just sat in the dining-room and he didn't even want to see my husband's body.  We asked him to come and see my husband's body, but he refused, and he just left us like that.  Mlaba himself didn't come.  The next morning I wake up with my relatives who had come to comfort  me.  The Maduna family tried to help me by calling the police, and one of the sons they called him from work and he arrived at home on his car, and when the police arrived he was already at our place.  And they took him from my place.  No one from the IFP came to help us.

MR DLAMINI: From the police, did they take any statement?  Is there any investigation that they made?

WITNESS:  Yes, they did take a statement.

MR DLAMINI: After taking a statement after some time did they ever call you to appear before a Court of Law regarding the death, or did they have any inquest, or ever arrest anybody in connection with the death of your husband?

WITNESS:   No, we never appeared in court.  They just took a statement and told me that the next morning I have to come and see them at the police station.  Mr Maduna took me to the police station on that particular day.  We only wrote down the statement, and they were telling me that my statement is not good, and were busy correcting some of the things in my statement.

MR DLAMINI: Who was this policeman who was helping you to make your statement?  You don't remember him?

WITNESS:   Yes, I don't remember him.

MR DLAMINI: After he took your statement did he ever gave you the number of your docket or file?

WITNESS:   There is something to do with a docket that I still have in possession.

MR DLAMINI: So if you have anything like that we would like you to bring it to us so that we can try to investigate.

WITNESS:  Yes, I remember the man who was taking the statement.  It's Mr Mhlongo.

MR DLAMINI: Is he still at Hammarsdale?

WITNESS:   I don't know because I left the place already.

MR DLAMINI: Did they ever call you to a court of law?  Have you ever been called to ... (incomplete)

WITNESS:   No, we have never been called to a court of law.

MR DLAMINI: Do you have your husband's death certificate?