Human Rights Violation Hearings — Newcastle — 1996-09-12

WITNESS:   It was on a Wednesday on the 27th of April 1988.  The Security Police came to my place.  They were wearing Balaclavas and they had disguised themselves.  They were wearing gloves as well, but they were speaking Afrikaans and I could not identify them whether they were white or they were black.  The cars in which they were driving - I still remember the car in which I was put.  That is an white Ford Sierra.  And there was another one, a kombi, which I could not see the colour but it was a Ford Husky.  I was taken from home on that particular day, and it was just after 10.00 pm.  I think it was 20 past 10.  I was taken to the Newcastle Police Station, and just before we got there I was made to take off my coat, the coat that they said I should wear earlier on because it was cold.  They had told my parents that they would bring me back.  They wanted me to show them something and they were going to take me back home.  What happened in that night was that when I got to the police station I was told to take off this coat and cover my face, and I was taken out of the car.  I had to go and follow them as they were going, because I could hear their footsteps.  But what I did not notice was what sort of a place that I was walking on, because it was for the first time for me to be in that place.  I did not know whether it was a flat place or there were a flight of stairs, because I would go up a flight of stairs, and the next moment I was on a flat surface.  And at some stage I fell, and after falling I was manhandled and kicked, and I was told that I could see that I was walking on a flight of stairs.  But I do not know how they expected me to see the way because my face was covered.  That's then that I noticed that the place had a flight of stairs.  I was put in a certain room which I do not know whether it was an office, and I was blindfolded with a damp cloth on the eyes and I was taken to another place.  When I got there I was told to kneel down on my knees, and when I knelt on my knees that's when I felt something hitting me on the chest.  I thought it could probably be a shoe, somebody was kicking me, but I could not really detect what it was.  And some people were speaking at that time and I could hear their voices when they were assaulting me.  And they were saying that they had found the problem.  And they asked me as to what I knew about the death of a certain Sergeant Mazibuko, and what part I was playing in these political organisations.  I would like to retrace my steps and tell you about the Osizweni Youth Organisation.  We were three when we founded this organisation, but some of the people who were involved in fighting for the freedom of a black man, who were Thembinkosi and Basil, and at that time they had been arrested.  We made contact.  We wrote letters to each other.  That is how I got information as to how we could form certain organisations.  That is how we founded or started the Osizweni Organisation, and it was known as OYO by the community.  And OYO was a very powerful organisation which threatened the Government at that time.  When I was at the police station they wanted me to tell them as to what I knew about the death of that policeman.  It was very clear to me that there were a lot of things that were needed, because what they told me at that time was that as from 1986, when Thembinkosi and Basil were arrested, they were trying to follow me up.  They even got rumour that I was detained in Swaziland for public violence, because I was trying to skip the country.  And I did not know how they got that information because it was some secret information between us as members.  I went on to explain to them that I did not have any knowledge as to the death of that policeman, and who killed the policeman.  I was tortured even further when I denied any knowledge.  I was tortured and interrogated up until the following morning when the new shift, that is the morning shift, was coming to work.  I had not seen some of them, but I could hear their names when they were calling each other.  Basson was one of them, also Venter, and I could hear them calling Simelane.  On the following day, that was now on the 28th, that's when the situation started changing, and I was forced to talk and interrogated.  I was forced to fabricate a statement with regard to the death of the policeman.  That is during that night when I was given something.  I don't know what it was, it was an equipment or an apparatus which was used to electrocute me, and it electrocuted me.  I fell down, and I was manhandled, kicked and assaulted a that time.  And during the day I was handcuffed.  My feet were put on chains and I was taken back home.  I was told that I should show them the weapons with which I had killed the policeman.  I was being threatened that even though my colleagues were arrested I was going to be taken in also, and I was going to be hung by the neck.  They started searching my place extensively, looking for certain weapons which they did not get.  They also took some of my important documents, as well as my matric certificate as well as birth certificate, which were never recovered up until now.  They took me back to the police station and they told me that they were going to arrest me.  When we got to the police station all of the people who were in that office went outside and left me all by myself in that office, and they came back.  They said I should tell them as to how I had killed Mazibuko, and at that time I did not even know Mazibuko.  I don't even know Mazibuko today.  I continued being harassed, and when they realised that I knew nothing about the death of Mazibuko they said to me I should tell them about the organisation, as well as the strategies employed by Osizweni Youth Organisation.  And I could not disclose such information because I knew that the objectives, as well as the strategies upon which this organisation was based - our main objective was that we wanted to achieve national democracy, and we were busy with all the communities, white as well as black communities.  And I could not understand as to why they felt threatened by this organisation, and I declined to disclose any further information, and that's what led to my torture.  I was asked as to how I was feeling physically.  I told them that I was not feeling fine.  I was further asked whether I wanted to see a doctor.  I told them that if they wanted to take me to a doctor they could, and if they didn't want to they might as well not do it.  I was taken from that place on that particular day and I was abandoned next to Public Works.  And I think the distance could be about two kilometres from that place to my place, and I could not walk because I had been severely beaten.  Luckily I arrived at my place and I collapsed thereafter.  The following day I was taken by my mother, as well as my brother, Oliver.  They took me to the doctor, and when I got to the doctor the doctor said there was nothing he could do, he could not help me, and he referred me to the hospital.  I collapsed thereafter, I lost my consciousness.  I was discharged from the hospital.  I don't know even remember how many days I stayed at the hospital.  And they came once more to my place and they asked me what my intentions were with regard to politics, whether I wanted to work with them as an informer or I wanted to continue with my political organisation.  And they said to me they had the powers to influence my comrades to turn against me and be State witnesses.  And I could see that that was a threat, and I was not going to be intimidated.  After some days

COMMISSIONER: /Mr Simelane