Amnesty Hearings — East London — 1999-11-02

XOLISA MKONWANA: The reason why Nomboniso and Mr Paka were targeted because Nomboniso, it was alleged that she was an informer and this has been reinforced by the fact that when people went to her house to warn her that she must refrain from being an informer, our comrades were arrested and they were tortured subsequently and when they came back they informed a number of us or that we had been arrested for that, the fact that Nomboniso, we had gone to Nomboniso's house and secondly, as to Mr Paka, Mr Paka was an orator and he could make people very inflammatory because he was a member of the senate and the statements that he made at the gatherings of the senate inflamed us and the wrath of the comrades at that time and that is the reason why he was targeted and he was an orator and he was a good man but who happened to be on the wrong side of the fence.

MR MALUSI: The comrades you referred to ...(intervention)

CHAIRPERSON: Was he part of the Ciskeian Government?

XOLISA MKONWANA: No he was a member of the Ciskeian National Independence Party and they used to organise meetings and then these meetings he used to stand up and address the people and there were people attending these meetings.

CHAIRPERSON: You say that's the Ciskeian?

XOLISA MKONWANA: National Independence Party, it was led by L L Sebe.

CHAIRPERSON: Yes.

MR MALUSI: The people who you referred to as having gone to warn Nomboniso to stop her activities as an informer, as you allege, who were those people?

XOLISA MKONWANA: I was part of those people but the only person who I can now remember and one of those people who were arrested as a result of having gone to Nomboniso's home on that particular day is Mr Matundu and he was one of the people who were taken into custody and tortured and released thereafter.

MR MALUSI: Is the incident you are referring to of Nomboniso of having been warned about her activities as an informer different from the incident related to in page 11 of the bundle by Ms Cakwe, the mother to the deceased?  That would be page 11, paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 where she is referring to Kenny Tokwe, Vuyo Dikene and others having gone to her house and tortured her daughter somewhere else and brought her back saying she's exonerated so to speak?  Is the incident you are referring to different from that one?

XOLISA MKONWANA: No, it's totally different, the warning came prior to this, I heard about this one but I was not here but I heard that she had been burnt with plastic on her wrists but it had happened after we had gone to her house but on that day that we went to her house we did not take her with us, we just warned her and went away and after that something like this happened and I should think that it was carried out by a few mavericks within the structure because it was not intended that she must be burnt with plastic and what the intention was to remove her permanently.

MR MALUSI: So the structure knew about this torture, came to hear of this torture, came to hear of this torture.

XOLISA MKONWANA: Yes, we came to hear about this thing, I came to hear about this thing that she had been burnt with plastic on her wrists but I do not know why but I recognise one man here and I know that person.  I should think that he's my cousin.

MR MALUSI: So the structure did not go along with this exoneration, that is Genetokwa that, she was not an informer and it was just jealousy?

XOLISA MKONWANA: No, he didn't and otherwise the fact that Genetokwa exonerated her was questioned by certain people because he had not been in Sada for quite some time and where he was we didn't know and it was rumoured that he maybe collaborating with the system because he had not been in Sada when we needed him most because he was more politically advanced than many of us but he had not been there and he did not account for that but he was exonerated later on.

MR MALUSI: Finally Sir, I know you do not have to say anything to the victims that are here but I've been asked to extend an invitation to you to say something if you want to to them?

XOLISA MKONWANA: I see today that the mother and the sister of Nomboniso are here.  I knew the mother as Magadebe and the sister as Togiso Priscilla Cakwe and I have known Nomboniso for ten years prior to this unfortunate incidents.  I have been a student with Togiso for quite some time and I think that her mother knew my father very well and what happened in 1986 was very unfortunate.  It was an accident of history from which we could not run away and I regret that it should happen in that way and Nomboniso was a good girl, she was beautiful, I even had a crush for her when we were in the primary school.  	As for Mr Paka he was a very good man, he was a teacher in our area and in that school progress came by when he arrived.  I should think that the academic standards were very low there and when he came to teach there discipline was asserted, well once again reasserted and there was no truancy.  He was a very good man.  It's very unfortunate that I knew him within the political context of the South African history.  I apologise to those families, both families, and I understand that I have come here to the Committee voluntarily, I have applied voluntarily and I also understand that they may never forgive me for what happened although I was not at the execution but I understand that maybe they understand why this should happen, sacrifices were made on both sides.  So I apologise to both families.  Thank you.

MR MALUSI: That's all the questions I have Mr Chairperson.  The other aspect I wanted to cover with the Committee is to have the victims given a victim status by the Committee.  I don't know if this is the appropriate time to make that application to the Committee?
NO FURTHER QUESTIONS BY MR MALUSI

CHAIRPERSON: We would have done it in any event.  Mr Mapoma, have you got any questions?

MR MAPOMA: Thank you Chairperson, I have no questions.
NO QUESTIONS BY MR MAPOMA

CHAIRPERSON: I don't suppose you have any re-examination Mr Nompozolo?

MR NOMPOZOLO: Thank you, none Mr Chairperson.
NO QUESTIONS BY MR NOMPOZOLO

ADV SIBANYONI: Just one question.  The Ciskei Independence National Party, how was it in relation to your structures?  Was it an organisation which you can regard as an enemy or how was it?

XOLISA MKONWANA: It was an appendage of the National Party which ruled South Africa at that time and we regarded as a puppet organisation which was aimed at oppressing the people of Ciskei and we also regarded the Ciskei National Independence Party then as an organisation that extorted monies from our parents and especially from elders who were senior citizens who were getting pensions because if they had to pay some monies which were not explained to the Ciskei National Independence Party, subscriptions, whereas they were not members of the Ciskei National Independence Party at the pain of having their pensions taken away from them.

ADV SIBANYONI: I think that was the only question, Mr Chairperson.

CHAIRPERSON: Were those political crimes raised with the members of this party?

XOLISA MKONWANA: Of the?

CHAIRPERSON: Of the political parties that assisted the apartheid regime?