Human Rights Violation Hearings — Venda — 1996-10-04

RUSSELL ALLY: (tape starts)  .... down please.  We will continue taking statements, and we certainly hope that we will be able to come back here if not towards the end of this year, then definitely some time next year.
 Can I please ask our next witness to come forward.  Mr Tshikalange.  Good afternoon to you sir, welcome and thank you for coming.  Are you following the translation okay, is it coming through?

RANGOEZI TSHIKALANGE: Yes.

RUSSELL ALLY: Thank you, I am going to hand you over to Commissioner Lyster who is going to assist you with your evidence and he is also going to ask you to take the oath.  Thank you.

MR LYSTER: Thank you.  Good afternoon Mr Tshikalange, can you please stand and take the oath?

RANGOEZI TSHIKALANGE: (sworn states)

MR LYSTER: Before we start, can you just tell us who you have with you there at the table?

RANGOEZI TSHIKALANGE: I've got the people who are the leaders of the country and they are citizens of Tsififi.

MR LYSTER: Right, we welcome them too, today.  Mr Tshikalange, you are going to tell us today about the consequences of your banishment, we understand, we have read your statement.  In your statement you have told us that you were a traditional Chief of the Tsififi area and that you
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were banished by one of the previous Presidents of this country to, you were deposed and banished and you were sent to live under house arrest many, many miles from your home and that you struggled in these conditions for many years and that you finally managed to be reinstated in your rightful position.
 This deposing and banishment had consequences for you and that really is what you have come to tell us about today.  In so telling us about what happened to your family, members of your family, your wife and your children, you can make mention of your - the fact that you were deposed and the fact that you were banished, but that isn't essentially what we are here to listen to today.
 The Truth and Reconciliation Commission is only allowed to hear evidence of severe human rights violations and gross human rights violations.
 And the violations which you suffered took place in the context of your deposing and banning, so if you can just bear that in mind when you are giving us your evidence.

RANGOEZI TSHIKALANGE: The Chairperson and the Commissioners and everybody who is here, the audience, I am thankful.  What led me into being deposed and getting this banishment and some of the consequences that was on the 9th of September 1965.
 Personally my father died in July 1963, then I was made the Chief in 1963, December on the 15th.  Then I was working in Pretoria, staying in Soswell Hostel.  Before I became a king or a Chief, I asked other people as to why Mr Tsowasa was deposed and he was in Natal, why Mr Tsikonelha went to Zeerust.
 Those people replied as follows:  they said there are 
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some people who have authority and power who can put people in power and sometimes remove them and I asked them who are these people and they said this one White man who is using a car, who does it.
 I wanted to know, I enquired, I wanted to investigate as to where do they get such rights, how does one get power.  That is not the way it should be.  As I was still finding out, I realised that there was something written down, they had the powers because it was according to the rules, it was legal, you can put somebody in power and sometimes, as long as he complies with what they wanted.
 Then I realised that it was an act which was enacted in 1927, and I realised that the very same act, it was during the time when the Whites arrived here.  They went back to London and came back with this Act in 1927 and gave it to the Governor General so that they shall put the Chiefs in rural areas, that led into the situation that I am.
 Then I realised that there was no other way other than getting committed that I shall be (indistinct).  Fortunately on the 17th of July 1965, when we were at Mbele, there came some letters, some letters arrived, which were written by Mr (indistinct).  These letters explained that somebody could just be deposed and they know how they could do that.
 The letter that challenged me together with other people was, I am going to read it as follows.  The letter reads as follows, it was addressed to the Chief (indistinct).
 Firstly I'd like to create, the people who are in Pretoria, they wanted me to address the law which was enacted in Parliament, last session, which gave us the power so that there shouldn't any appeal made when we are going to VENDA HEARING TRC/NORTH WEST
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deal with this.  If somebody is going to be very opposed to what we are doing, we are going to send him to prison, where the other people are.  Since I am given this power to put anybody in power the people who are in authority have some, are in unity.
 This letter is the letter that I received on Friday which was responding to the report that I had given to the people of Ramwoda.  They told me that it is the only letter is like for the Minister.
 That is what happened, it was so difficult.  I'd like you to help me in the secret which is not being given to somebody so that we shall get the laws and rules.  We want to contact people like Tshikalange and Maqowe and other people who I've already done a recommendation.
 Now I feel that, I hear that some people who are in power in (indistinct) what worries me is that Ngadeni is the son of Maqwesa, now are you not giving a platform for conflict?
 According to my views, we wanted Maqwesa to be in power, then he took Ngadeni and took him somewhere where there will be a space.   The people who will be creating some conflicts, we are going to give them court order, deposition order.
 I'd like to arrive there now, let them write if there is any possibility of us seeing each other and other people who are going to arrive this week.  We are going to tell the Chief Commissioner that we are electing this person, we don't want to go for Christmas before we know who is going to have the Chiefship.
 This is the whole thing.  If you read this, just burn it because this is witchcraft, thank you.
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 These letters are six, I am only going to read two.  This letter is going to make you feel that if at all you are a leader, you should know how Chiefship is so that one should not just simply be deposed as we are called Chief's orders.  I am just going to read two letters now.

MR LYSTER: We would you please to summarise the letters or just give us the gist of the letters to us.