Human Rights Violation Hearings — Grahamstown — 1997-04-09

MILLICENT SHUMIKAZI SWARTBOOI: Yes, they were known.  It was Eric Zondani and Vuyisile Biko.

REV XUNDU: Did they appear in court for these cases?

MILLICENT SHUMIKAZI SWARTBOOI: Yes, they did.

REV XUNDU: Were they sentenced?

MILLICENT SHUMIKAZI SWARTBOOI: No, they were not sentenced.  They were represented by their Attorneys.  The Magistrate then said that - their Attorney didn't go to court.
 The Magistrate then said that he will sentence them if the lawyer does not appear.  The lawyer did go to court.  Eric Zondani was not found guilty.  Vuyisile Biko escaped.

REV XUNDU: Both of them were not charged, that was the
end of the case?

MILLICENT SHUMIKAZI SWARTBOOI: Yes, because Vuyisile escaped.

REV XUNDU: How old was Swelenkomo at the time?

MILLICENT SHUMIKAZI SWARTBOOI: I think he was 42 or 41 years old.

REV XUNDU: Was he working?

MILLICENT SHUMIKAZI SWARTBOOI: Yes, he was working at Tubaletu.

REV XUNDU: You were a widow?

MILLICENT SHUMIKAZI SWARTBOOI: No, Swelenkomo was my brother.

REV XUNDU: Where are his children now?

MILLICENT SHUMIKAZI SWARTBOOI: They are with his mother.

REV XUNDU: Did he have a wife?

MILLICENT SHUMIKAZI SWARTBOOI: No, he did not have a wife.

REV XUNDU: What would you like the Commission to do for that family, for your brother's family?

MILLICENT SHUMIKAZI SWARTBOOI: We have a responsibility at home because my brother was the one was supporting us at home.  He was also supporting his child.
 We were victims of the struggle at that time.  The door at home was cracked, it was full of pellets.  There is nobody to build up our home, my brother was going to help us in that.  I am the one responsible for all the problems at home. 
 I am also responsible for paying the rent at home.

REV XUNDU: You want the Commission to assist you?

MILLICENT SHUMIKAZI SWARTBOOI: Yes, the Commission will see what to do for me.  We would like Vuyisile to come forward to tell the truth about what he did to my brother.

REV XUNDU: We will try to investigate about Vuyisile Biko.  Thank you.  The Commission will hand over this matter to the investigators so that we can find out the truth.  Mr Chairperson, I hand over to you.

CHAIRPERSON: Ntsiki Sandi?

ADV SANDI: Thank you Mr Chairperson.  Mr Tyiwa, I have questions for you so that we can get clarity about this matter between PAC Amagolota and the Councillors.
 Let us start this way, as I was listening to all of you people from Fort Beaufort, most of the people in Fort Beaufort were members of the ANC, were supporters of the ANC?

KIVI WILLIAM TYIWA: There were people who were supporting the ANC, but on the other hand others were supporting PAC.

ADV SANDI: When you are talking about the PAC, were they the same people as Amagolota?

KIVI WILLIAM TYIWA: I can say so because they were staying on the same side.

ADV SANDI: Were they referring to themselves as PAC or were the people, the residents, referring to them, calling them PAC members?

KIVI WILLIAM TYIWA: Yes, because they were PAC.

ADV SANDI: Were they calling themselves PAC?

KIVI WILLIAM TYIWA: Yes.

ADV SANDI: Did they have meetings like any other organisation?

KIVI WILLIAM TYIWA: Yes, on their side they would call their meetings, they would not come to our ANC side.

ADV SANDI: Were any other PAC leaders from other towns attend their meetings or their rallies?

KIVI WILLIAM TYIWA: I don't know, because they were not holding the meetings on our ANC side.

ADV SANDI: When all the organisations were unbanned in 1990, were there people from Fort  Beaufort who were calling themselves PAC, did they join PAC at that time?

KIVI WILLIAM TYIWA: You mean did they join PAC?

ADV SANDI: Did they go to Parliament in Cape Town or in Bisho to represent PAC amongst these people?

KIVI WILLIAM TYIWA: I don't know, but what I know is that there was conflict in the township.  There was a PAC side and the ANC side.

ADV SANDI: Thank you sir.

CHAIRPERSON: We thank you sir and we also thank the ladies next to you.  The conflict that was between the PAC and the UDF and between the PAC and the ANC, this caused many people to be injured.
 Some of them lost their husbands and this Commission has to look into that.  It is true that there was a third force in all these situations.  We hope that the documents that the Commission has received, these days the documents explaining about the involvement of third force, will help us in trying to clarify this matter.
 But I think that it is the truth from which we cannot run away that in the history of this country, there was a political intolerance and this led to Black communities suffering and there were many people who lost their family members.
 I hope that the PAC side will come to the Commission to present their side of the story.  By doing so we can be able to heal our wounds so that we can try and stop political intolerance in this country in places like Fort Beaufort, Uitenhage and Port Alfred, where many people lost their lives because of the conflict between PAC, UDF and ANC at the time.
 We thank you for reminding us about this chapter in our lives and we will try to make means that this thing will
never happen again in our country.  We will forward your request to the President.  We thank you for coming here.