Human Rights Violation Hearings — Sebokeng — 1994-08-05

PROF MEIRING: Thank you very much for telling your story to us.  Mr Nkabinde, can we just go back to your story, just to amplify, to clarify a few issues.  How long were you working for the Van Wyks when they took you on holiday down to the South Coast?

MRS HLUPHEKILE NKABINDE: If I am not mistaken, sir - I cannot read but it was four years that I have been working at the Van Wyks.

PROF MEIRING: And listening to your story it seems to
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me that the children loved you very much and you loved the two children.

MRS HLUPHEKILE NKABINDE: I loved them very much.

PROF MEIRING: And now talking about the bomb that went off, do you have any idea who planted the bomb, who was responsible for that?

MRS HLUPHEKILE NKABINDE: The person who is responsible, when we were at the hospital the white nurses told me that the person who planted that bomb is also in the hospital, lying in hot baths.   Now to clearly grip his name it was when we were in the court and he was called in Andrew Zondo.  His  father was a minister of religion.  When he appeared before the Court he said he was deeply disturbed about the conditions of the black people, he felt sorry for the injuries that we sustained.  It was myself and the other woman but his aim was to kill the WAS.

PROF MEIRING: Did he belong to a certain political party, was it because of his political objectives that he did that?

MRS HLUPHEKILE NKABINDE: When he gave his evidence in the court he said he had been out of school for five years and then he was taught how to plant a bomb.  I don't know was he giving the lectures by the terrorists or who.  I really do not know.

PROF MEIRING: May I ask, just to get the record straight, the injured were you and another woman and the two children.  Is that right?  And the man who planted the bomb or were there many other people also injured in the blast?

MRS HLUPHEKILE NKABINDE: Black people were only two.  Most of the injured were white.  If I am not mistaken 280 people died and after surviving the death toll was 269.
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PROF MEIRING: We will check on that.  I don't think that the number was as large as that but we will check on that and thank you for telling us this.  You say that you had much contact afterwards with the Van Wyk family but that the contact was not very good.  Was that because of the shock, do you think, because the anguish they suffered because of their childrens', the one injury and the other one who died?

MRS HLUPHEKILE NKABINDE: I don't have any idea of that, sir.

PROF MEIRING: Mrs Nkabinde, thank you, I think I have finished with everything I wanted to ask but I do think that some of my colleagues would like to ....

MS SEROKE: Mrs Nkabinde, I would like to explain to you that you are the third person now since we have started the hearings who has been involved in the bomb blast of Amanzimtoti.  Andrew Zondo you are talking about was hanged and executed for causing that bomb blast.  He was at the age of 18 years young as that.  The mother of Andrew Zondo did come to the hearings of Durban.  She was coming to give the testimonies about and how bad she felt about what happened to Andrew Zondo that even though he had committed what he did, but because of his age he wasn't supposed to be hanged.  The second one who appeared also about this very bomb blast was Johan Smith of Pretoria.  Also his child Corne Smith was killed in the very same bomb blast.  He was at the age of 18.  I think he was the same age as William.  William was only one year two days.  I think William was also younger than Corneo because Corneo was only eight years.  Johan Smith and Annemarie did give testimony at our hearings in Methodist church and they said they have surprised the whole
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South Africa and the whole world about reconciliation, that even though their child died but there is no one who they can blame or - they did went to meet the other people and they reconciled with them.   And they said their son died because he was trying to get things right in this country and Mr Smith said his son, the death of his son will actually make ANC to unite with the other government, the previous government as far as reconciliation is concerned and now lady you are the third one of this very same bomb blast.  I see that this bomb blast has a long history in our books and as we prepare the report for the Truth Commission we have so much to say about this bomb blast because it has shown so much conflict and the way the child has planted the bomb and people died, trying to make things right in this country.  And some people who were innocent died and were affected.  The mother is saying she has forgiven all these people.  I  just wanted to explain to you even the people who died in that bomb blast were actually five.  I think you have made a mistake about the number.  Thank you.

COMMISSIONER: Thank you.

DR RANDERA: Mrs Nkabinde, I just want to follow up from what Miss Seroke has just said, that you lost your eye in that bomb blast.  You suffered other injuries in that bomb blast and we all know now that Andrew Zondo, this 18 year old young person was hanged for the planting of that bomb blast.  Do you feel you can forgive him for what he did?

MRS HLUPHEKILE NKABINDE: Yes, I do forgive him, sir because my not forgiving him won't help me in any way.  The strength that I had to work for my children, it won't come back and I just forgive him even though he is not here.

DR RANDERA: Thank you very much, mam.
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COMMISSIONER: Mrs Nkabinde, we thank you very much for the testimony you have brought forward.   We say to you have peace within you.  Even if you didn't sustain so many injuries but you lost your eye and you lost the strength to work for yourself and to support your family, we are still  saying with the little power that we have that please be consoled, let God apply his ointment on the wounds that you have.  His holy ointment.  But the other thing that we have to take into consideration is the fact that many bad things that happened in this country didn't only come from one side.  We are aware as to the other party that was trying to bring change into the country, how they used bombs and people from both sides were getting injured.  What we have to conserve we should pray to God that he should strengthen us so that these things do not happen again.  So that there can be peace, there can be harmony, there can be development in our country.  We have to try and preserve the respect between human beings because each one has to realise that he has got the human rights.   Mrs Joy Seroke reminded us of the Smith family who really surprised the whole of South Africa in general and the whole world and they spoke what she has already said, which means God has blessed our country in a very mysterious way.  We have people like yourself, people like the Smith family, people like many others who are appearing before the Commission telling the Commission about the truth, about reconciliation, about peace.  We request God to give us strength to receive with warm hands the gifts that these people are giving us.  Might be a nation that is reconciling, a nation that is rich.  We thank you.  We really thank you.  I also thank you, sir.