Human Rights Violation Hearings — Bisho — 1996-09-09

CHAIRPERSON: I was disturbed when I was about to say that ladies and gentlemen, it seemed like it's easy to talk and encourage people because sometimes it's because we have not experienced what you have experienced.  We go short of words endeavouring to be compassionate and help you but we can empathise a bit with all the pain that you went through.  As I was listening to your testimonies that some of you just heard by the grapevine.  No one decently and quickly came to tell you of the tragedies.  This is why it seems like the wounds have been, even the task of having to go look for the members of your families in mortuaries, going up and down.  It's all very painful and we empathise with you.   This Commission has been given the task to report to our President in what ways that we can avoid such incidents in the future.  We say to you that may the Lord strengthen you and comfort you so that His Holy Spirit my bind your wounds.  Your wishes  ... end of Tape 7, side A ... to help you but we will report and make recommendations to him.  He will make the decisions.  He will report back to us in Parliament and tell us in what way we can help you.  We are very grateful that you came here and please be comforted.  Thank you.

TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION: BISHO MASSACRE - DAY 1 - 9 SEPTEMBER 1996

CASE NO: 4

BONGANI FINCA: I would like to swear in Mzwabantu Nqabisa and his mother. Zwelenkosi Gwayi, Thembekile Ceba and Siyabulela Gusha.

BONGANI FINCA: Thank you very much.  They have all been sworn in Honourable Chairperson.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you very much.  Dumisa you will lead the first witness.

UNKNOWN: Monwabisi, thank you, how are you?

WITNESS:  Very well thank you.

UNKNOWN:  Our wish is that you should tell us as someone that was there, your own version, what happened.  If you were here you would find that some of the events that are being spoken about are that people made mention of a helicopter that was hovering up above and it is the opinion that when the helicopter ascended, the thing from the top of the helicopter that was spinning, some people thought that the noise from the flippers of the helicopter were causing the noise but others thought that it was gunfire.  So I am not trying to impose my opinion on you but the police that were investigating that I was talking to, are of the opinion that people were shot, the reason people are saying that they were shot from this helicopter is because they heard the noise of the helicopter starting up, because when a helicopter is about to take off it makes a noise so I would like you to please tell us your version of events as someone that was present.

WITNESS:  I would like to give evidence before this Commission that on the 7th September 1992 when I had come from Alice we were leading the march coming here to Bisho.  We left Alice in transport and when we got to Victoria where we were going to gather, we arrived and our leaders were present there and the route that was to be used to come here to Bisho was discussed and those decisions were then taken and a route was decided upon and we then came with our leaders towards Bisho.  En route I think I was probably in the third group.  There was a group that was ahead of us and while myself and other comrades were proceeding, I can count Mr Tom from Alice in, he was one of the persons who was in my group.  When we were approximately near the road that separates South Africa from Bisho, we realised that something was going to happen but as we proceeded, when I was going to cross, there is this road that leads towards the stadium that divides the stadium by fence from the north side to the south side, and there was a wire razor that had been put up there to prohibit us from going any further.  What I saw was that the Ciskei police, it was not the first time that we had come to Bisho on a march, but this march was different because we observed the road for the manner in which everything had been set up, that something was going to happen but in the picture of my mind I thought to myself that in previous marches - previous marches had been allowed and although this one had also been allowed, what was so surprising was when we crossed [intervention].

UNKNOWN:  Without interrupting you, we are going to run out of time and there are still several more people, please do not be offended but we are trying to - I was asking you the question in corroboration with the statement that you have put here before us and that is why we have called people like Smuts and others to give us the background picture and that you people should just add to it your personal experience.  Please do not be offended.

WITNESS:  Let me then just go to the part where the helicopter was taking off.  I was with Mr Tom and them in our group and I don't know how we separated but when we crossed the road separating the southern fence from the northern fence, before I got to that road we saw a helicopter taking off and in taking off I did not realise that anything was happening at the time but when it took off I [indistinct] who had seen people running back and heard gunshots.  Upon hearing those gunshots ran back in the direction from which I came and while running I was paddling so to speak waving my arms as I was running and I felt a bullet strike my arm.  I attempted to continue running and fortunately as I ran down the road I met up with a car that was parked on the side of the road and fortunately, the owner of the car was sitting inside and some of us ran.  There was a boy in front of me who was a marshal and I bumped him and I hadn't realised that he had been struck by a bullet against his head but I then had knocked him while I was also running away with my injured arm and when I was in the car I asked this man, who I didn't even know, for assistance and he rushed me to Gray hospital and at Gray hospital I was admitted there and then and told that I would have to be transferred to East London where I received treatment.  I was admitted there and I remained in hospital for three weeks.  Thereafter I was discharged in November and that is basically all that I want to say to the Commission.

UNKNOWN:  Thank you very much.  What I would like to know is that what you have said and what is here in your statement is more or less the same.  I don't know if there was some kind of mistake in your statement.  You say that from Gray hospital you went to Frere hospital where upon arrival you were treated for your injury and then discharged but now in your evidence it sounds as if you said that you were in hospital for three weeks.  Could we just get clarity on that while you are here. Is it indeed so that you just went to Frere hospital and were treated and were discharged?

WITNESS:  No, what happened at Gray hospital is that I got there and there was a group that had arrived before me.  At Gray hospital they merely bandaged my arm so that it could remain in a set position and not bleed too much but where I did receive treatment was at Frere hospital.  That is where they did everything.

UNKNOWN:  At Frere hospital, were you in hospital for three weeks?

WITNESS:  Yes.

UNKNOWN:  Is there any wish or request that you would like to place before this Commission, any way in which you would like the Commission to be of assistance to you?

WITNESS:  For now, what I have heard, other [indistinct] also say, our joint desire is that we have got one wish for this Commission but I myself, personally, in my life haven't thought about the fact that I could also be one of them, hence whatever decision the Commission can take with regard to the victims such as myself.

UNKNOWN:  Had you ever instituted a claim at attorneys in connection with your shooting?