Human Rights Violation Hearings — Beaufort West — 1996-08-13

MR FATYELA: Thank you sir, at Sabello school we had a meeting together with parents.  We were the SRC, our parents who were there at the location.  We had this discussion that was to be in town and these parents were no going be there and this discussion was going to be in town, so we were still discussing where - which day we should go to the white school and talk about certain matters of Ixaya because Ixaya was backward there - there were no facilities and people were not helping.
  So whilst we were there parents came because they had been called by the teachers because there were 3 teachers that were not wanted there - 2 of these still teach there in Richmond but one is not teaching.  Whilst we were still talking policemen came into our school.
Firstly they wanted to find out what we were busy with as student, then we said no these - this is a problem that was effecting our parents and us only.  Then we got an instruction from one of the teachers who was present there at the time - this was a teacher by the name Zongezile Mtona and he said the police were looking for 3 teachers because they were the teachers who were teaching politics in that school.
  This does not matter, there at school they asked to get inside, then we answered as the SRC - we said no they were not allowed to come in because we were holding a meeting.  And the one who gave that answer is Alfred that I'm going to mention earlier - later on.  Then they said they were not only talking to him but even to other students as well.  I was angry and I was for it that they should not come in.  Then they asked that we should shift this venue for the meeting, then we refused because we did not have transport to get to town.
Then they hired a car belonging to the late Galolo which was a blue Kombi - some of us - of the students got into this Kombi and they were waiting outside - of these students were taken to Stadssaal - City Hall - where you were going to have this meeting.  12 of us could not get transport and some of the members remained behind, so we walked to the place but on our way next to the coloured - in the coloured area next to a shop owned by Mvengo - and next to this shop there was a clinic - we stood just between the clinic and the shop and we saw a blue car - Mazda car stopping there - it was stopped - parked at the clinic. 
 And next to it was a Special Branch who - policemen who had a shambok with him.  He shouted as we were coming, inviting us to come close to him - he was a coloured man - and he was saying it in Afrikaans that we should all come to him and I became doubtful as I came nearer the clinic.  I bent down as if I was  getting ready to run away because I didn't know why he was calling us and he was even shaking this shambok.  And I even told the others that I was going to run away.  Then he could see what my intentions were and he said I'm looking at you even if you were to run away I'm going to shoot at you and he showed me the gun.
 Then I decided to dismiss this idea and follow the others - so I followed the others and went to him into the clinic.  This Mazda was parked somewhere and then he asked us to stand in a line - you could see they were unfriendly.  We stood there in a line, they looked at our faces and one of them took a walkie-talkie whilst - and ask for a van and whilst we were waiting for the van one of us had a sticker reading  [indistinct]  and this Special Branch took - asked who is this dog and where do you know this dog from and the other one said this is Matthews Sgoniwe and then he asked how is he related to you and this one said he's my brother and he asked where is he then he said he died, so the van come before they could continue. 
 Then he directed us into the van - we got into the van hurriedly, they drove us down to the Police Station and at the Police Station they asked us to wait behind the counter - they were there with us.  Then two policemen - black policemen, Thabo and Adjutant and others came, they were Ruiters, Blom, quite a group of policemen.  Two black policemen went out leaving the white policemen with us and instruction was that we should burn.  And he asked who had burnt the clinic and this Special Branch was standing  and listening and he said we were responsible for the burning and this persons was saying - was Adjutant and they wanted to ask who was responsible for the burning of the clinic and he called Boetietjie - who was a - he was of a Genini Kobo family and he responded and he said you respond and they asked for Koebo and there was no Koebo amongst us - it was just a slogan that was used in the location to mean that there was problems.
  Now they were asking for Koebo and they hit one of us with a fist and they said here are the others sitting here, they were kicking us and they kept on kicking and hitting us.  And then he would ask and address Sinqueua as Matthew Sgoniwe and he would stand up and he would ask  Do you know this person?  Then he would say  No I don't know.  And he was crying at the time because they were hitting him against the wall at the time.  Then he would ask him to sit down and  they would call us.  I didn't know where these Special Branch came from, that was me and Windking - and they would ask where we came from  and I was not prepared to speak Afrikaans because I didn't even know it well.
  Then I answered back, I said  No sir we come from the "Kafferland".  And then he said to me I was a stupid and then he asked the other one where he came from and he said he had come - he was coming from a farm attending school and he didn't know anything.  Then he asked us to sit down, then he would call on the others that he felt they could beat up and they took them into different rooms.  And then he said they were going to put these children straight because they don't listen and I didn't understand why they were going to beat us up because we didn't know anything.  As we were coming out we left those together with Adjutant and other policemen. 
 Then Adjutant said to the children they should sing the freedom song that sings about Thambo but these policemen were making a fool and saying it is about Thambo.  They would hit - hit them against the wall and they were singing about Thambo, one of them was saying they should be put into a sack.  Then there was a black sack and I was put into it and they asked us that we should run whilst in a sack and we couldn't see - it was even suffocating - and we would hit against  mirrors.  Then they would direct us which way to run and then you would hit against a mirror, they would say it's enough and they would even beat you with the batons.  They would take you out and then put someone else and let you lie on you stomach.  After a while they took us back to the cells, I was wishing that the end of the day should come because they had been hitting  us all the way. 
 Then at the cell we were slightly happy and we chatted to one another.  I was there in one corner in the cell and I was sitting there, I just heard a noise of opening  of keys and they asked - they said don't come and sleep here, this is Thabo who was  saying it.  Then I said  Oh, it's a beating once more.  And I was whispering.  They asked for Matinda and Matinda ignored them and he was sleeping.  Then they asked for Matinda, then one pointed at Matinda next to the door.  I don't know whether the interpretation - they're going to interpret the insult but they insulted me about my mother and then they said  Here is Ali-ali who is standing here. 
 He was drinking Guava Juice and even poring it on my head and he asked me to stand up and follow this policeman and he locked the others there.  I went round into a toilet - there was only 3 of us, it was me, Alfred and the 3rd.  And  Mongweni said to me  Here is Alfred that you think you are of the same edge because you don't relate well together.  I kept quiet - I didn't have anything to say.  He hit me with the fist and I fell down, he - another one kicked me and I fell on the other side until Alfred said   I think we are slow, let's take this person and make this person drink water from this toilet tub.  And then he held me by the waist saying that I was stubborn and they forced me into the tub - toilet tub.  And I suffocated and he forced me and I tried - they kicked me and he force me down saying that I was going to stop being stubborn.  
They would take me out of the toilet - the others were not aware of all this and they would make me stand in front of the cell where there was dirty water with leaves.  I would sometimes think of jumping, then I jumped over and they asked me why I was jumping. 
 They would take me back and held me with my legs and the other one was holding me at the back.  They forced me into this dirty water, they hit me with their fists and one said  Lets forgive him.  And that was Thabo saying that.  Then they said   Lets take him to show to the other people.  And the cell was full of water, they ask me to sit down and they said they were not through with him - they were - with me they were coming back.  Adjutant came and his name - Jonk came in and he again beat some others.
  At about 4 o'clock they called us and they asked us to get into one office and they said  You are not going to insult Mongweni again, you must leave now.  If we were to get you on the way we are going to injure you and beat - we are going back to the City Hall and if we get someone there we're again going to beat that person.  So we went out running followed by the police van and the one who would be at the last would be beaten.  When we got to the coloured location, we saw a group of people coming - apparently they were coming to take us.  So we went to the location, the people tried to investigate  from us whether  they had beaten us and we told everything that - when we told them we were beaten by so and so, I pause there.