Human Rights Violation Hearings — Krugersdorp — 1996-11-12

MS SEROKE: If it is because of that, why did they decide to call you by that name? Is it because you refused to do some of the things that they wanted you to do?

NTOBELA VARA: We were patrolling every night, there was no difference, both women and men, we were doing the very same thing.

MS SEROKE: Maybe it was just a joke?

NTOBELA VARA: Yes, I think so.

MS SEROKE: How much was the damage after they had burnt your property?

NTOBELA VARA: I had three cars, all three were burnt to ashes.  Even my tools were destroyed. The tools were in the cars, and if you use it now it is no longer working properly. I couldn't use them after the fire.
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MS SEROKE: You say you attended the court hearing where they wanted to resolve the matter. I am going to read here the court resolution.  After our research unit had investigated this. I am going to read this in English.  It will be interpreted to you in Xhosa.

MS SEROKE: (Indistinct - microphone not switched on) ... "... 1993, seven men accused of murder during the Swanieville attack were acquitted for lack of evidence.  The police were criticised for having brought only these seven out of the estimated 1 000 attackers to court, and of preparing poor cases against them."

NTOBELA VARA: Yes, I remember that.

MS SEROKE: Is what what you heard?

NTOBELA VARA: Yes.

MS SEROKE: There is nothing that we can say at the moment.  Do you have any requests that you would like to make before we conclude this matter?

NTOBELA VARA: When I think about my assets, it is very painful, it is very painful, because I can't stop thinking about that because the damage was so much.

MS SEROKE: So what do you mean?

NTOBELA VARA: I am not satisfied, because what they burnt to ashes were my assets, I am still hurting because of that.

MS SEROKE: We sympathise with you.  I cannot make promises at the moment, because we cannot accused anybody, but we can try and do something and make some recommendations for the people who suffered a lot at the time. Thank you very much for taking the responsibility of coming forward.  We say you must try - we know it is not that easy to heal.  Healing can KRUGERSDORP HEARING TRC/GAUTENG
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take time, but we hope that you will also reach that level whereby you will feel that all that happened is behind you.  You are going to concentrate on your future.
 Thank you very much.

DR RANDERA: Chairperson, I just want to emphasise a few points here. I have in my possession, and I think we need to understand this process very clearly, that we are asking all these questions. I mean, today with the people from Swanieville, out of the four people three identified once more the involvement of the police, in that massacre. I have a statement here from a policeman actually who also verifies that the internal stability unit was involved on that morning and identifies one particular policeman, that he recognises.  That he actually went after that unit, stopped the Casspir and nothing was done.
 Tomorrow's Sowetan carries an article again on this very massacre, and it was a massacre. I think we must be - although the people who have come forward today are not victims.  One person lost a family member.  But there were 26 people killed and over 100 people injured.  Was must not forget that.  
 The point I am trying to make is that we are investigating this massacre once again.  The opportunity is there for people on this particular massacre, people from the police force as well as members of the Inkatha Freedom Party, to come forward and apply for amnesty.  
 We have had in the last week the director-general of the South African Police Services clearly appealing once again to members within the services, to come forward and talk about what they were involved in.  Now the deadline for amnesty is 14 December, which isn't far away.  We also heard
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heard yesterday, and I don't want to be misinterpreted by what I am saying, we also heard yesterday about the killings that took place in Futsong. 
 Now once again, in the last week we have had a statement from, if I can say that, from the African National Congress, who clarified their particular position and said at the Press conference that they have got processes where within each branch and in each region, if people want to go and talk about these issues, they will advise them accordingly.  I think people need to take advantage of that situation.
 I just want to emphasise that point again.  Thank you very much, Chairperson.

CHAIRPERSON: We have come to the end of our hearings today. I would like to thank all of you who came to support our witnesses and who came to listen to these heartrending stories. I know such stories open old wounds and I hope some of you who belong to support structures in the community, will follow up these cases and see what kind of help, in terms of counselling, in terms of just visiting and checking on the people we have met today and who have come to testify.  We know you did all these things when we had the struggle, and I am sure now that we are trying to heal our land, you will still come forward to help your neighbours.  Some of the people who came here are known to you, some are your neighbours, some are relatives and I know they will need your support after they have been here today.
 We thank you very much for your attention and the interest that you have shown today. We will continue tomorrow and we will start at nine o'clock.
 Thank you very much.
HEARING ADJOURNS
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