Human Rights Violation Hearings — Lusikisiki — 1997-03-26

MERRIMAN SIPHO SIKUTSHWA: I would like the Commission on behalf of Bizana's Veterans if it is possible, I would like the President of this country to come and visit them because they were in the struggle here in Bizana.
 I am still young, these men are elder men, I would like the President to come and sympathise with these people.  I am trying to comfort them, but the President would do a better job.
 If he can go to Bizana because I think Bizana is one of the places which were oppressed by the past Government.  I think that people from Bizana sacrificed their lives so that
today we would have this democratic Government.
 I would like the President to come around August or September, to come to people in Bizana to address and comfort them.  I know that they will be satisfied.
 The police are listening.    Sifumba is one of them.  He said that we must not kill the police because we are the ones who are governing and we listened to that. 
 My second request is that we would like our President to build a Technicon College for us in Bizana because people from Bizana did not educate their children because of their circumstances in that area.
 The Boers installed a Bantu Education in our area.  We want our children to have access to a Technical education at a tertiary level.

ADV SANDI: Can you please tell us your next request?

MERRIMAN SIPHO SIKUTSHWA: My other request is that I would like the President to take action to these police Berger, Cronje, to take them to Bizana, all of them and we would like these police to come to the people to apologise.
 We don't want to look for these police for ourselves, because if we found them we will fight with them.  We also request bursaries for our children.
 I will summarise my requests:  If it is possible on the 25th, we will have a meeting in Bizana.  We would like the Commission to go to Nonqunana in Bizana to go there and to see this place.

ADV SANDI: Sorry, excuse me Mr Sikutshwa.

MERRIMAN SIPHO SIKUTSHWA: I would also like medical treatment because my injuries affect me.  I also want the Commission to help me to be a principal again.

ADV SANDI: Mr Sikutshwa, did you write down your
requests in your document because if you did, I would just like you to give us your document because we have a problem with time.
 Some of the things you are just mentioning, are in your statement, the statement in front of us.

MERRIMAN SIPHO SIKUTSHWA: Yes, I will photocopy the document and submit it to you.

ADV SANDI: Is that all you wanted to say?

MERRIMAN SIPHO SIKUTSHWA: Yes, that is all.

ADV SANDI: Mr Shaza.  Mr Shaza, are you  Shaza or Tshaza?

HLOKOMANI ALFRED SHAZA: I am Shaza, Alfred Shaza.  There is no difference between Shaza and Shazi.

ADV SANDI: Briefly you are going to speak today about yourself and about your son Madimane Shaza?

HLOKOMANI ALFRED SHAZA: No, my wife Madimane Shaza.

ADV SANDI: Who is your son?

HLOKOMANI ALFRED SHAZA: My son is Siqolo.

ADV SANDI: Let us first list that about you.  What happened to you in 1963?

HLOKOMANI ALFRED SHAZA: In 1961, when I was on my way home I met someone and when I arrived home after a few minutes, at about eleven, there were many torches around my house, torch lights.
 I heard that my wife was being beaten up and my wife said that my husband was not here.  They looked for me under the bed, I slept in the mattress in which my dogs used to sleep.
 When I heard the van leaving my home, I went back to my wife and there was a baby, six months baby.

ADV SANDI: Was your wife pregnant at the time?

HLOKOMANI ALFRED SHAZA: Yes, she was pregnant and she lost the baby.  I went to my brother to report this.   I told him that I am leaving this place.
 I went through Mntumeni at about ten.  I think about half past eight at night, I arrived at Mntumeni.  I was working in Mntumeni in the railway station and on one Saturday I was off, I saw one Boer with a big stomach.
 He said to me there are people looking for you.  I went down, when I got down, they just dragged me.  They put me in the car, they drove to Bizana.  We arrived in Bizana at about half past two or three.
 They asked, they said that I killed Stanford, I killed Chief Dumile, I was distributing pamphlets from the Congress and from Lutule and they told me that I delivered a paper to Mr Makathali and to Mr Sobati and to Changhela.
 They said that one of the papers was written in English, the other one in Latin.  They put me in a hall as big as this one and they put a sail on top.  I told them I didn't know any of the accusations.  
 I am not educated, I don't know how to write.  I did not even know whether there were school at the time.  
 They phoned a lawyer the following day and the lawyer arrived and the lawyer said that this person is working and he is not arrested.  He brought me meat and sweets and Ariston came, who was a lawyer, at attorney for the Congress.
 They brought me to Durban and they told me not to go back to Bizana for ten years.

ADV SANDI: This lawyer was Ariston?

HLOKOMANI ALFRED SHAZA: Yes.

ADV SANDI: Did you go back home when your wife was
buried and the unborn baby?

HLOKOMANI ALFRED SHAZA: They told me that my wife passed away after a few weeks, I went to tell Father Retief from the Roman Catholic.  I wanted him to accompany me to the funeral together with Ariston and Ariston's wife.
 They gave me a hat from the Roman Catholic, I went there with Ariston and Retief, the Priest from the Roman Catholic.  We arrived during the proceedings of the funeral.

ADV SANDI: Mr Shaza, can you please tell us briefly about your wife?

HLOKOMANI ALFRED SHAZA: She died, she was shot and she lost the baby.  After that she was sick until she died.

ADV SANDI: What about your son who said he was shot by Inkatha?

HLOKOMANI ALFRED SHAZA: I met one lady after this incident and I married her and I moved from Bizana, I stayed in Sunti.  We also moved to Hammarsdale in Mpumalanga, and in 1982 there was chaos in Hammarsdale.
 At about five Inkatha came and took five young boys and they killed them.  Sipho was amongst the five.  I heard that Sipho was taken by the Inkatha members, he died on Monday.
 But this person said that he was not supposed to tell me.  I went to work, I requested a car to take me to the police.
 They took me to the place where my son was.  I saw that he was stabbed in the head and he was also stabbed in the back.
 I did not know where I am going to bury my son and I went to Ntongatha to request a place where I can bury my child.
 This Reverend Ngcibi was a Priest in the Methodist, he
tried to help me.

ADV SANDI: Was there anyone arrested concerning this?

HLOKOMANI ALFRED SHAZA: No, no one was arrested.  They said - it was said that they were disciplined.
 Girls were ... (tape ends) ...

ADV SANDI: Please tell us, your request, what is it?

HLOKOMANI ALFRED SHAZA: Because I buried my son by myself, after that my house was burnt down.  I cannot support myself, I would like the Government to help me.  I would like the Government to build me a house and to educate my child.
 And I lost everything.

ADV SANDI: What about Nogothola?

HLOKOMANI ALFRED SHAZA: Nogothola is my younger daughter.

ADV SANDI: What is your request concerning Nogothola?

HLOKOMANI ALFRED SHAZA: Nogothola is Nogothola Shaza.

ADV SANDI: Is that all Mr Shaza?

HLOKOMANI ALFRED SHAZA: I would like the Government to build me a house, to educate my children, that would be all.  But as I was a Chairperson of the Congress in my village, now that this is our Government, they Government must try to help us.  We need clean water, electricity, proper roads.
 I need a house with electricity and a bathroom and proper water.

ADV SANDI: Is that all Mr Shaza?

HLOKOMANI ALFRED SHAZA: Yes, that is all sir.

ADV SANDI: Thank you Mr Shaza.  Let us now go to Mrs Ndamase.

LOUISA NONZWAKAZI NDAMASE: Thank you very much.