Human Rights Violation Hearings — Heiderveld — 1996-04-25

MS FENI: Yes they were.  So we all went, I was - I had just finished washing the napkins, napkins, Barnard asked are you afraid of these people comrades - comrades you are cowards.  You are illiterate, are you afraid of illiterate people.  A few men approached just near us, they were from New Crossroads.  They came from a certain corner which was just near us, we saw now these men - I could see this people because they were right in front of me.  There were others right in front of us, and I saw these men, when I saw it's these people, they were here already.

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: Which are those men, are they the wit doek?

MS FENI: Yes they were, wit doek.  When they arrived Barnard started to shoot at them he said come are you afraid you comrades, come.   Now he started shooting, shooting all over when I looked next to me one of the men fell next to me.  And it was Baba, I said Baba get up, oh! they have finished me off.  That time I had a child on my back, he was a year or so.  And then a taxi arrived and took us to Conrad, and that is the end of the story.

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: Thank you ma, I just wanted to find out before you went to Conrad, let's just go back a little.  Why did Barnard come to you, exactly?   Because it looks like you saying Barnard was trying to make you fight with the wit doek people from this other side.

MS FENI: That was Barnard's work, he is been in trying to make everybody fight, he was inciting people to fight.

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: He said you are cowards, are you afraid of this [indistinct] - illiterate people come.

MS FENI: Yes that's what he use to do, he use to incite people to fight.  He was a frightful and he wasn't afraid to come and just walk around us.

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: Thank you mamma.  I am going to ask our Chairman to have just a last question to Baba, thank you.
There was something Baba that wasn't clear when you made your statement about your torture.  The years and the months were not really clear.  We understand this has been a long time sometimes you won't be able to remember the correct dates, but just tell us you went to the hospital and you stayed there for three months and then you came out.  Now after you were discharged from hospital, you were taken to Nyanga East is that so?

MR SIKWEPERE: Yes, I was taken to - to a building at Nyanga East which was used as a bar, now that building was converted from being a bar and used by people called wit doeke.  Now those people now were called blou doek, now that was the - now that was the place where people were taken by the people wearing blue, to be tortured.  Now that was the police station I use to beaten up that's where they put a sack over me.  They use to pour water over me so that I can be - I can be suffocated.

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: Could you please tell us this Bishop Tutu sack you talking about.

MR SIKWEPERE: They would put a doek a sack over me and then I would feel this water running through me.  Now but when they put the sack over, there was no water, that's the kind of sack I am talking about, and there were no holes in it, I couldn't breath, and I was on the ground and there were stepping over me.

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: Now how much time lapsed before you went back to Guguletu?  Before and again they tortured you.

MR SIKWEPERE: It wasn't a long time after that.  They tortured me in this two police stations after torturing me, they will just tell me to go home.  Now the torture I am talking about was in - was happening in the police stations.  I was released from Nyanga East police station after three months, and they would torture me again, and then Jerry and Mr Austin came to fetch me again to the police station to torture me again.

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: So the picture you giving us now here is that they kept coming at - to you - to throw you in a deserted place to throw you into cemeteries, so that you can be tortured in those places?

MR SIKWEPERE: Yes, usually I have a fat body, but after that I lost all my body, now I am thin as you can see me now.

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: Now for the last time, how do you feel about coming here to tell us your story?

MR SIKWEPERE: I feel what - what has brought my sight back, my eyesight back is to come back here, and tell the story.  But I feel what has been making me sick all the time is the fact that I couldn't tell my story.  But now I - it feels like I got my sight back by coming here and tell you the story.

CHAIRPERSON: Is there - any Dr Orr.

WENDY ORR: I'd like to ask Ms Feni a question if she can put on her earphones.  Ms Feni on the night or on the day that Baba was shot, were you also injured?

MS FENI: Yes I was injured, even my child was injured as well, there she is.

CHAIRPERSON: Mary Burton.

MARY BURTON: Thank you, I would like to ask a question which either Mr Sikwepere or Ms Feni may be able to answer.  There was mentioned at the time when you were near the van before Mr Sikwepere was shot, that there were other people there, one of them I think was Mbulelo who was also known as Bullet, I think his name was Mbulelo Sikoto is that right?

MR SIKWEPERE: Yes that's correct.

MARY BURTON: Can you remember the names of any other people who were there at the time?

MR SIKWEPERE: If I could see them yes I will recognise them  end of Tape 19, side B ...

MARY BURTON: We thank you.

CHAIRPERSON: Any other, thank you very much to both of you for coming to us and telling your story, thank you very much.  Is there anything that you wanted to add.

MR SIKWEPERE: Yes there is.  I would like to explain something to the Commission that the role of the struggle by the comrades, I was not involved in those, I forgot to tell you this.  I was just an ordinary worker, and I was - I was not involved in - in the struggle.  My involvement now with the struggle only came when I was already injured, now that's the time I started to get involved with the struggle of the freedom.  Before I wasn't involved.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you, there is another question from the research section.

<UNKNOWN>: Baba what is your wish that the Commission can do for you to help?  What is your wish Baba?

MR SIKWEPERE: I wish that the Commission can take care of the future of my children.  Which is something that I cannot do at the moment.  They are still going to school but they don't even have enough clothes to go to school, they're struggling, their children is not working - their mother is not working and I am only depending on the pension.  That's the only thing that I wish for.

<UNKNOWN>: Thank you.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you very much.