Human Rights Violation Hearings — Grahamstown — 1997-04-09

TENJIWE QUENETTE MADINDA: It was at night, on a Sunday night.    I was sleeping in one room and my daughter was in another room.  I was sleeping together with someone who used to come and sleep in the room.  I heard someone say that the house was on fire.  I woke up and I saw flames all over.  They were coming through the windows.
 I was surprised.  We tried to look for a key as we were sleeping, the door was locked.  I took this child who was sleeping with me, I took him out through the window and I also took my daughter.  I followed them, we ran in the backyard, there were tenants in this yard.
 They were also surprised, they woke up, they then went out.  There was also Mr Mpati who was a tenant, he went back home.  He tried to take out the furniture.  He then got injured because he sustained, he was burnt.
 In the morning we tried to borrow clothes so that we can go and report it to the police.  The police told us that they cannot help us because they were not responsible for what was happening in the township.
 The casper then came in the township.  There were two White men who came out.  They then said that they cannot do anything.   That is all.

ADV SANDI: Was it in 1986?

TENJIWE QUENETTE MADINDA: Yes, it was in June 1986.

ADV SANDI: Mr Timoti Mbuyisela Pota Mlonyeni, was he also a tenant?

TENJIWE QUENETTE MADINDA: Yes, he was also one of the tenants.

ADV SANDI: Did he stay in the backyard?

TENJIWE QUENETTE MADINDA: Yes, he stayed in the back room.

ADV SANDI: His furniture was it also burnt?

TENJIWE QUENETTE MADINDA: Everything was burnt because we tried to save our lives.  We did not take our furniture.

ADV SANDI: Were there any rumours concerning who burnt down your house?

TENJIWE QUENETTE MADINDA: Up until today I did not hear anything.

ADV SANDI: What about Mr Mlonyeni, did he suspect anyone?

TENJIWE QUENETTE MADINDA: I don't know about him, because I did not talk to him, I thought he would be here today, because after that, we parted.

ADV SANDI: Before your house was burnt down, were there any events that happened that show that your house would be burnt down?

TENJIWE QUENETTE MADINDA: I did not notice anything before except that I was selling things to people as I was earning not enough, this children would, there would be children who would come to me telling me that we were not supposed to sell anything because of boycotts and I would listen to them.

ADV SANDI: Did you have any conflicts with anyone or did you receive any threats that your house would be burnt?

TENJIWE QUENETTE MADINDA: No.

ADV SANDI: Do you have a request to the Commission?

TENJIWE QUENETTE MADINDA: My request is that I would like to know who burnt down this house.

ADV SANDI: Was there anyone arrested?

TENJIWE QUENETTE MADINDA: No, there was no one arrested.

ADV SANDI: Is that all Mrs Madinda?

TENJIWE QUENETTE MADINDA: Yes, that is all.

ADV SANDI: Thank you Mrs Madinda, thank you Mr Chairperson.

CHAIRPERSON: Nomakhwezi Siko, you mentioned Ndumasi in your
testimony, Ndumasi Siko.  What happened to him?

MS SIKO: He was necklaced.

CHAIRPERSON: In the statement before us you did not mention his case?

MS SIKO: Yes.

CHAIRPERSON: Would you like to submit a statement concerning this incident?

MS SIKO: At the time I was, I only submitted my incident, I did not say anything about Ndumasi.

CHAIRPERSON: You have to make a statement about his incident, because what we have here is about yourself.  We will have a problem if we don't get Ndumasi's statement.  Thank you.
 I would like to thank the four of you, Mr Rwexu, Nomakhwezi Siko, Mrs Sandi and Tenjiwe Madinda.  These are very painful incidents.  
 I was saying that these incidents are very painful.  Starting with Mr Rwexu, it surprises us that you lost all your family, they have been burnt because there was someone who was working for the police.  You were only compensated, you only got R16 000-00.  Your house was burnt and three people were also killed who were inside.
 This shows that the Government of the day did not care because the police, whether we like it or not, were working for that Government.  The people did not like the police, the people were not fighting for the individual police, but they were fighting because the police were working for that Government.
 Some of the police lost their lives because they were protecting that Government, past Government.  It is surprising to us that when such a person lost three of his family members and the house was also burnt, the Government
only gave him R16 000-00.
 We are glad to hear this as the Commission, it confirms what we have already heard of incidents such as this.  In our minds as the people who were fighting against the Government of that day, we thought that such people get millions of rands.  We are surprised today to find out that this Government did not care for the people who were working under him.
 The Government was using this people but when they were in trouble because of working for him, as the police, the Government wouldn't care.  We would like to sympathise with you about what happened to you, about the scandal that happened to you.
 Nomakhwezi Siko has told us a terrible story, a painful story.  She managed to escape death.  We are glad that she is here today because as she was telling her story, she was supposed to be dead today together with Mrs Sandi by telling us about her daughter Nontyatyambo, who was also necklaced.
 Tenjiwe Madinda, telling us about her house which was burnt by people who were unknown.  These incidents are one of those incidents that were painful in the struggle of liberation.
 That the people who were fighting for the liberation, used such painful methods, they were burning people who were alleged to be informers, and who were alleged to be working with the police. 
 We thank you for giving us this picture, it is a clear picture and it will remain in our minds.  People who are here today, who are listening to this story so that when we look back in our struggle, we also learn from the mistakes of the struggle.
 We have seen the mistakes that have happened in that struggle, we thank you for coming here because we did not want to listen to what the police have said but who have done to the people, such stories are part of our history.  We have noted your requests.  We are going to forward them to the President of this country who will decide what to do about your requests.
 For now, you may go back to your seats, thank you.