Human Rights Violation Hearings — Durban — 1996-05-10

DR MAGWAZA: Could I just disturb you, Mama, because I would like to ask you some questions before you start talking about your husband's attack.  Those who attacked you, why do you think they attacked you?  Was it maybe because you were involved with some organizations?

WITNESS:   No, there was no organization we were involved with.  I didn't know anything about organizations then.  It was my husband who was working as a police.  I didn't have any knowledge of the organizations at all.  From what I realised, I think it was because he was a police.

DR MAGWAZA: At the time when they attacked you, are there people you saw and how many were they?

WITNESS:   I didn't see any.

DR MAGWAZA: /I just saw

DR MAGWAZA: 19A/10 I just saw one boy, because when I came out he was in front of me.  Otherwise I didn't see.  I didn't even know how many were there.  I was confused at that stage.

DR MAGWAZA: So you stayed in Malendeni for two years and then after what did you do?

WITNESS:   While we were still staying in Malendeni, after that that's when my husband died.

DR MAGWAZA: Could you continue now what happened to your husband?

WITNESS:   On the 12th May - before the 12th - it was in April, one man came to me.  He was a policeman.  He told me I must tell my husband not to go to Lamont because there could be some danger that could befall him.  I told my husband that, "Please don't go to Lamont.  So and so told me that there's some danger that could befall you".  My husband said, "How can I not fetch other people who are working there?  I can hear what you are saying".  He continued working and fetching these workers up until the 12th May.  On the 12th May he woke up early in the morning.  He took children and he took them wherever they were going - to their schools.  He left them at their schools and he went to Lamont.  (Inaudible) ... for me, at about eight I heard that he was no more, but before I got the message who had told me that I must reprimand me to tell my husband not to go to Lamont, he told me I was being called at the station.  He asked me where is Vusi's father, and he didn't tell me.  So I asked for another police boy to take me to the station.  This boy took me to the station.  When we arrived at the station they said they didn't call me.  If there is something else that had happened they would call me.  They got me a car that would take me back.  The car took me back home.  Just when we arrived at home there was one man called Mbhele, who the

DR MAGWAZA: /superior of

DR MAGWAZA: 19A/12 superior of my husband and another Mr Mbambo.  They told me that my husband was no more.  He was shot at Lamontville at about half past seven in the morning.  I then left and asked them what should I do.  They said I must wait for them.  I waited for them.  On the following day I found out that the police at Umlazi had arrested people whom they believed had shot - had killed my husband.  These police from Durban Station arrived.  These were the SAP.  They let these people go.  They said no, these were not the people who had killed my husband, so they let them go.  Because I was still mourning I didn't see the SAP people.  After about three weeks I went to Durban Station.  I was going to find out about what happened with my husband's case.  I found the investigator Goba and also Gasa.  Gasa said to me what made these people to be allowed to go free was not the people to be killed.  They said it's because they didn't want the pursue the case.  That's why they let those people go.  I was satisfied with that explanation to me.  They said they were still looking for the killers.  One husband had died.  That person they had gone to fetch who was working with him was changed from the police.  When my husband died he'd already been changed.  He'd been taken to Nongoma, but they didn't tell me that this person he'd fetched had gone, but on the day of the funeral he'd already left - he'd already been put at Mpungamhlophe.  I didn't know what was the reason for them to do this.  Why did they change him immediately and what was the reason for him not even to go to the funeral, because my husband was fetching him.  After that they didn't arrest anybody.  That was the end of the case.

DR MAGWAZA: /The person

DR MAGWAZA: 19A/15 The person who told you that your husband was in danger and the one who called you to the police station and told you that he had been injured, was he your husband's friend?

WITNESS:   Yes, we were staying together - we were staying in another room at the hospital.  He was driving one of the police cars.

DR MAGWAZA: Have you been able to see him?

WITNESS:   I saw him after my husband had died.  He was completely strange.  He was no longer prepared to meet me and discuss things with me.

DR MAGWAZA: What I'm going to ask from you, Mrs Dlomo, could you just tell us what are your suspicions?  What do you suspect?  What do you speculate?  What are your speculations?

WITNESS:   What I suspect is the one who was contacting me had already heard that there were plans to kill my husband and he became very human enough to tell me and also that my husband, according to me, he died in his work.  He died for his work.  What made me say that why did they change this girl and make this girl escape?  She didn't even tell me - come to me and tell me what had happened.  This girl ran away.  Up until today, I don't know where she is.  Why did the superior - when they change policemen, most policemen, they don't just change them overnight.  It takes some time.  They give them notice, but why did he just immediately get a transfer within two weeks?

DR MAGWAZA: Do you suspect that his colleagues were colleagues of your husband?  There was something that they knew, if they were at all implicated in what happened?

WITNESS:   Yes, I suspect that.

DR MAGWAZA: What I'm going to ask, did you get any pension from

DR MAGWAZA: /your husband's

DR MAGWAZA: 19A/16 your husband's work?

WITNESS:   Yes, I did get some pension when my husband died.

DR MAGWAZA: The last thing, when you've related your whole story here in this Commission, what can the Commission do for you to ease this pain and make things better in your situation?

WITNESS:   I would like the Commission to assist me and help me establish who killed my husband, so that I can hear and understand what happened, why did they kill him, what was the problem, and also this pension I got I didn't have a house at that stage because we were living at the hospital.  I went to buy a house at Newlands West, because I was running away from the situation.  That's why I bought the house there in Newlands West.  That was the end of that money.  I don't have anything left from that money.  I would request the Commission to assist me whichever way it could and also that we should see these people and they must explain what had happened.

DR MAGWAZA: We thank you, Mrs Dlomo.  We feel the pain with you.  The Commission will be able to do things that are within its disposal, but it hasn't got all its power, but what it can do we will do.  We will hand over now to the Chairperson.

WITNESS:   Thank you.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you, Mama.  We are saying sorry in Xhosa.  We are requesting you to tolerate this situation and learn to accept the pain.  We are going to try and establish and get some remedy that could heal your wounds.  Thank you very much.
/DR BORAINE
19A/20

DR BORAINE: Chairperson, the next witness who will be heard before the Commission is Miss Lupina Nozipho Zondo.  Could we please put the headphones on.  Mrs Zondo, I'd like to test to make sure you can hear me all right.  Can you hear me?

LUPINA NOZIPHO ZONDO: Yes, I can hear you.