Human Rights Violation Hearings — East London — 1996-04-15

ELIZABETH NOTHEMBILE HASHE: Yes he was, because they accused him of burning EAST LONDON  HEARING TRC/EASTERN CAPE
6 HASHE
schools and such things.  They said he was really terrorising the Government.

MR SMITH: And in prison?

ELIZABETH NOTHEMBILE HASHE: In Robin Island in detention he stayed three years and it was said I should go and see him.. They would never say he's not available.  They said a person who came to my place to detain him crossed.  He came back, I mean, he was sentenced to seven years and this carried on for ten years.  He was not available at home as a husband and me as a woman.  That time, while he was still in Robin Island, was the time when I was suffering, police and everything, but the most important thing that happened when my husband came back from Robbin Island, I was now working at Holiday Inn, I was given an opportunity by a woman because our shelters that we used to sell our vegetables, were destroyed and after that, my children were now old enough and would help me carry the goods and then they would sell house to house.  These children were also arrested.  I was also arrested where I was selling outside.  I now thought, oh no, the money that I had is now finished, I have to pay a fine.
 Now I got hold of this woman who helped me through to getting to Holiday Inn and she was ill.  She was working night shift and got sick and while I was doing a temporary job for her she passed away. I would go to work in the evening and come back during the day and carry on selling.  This thing continued, now when my husband came out, or just before he did so, he wrote a letter.  He said I should go and get his books that he was reading at the Passport Office.  Those were the things I forgot to mention to you.  I took those books and then on my way back with the books, I got into the house to pack the books nicely and prepared 
EAST LONDON  HEARING TRC/EASTERN CAPE
7 HASHE
the children for bed. I went out just a few minutes, there was a car.  I was wondering what car it was.  And the asked me if I knew the man in the back of the van after ten years.  I said, "Yes, he's my husband".  I was now at my house No 21.  They started at the old house and then they proceeded to the new one.  He went out, two Xhosa security men went with him into the house.  The first thing he asked me, "Do you still accept me, because I will never leave fighting for the freedom of the people?"  I said, "Yes, why not?"  Then we laughed and went into the house. While we were busy sitting, these police gave him documents, a banning order.  He was not supposed to go anywhere.  He was not supposed to go even to the school that other side.  This went on.  I went back to work, because he saw that I was working, because we were busy talking and we had to have something to eat.  He said to me, "I hope it is your last time to work today".  I thought, "Oh he's joking".  I went to work.
 The following day I was at the bus stop and he was waiting for me there. Truly I never had any chance to go to work again because he didn't want me to work. My first born asked, "What shall we eat?" He showed me that we will be dragging some meals.  This went on, truly he would stay at home, someone would come, he only had permission to see two people, I was the third one. One of them came home and then when the people realised that he has come back from jail they came to visit him but he was allowed to see only two visitors at a time.
 We continued living under these terrible times with inadequate income because my husband refused that I should go to work again.  We kept on selling these vegetables together and then it developed much better than before when 
EAST LONDON  HEARING TRC/EASTERN CAPE
8 HASHE
he was here as a supportive person.  We continued to support each other until he was able to buy a second hand van and we continued working and I would go and buy some vegetables and then we would go about selling them.

MR SMITH: Mrs Hashe, was your husband involved in politics during this time?

ELIZABETH NOTHEMBILE HASHE: Yes, very much, the ANC.

MR SMITH: Did he become involved with a black civic organisation?

ELIZABETH NOTHEMBILE HASHE: He started to be a member of the P, when somebody came from overseas, I can name this person, Mr Lwana, I met him and told him that Mr Lwana informed him that there is a problem with the struggle, so he should stand up again and get involved, and he should try so that this should come in a very ...(indistinct) way because P was in a period of trouble during those days.  There were no members.  Instead it was pulling and pushing, but they had to find a way in which they would progress with the running.  I think people know this. My husband stood up, he was told that he had to be coopted so that he will bring back the children.  He did just that.
 There was a boycott, I think it was a bus boycott. This bus boycott never continued, it was never successful, it was in 1983.  He was right in.  There were people who got arrested because some of them were not really liable.  The way the bus strike was continuing, it was really up and down, not knowing whether to get in or not.  Leaflets were distributed, and he was arrested.
 Time went on, he was coopted, I don't know but he was coopted.  He worked with these children as much as he was working with them, they tried to organise themselves and 
EAST LONDON  HEARING TRC/EASTERN CAPE
9 HASHE
things went well between them, but in the middle something happened.  There was a misunderstanding between them and the councillors.  Fifteen families at Veeplaas, were sitting there, their books were stamped.  They were actually people who had been evicted from their houses., so they took themselves and squatted.  Now the police took these people, small children and infants, they were wrapped in plastic. They went to Rome and they were given a place at the Father's mission.  The people stayed there, the food was provided and they were three in number.  This food was brought to me so that I could cook for the children, these people would come and help me cook, using my garage.  As time went on they discovered they would have to eat at home,  and would leave after eating and they would eat and then leave.
 They decided to go to Labour to get their documents in order.  Things were right, these who were expelled from their duties were reincorporated and they got their place in Motherworld.  Now the thing that I'm trying to tell is that during those times when they were working, something just happened, children were shot by these councillors.  This is one important point, these councillors really shot the children.  The children were striking, they took this on themselves to try and show the people, to hear their feelings about this bad thing that has just happened.  They came to the conclusion of embarking on a stay-away.

MR SMITH: That is the stay-away which was organised during March 1985, is that it?

ELIZABETH NOTHEMBILE HASHE: Yes. In this stay-away, in March 1985, they indicated that the people should not go to work.  Actually this was discussed at a meeting and they went out to the
EAST LONDON  HEARING TRC/EASTERN CAPE
10 HASHE
wholesalers.  They told the people the right way of going along with this strike.  The strike took three days, it was a Friday, a Saturday and then on Monday, those three working days.  This stay-away was very fully supported.  They explained to the people not to get on the busses, people should be left alone but people who work at the hospitals and the health services should be left alone so that these services can continue.

MR SMITH: Mrs Hashe, there was something that happened to you, to your house in particular during that period of stay-away, would you like to tell the Commission about that please?