Human Rights Violation Hearings — Venda — 1996-10-03

NAMADZAVHO PAVO DAVHULA: Thank you.  On the 4th of June 1987, whilst I was coming from Messina the bus on which I was travelling, stopped at Chicombane.  It was dark.
 There was a certain woman next to me, but I don't know here name and asked if there was any other taxi and I told her that there was a last taxi coming.
VENDA HEARING TRC/NORTH WEST
2 NP DAVHULA
 And we were two, the driver of the taxi stopped and the woman - I asked the driver of the taxi to accompany me and he said, no, he couldn't do that.
 And asked me if I could ask for help from the neighbourhood so that I should reach home.  I went to another place and there were two elderly people.  I greeted them, they accepted me.
 I introduced myself and told them where I was coming from and where I was going and this people told me that no one is allowed to sleep at a place before the sub-Headmen knows what is happening.
 And on the following day, that is when he can get his own transport.  So the owner of the house was around and then he was to take me to the Headmen and I was taken to the Headmen.
 And we went passed the place where we were standing on the road and we went to a place belong to the Waqoma or the sub-Headmen - a kraal.
 That person explained to the sub-headmen that this person was taken over by sunset and explained that he was going to Moledana and introduced himself and the Waqoma or sub-Headmen agreed so that on the next day, when the taxi's will be coming or busses, I will be awake then and I will be ready to go back at them.
 After they agreed, during the night I slept with the sub-Headmen who was the owner of the house.  The one who took me to the sub-Headmen had already gone back home.  Indeed, there were two beds in the house.
 I took off my clothes and I was left with my own underwear.  I didn't have an (indistinct) or vest, I had my  (indistinct) just down on the floor with my sweets that I 
VENDA HEARING TRC/NORTH WEST
3 NP DAVHULA
bought for my brother's kids.
 During the night I woke up and realise that right at the place where we were, it was already clear as if it was sunrise.
 When I took off the blanket, I realised that the people who were there, were police and they had guns.  I had forced myself to wake up slowly.  I explained to them that I'm Namadzavho Davhula and I'm going to Moredane, who's Headmen is Mawosela.
 I was still in my bed.  I then tried to introduce myself, you know as a pure Venda person, as they used to.  I gave them my ID which was in my pocket, it resembled my names.
 They didn't want to approach me and I forced myself to stay as I was.  They didn't want to approach me.  All right, as I was telling them, telling them who I was Namadzavho Davhula, they asked me to keep quiet, not to make a noise.
 And then I got frightened.  Now I was wondering why these people are having guns and they are legal people and they didn't even want to arrest me or take me to the police station or at Moledana where I used to stay, or where I stay.
 Then an idea came to me and I thought maybe people wanted to kill me for muti or something, because people are not good.  As I was sit up like this, the old lady, I urinated just then and there and I told them look I cannot get murdered right in the house, it is better if you can apply your murders outside, because these people allowed me, you'd rather do your activities on the verandah when all the people are watching, because this people were ready to kill me.
VENDA HEARING TRC/NORTH WEST
4 NP DAVHULA
 Lately when I arrived at the other side, they released their guns and it went through my shoulder and then there was a big hole.  It went through and then I sat on my buttocks.
 On sitting on my buttocks, the people who rushed there, that person who rushed there, I couldn't even feel that my hand was terribly hurt, it was just falling, more or less falling apart.
 And I asked them, look are you afraid of that.  They said, look you are very lucky, but I said, look you can't say I'm lucky and I told them, look you have killed me.
 Because blood was flowing and they kill and they said, come this side and when I heard that come this side, I said, oh, today I'm dying before I even see my mother.
 I asked them, pleaded with them that I want to see my mother in Chicombane.  It is then that a van approached and when I watched, I realised that the van's registration number is VP. I was then called.
 I couldn't lift myself, because I was holding on that, and then they helped me on the shoulders, lifted me up into the van.
 I balanced myself on the other side and I was taken to Silom for treatment.  In my mind I was crying and I was restrained as a baby and then I didn't even know, I thought maybe they are going to kill me in the bush because I didn't even know where Silom was.
 By then I was already at Silom.  When they came to open at the back, when they wanted to lead me I said please stop, you lift me after, I just vomited.  I just vomited there and then.
 That is when they lifted me from the van and took me to VENDA HEARING TRC/NORTH WEST
5 NP DAVHULA
where I got treatment.  They stitched me, all three holes were stitched.
 The bullet went through, exploded right inside and then there were three already.
 Then they tied me.   The whole night the blood was flowing, blood was flowing continuously.  I was crying and calling nurses, needing for water, I was thirsty, please bring water.
 The nurses said the Doctor had to be called, the very same Doctor who stitched me, because blood was flowing continuously.  When the Doctor came, he said I don't have any other place where I can stitch you.  He only stitched whilst I was feeling, but there was nothing - I was crying.
 The Doctor said, look take this person out, don't let him sleep here.  Let him sleep alone.  On the following day the Doctor who stitched me, said to the nurses, this person - you should plead with this person because I don't have any other machines that I can use in stitching.  He must be referred to Garankua, but then  I didn't want, because I was crying.
 I was crying and I was tired of crying.  I said, please I want to see Mrs Chinakawo, my mother.  The Doctor said, look if this hand last for three days, it will definitely be a crippled hand.  It is better if you will be transferred to Garankua and I agreed.  
 I was sent to Garankua.  I asked  about the people who hurt me, what about my clothes and the Doctor said the very same people who hurt you, are going to bring those.  Of course they did bring my goods.
 I was taken to the X-Ray machine so that I should go to the ambulance to be transported.  I was just on a little 
VENDA HEARING TRC/NORTH WEST
6 NP DAVHULA
bed, there were a lot of people watching.  They were wondering, they were saying they were watching a terrorist, although I didn't know what was happening.  The ambulance took me from Silom to Tsidisini here at Mlegani.
 And I was taken by the ambulance from Tsidisini to Garankua.  And at home, nobody knew about that.  I arrived at Garankua whilst the blood was still flowing.
 In Garankua that is where they treated me by a Specialist in Garankua.  In my thigh where they gave me treatment, they took a lot of flesh from my thigh so that they should patch the holes which were on my shoulders.
 But where the bullet went through, they could not really do well up to the time when I went back to Garankua and I was released.
 What surprised me when I was in Garankua, people said I was shot because I was alleged to have been a terrorist, but when I was in bed, nobody was guarding me, but I was wondering they shot at me using a gun, but I didn't know anything about terrorism.
 If at all I was a terrorist, they would guard me at Garankua, exchanging duties until I was discharged, until the case was to be heard.  It was never like that in my case.
 I was discharged at Garankua and came back.  My fellow people said since you are hurt like this, it is better if we get a lawyer and then they consulted a lawyer, Mambathola.
 The case just ended there without any charges or any evidence given, so I went to Thoyandou Social Workers.
 The Social Workers at Thoyandou said now that you say you have been shot by the - I had to show them how I got shot, so I unwrapped my clothes.
VENDA HEARING TRC/NORTH WEST
7 NP DAVHULA
 When I showed them, they said is this only one bullet which did this and I said yes, it went through my shoulder and then cracked all the bones.
 These people, the Social Workers said was your case heard and they asked who was really responsible for that and I said Nomathu and they referred me with a paper to Tsidisini so that I shall go and have the paper filled so that I shall be one of the pensioners.
 Of course I took the paper to Tsidisini hospital where the Doctor said, why do you want to be one of the pensioners when you are so young and I had to explain that I am terribly hurt and the people who belong to the former Government here in Venda on  a specific date, then is where I was taken to Maquaria.
 On arriving at Maquaria it happened that I had to receive pension.  When I went to the lawyer, the lawyer said the Government is saying you are only going to receive a compensation of R4 000-00.  I said only R4 000-00 when I am so hurt and they said yes, that is what I am saying, I really denied.
 I said, never, I will never take this R4 000-00 because my hand is terribly hurt, so that I can't even lift it up and I can't even reach the other places if I want to scratch.
 Sometimes I scratch myself as a donkey and this is the people who belong to the Government who allege me to have been a terrorist whilst I didn't know what was happening.
 Up to now, I am still getting the very same pension, R230-00.  I realise that this R230-00 is nothing, because my family is suffering.  Something else that I could do myself I now delegate people so much that I take the other money to VENDA HEARING TRC/NORTH WEST
8 NP DAVHULA
the same people, so that I shall pay them for whatever they rendered, the services.  This is very painful on my side.
 I hope that everyone who is here, is able to realise that the Government really did malicious damage to me because I can't even wash myself, people have to bath me.
 But in the past I used to bath myself.  This is painful.
 This is why after having had learnt that there is a Truth Commission, I said okay fine, since people are saying give evidence and a statement, I considered to that.  Of course that is what happened.
 I went to the people who were giving help to people who were making statements, that is why I arrived there, thank you.