Amnesty Hearings — Thohoyandou — 1999-06-28

CHINOANE SIMON FARISANI: The tortures that I went through, the methods that were used were so many and so varied that if I by chance leave one of them, it would only be natural but, if you read my book, 'Diary from a South African Prison' which I published first in Germany in 19 ...(intervention)

MR MEYER: Yes, Dr Farisani, I'm really not interested in your book.  What I'm talking about is your evidence before the other Committee.  And you, in your evidence-in-chief, refer to this whole question of your private parts as the most atrocious lie which was told by my clients, the applicants.  Yet, in 1996, three years ago, you never once mentioned that your private parts were either being jumped upon or that electrical devices were attached to it.

CHINOANE SIMON FARISANI: I repeat, Mr Ramaligela kicked my private parts.

MR MEYER: Yes, I know, you've said that.  What I want you to explain to me is why didn't you tell the Human Rights Violations Committee about it?

CHINOANE SIMON FARISANI: I repeat, the torture methods used were so many that if at one given instance or on one day I forget one of the methods, it's only human and natural but the fact remains that in documents preceding 1996 there's written evidence to the effect that I was tortured on those parts.  And the people I talked to after those tortures, including the police and lawyers got that information including the charges I laid against Mr Ramaligela and others, included that kind of torture.

MR MEYER: Dr Farisani ...(intervention)

CHINOANE SIMON FARISANI: And they know that.

MR MEYER: ... in your evidence-in-chief you specifically said that what is most disturbing to you and what you called the most atrocious part of the applicants' evidence is that they left out or denied that they injured your private parts.  How on earth is it possible that you can forget to mention anything about it when you gave evidence before?

SISI KHAMPEPE: I think his evidence is that he omitted it, not forgotten it.

CHAIRPERSON: No, I think he says forget.

MR MEYER: Let's just get it clear.  You told me now that it's natural for a person, because of the varied methods of torture, to forget some, one or more of the methods that were used?  Is that correct?

CHINOANE SIMON FARISANI: It is correct.

MR MEYER: So, are you telling us now that at the stage you gave evidence before the Human Rights Violations Committee, you forgot about the fact that your private parts were injured?

CHINOANE SIMON FARISANI: I have said the methods were so many, it's not surprising that one would omit one of those methods in a long list of torture.  But in their hearts they know the doctors saw that I had been shocked electrically on my private parts and if you look at those medical records yourself for the sake of truly ...(intervention)

MR MEYER: Yes, Dr Farisani, don't refer me to other documents which I don't have in my possession.  I'll refer you to page 123 of the bundle which is part of the transcription of your evidence.  Mr Chairman, it's about line 23 on that page.

SISI KHAMPEPE: Paragraph 14?

MR MEYER: Yes, just about paragraph 14.  And there you said
"Well they tied those electrical on my ears, they poured water, some water just on the floor."
So, you remember that you were being or that you were shocked with electrical devices but you specifically mentioned here that they were attached to your ears.

CHINOANE SIMON FARISANI: In my statement you will find the word 'Park Station,' it has nothing to do with Johannesburg it is a euphemism for private parts.

MR MEYER: Yes, I'm not referring to that.  You in any event didn't say anything about electrodes when you referred to Park Station.  You referred here to an instance when you were shocked with electrical devices and you specifically mentioned that they were put or tied to your ears as you put it.  Now, how can you remember that you were being shocked or tortured with electricity and still then forget that the electrical devices were also attached to your private parts?

CHINOANE SIMON FARISANI: I would like you to read the paragraph that has to do with Park Station and when you read that one, it will be clear that it refers to electric shocks that were even applied in the area I call Park Station.

CHAIRPERSON: Sorry, are you saying, Dr Farisani, that your use of Park Station on this page, page 123, is a euphemism for private parts?

CHINOANE SIMON FARISANI: Yes.

CHAIRPERSON: So, you say
"Well, I realised that I had arrived at Park Station."
Now how can it in that context refer to private parts?

CHINOANE SIMON FARISANI: Yes.  When I referred to Park Station, I was referring to, euphemistically, to the private parts.  Because what they did, they left my pants on and used the urine hole on the underpants to connect the electric appliances.

CHAIRPERSON: But, this term Park Station, as a euphemism for private parts, is that well-known?  I must admit it's the first time I've ever heard of a person's parts being referred to as Park Station.  As far as you're concerned, was it well-known or was it your own private euphemism?

CHINOANE SIMON FARISANI: I've used several geographical names like Phumbatha, like Phiphedi and Park Station, referring to the most sacred - the furthest place that you can go to in this part of the world.  If you would say you are travelling by train to Park Station, it means you have reached the destination.

CHAIRPERSON: Okay, so, did you without the explanation because I don't see there's any explanation in this testimony of yours before the HRV Committee explaining the meaning of Park Station as used by yourself.  Did you just anticipate or expect that the Committee Members at that hearing would have understood it to have meant your private parts?

CHINOANE SIMON FARISANI: I had expected the general community to understand and had hoped that the Committee would also understand.  Perhaps I should have explained at that stage.

CHAIRPERSON: Yes, thank you.

CHINOANE SIMON FARISANI: But I'm very honest to say that's how I used the word Park Station.

ADV BOSMAN: If I might just speak up on the Chairman's question, Dr Farisani, if you look on page 123, you are using the word Park Station in the context of a place there, don't you agree?  It reads
"Well, I realised that I had arrived at Park Station, like Park Station, when I arrived there."
On my reading of it you're using it in the context of a place.  If you could perhaps enlighten me there, I don't follow your argument that you meant private parts.

CHINOANE SIMON FARISANI: Thank you very much.  I was explaining the tortures that happened to me at Sibasa or Ruvembe torture station.  And everything I'm saying in that part of the statement is relating to 5 January 1982.  And when they forced me to undress, I say I realised I had reached Park Station.  In other words, I had come to the final destination of torture.

ADV BOSMAN: Thank you.

MR MEYER: So, are you now saying that you used Park Station to indicate the final destination you'd arrived and not as a euphemism for private parts?

CHINOANE SIMON FARISANI: It means both and the two are not inseparable.  It means I've reached the destination, the worst of tortures that Mr Managa and Mr Ramaligela had promised me.  And indeed, this was late in the afternoon, they tortured me using different methods from morning to lunch time.  And after lunch time, they said 'You'll still see the worst that we can do.'  And that's when they transferred the electric wires from the earlobes, from the toes, from the thighs to my private parts.  And when that did not illicit the kind of result that wanted, as Mr Ramaligela admitted, same day, then they moved to the boiling kettle method.