Human Rights Violation Hearings — Soweto — 1996-07-23

ELLIOT NDLOVU: Two decades since June 16th event.  The Soweto students went into the streets to fight, actually to register their discontent against an evil system whereby a very difficult subject had to be taught through the medium of Afrikaans.  That resulted in the tragic consequences.  On SOWETO HEARING GAUTENG PROVINCE
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this day I left for school unknowingly what was going to follow.  We were just preparing for our last paper, mathematics when just across at Orlando West we saw a crowd of pupils trying to cross over to get to Diepkloof where they were going to have their meeting.  There they were intercepted by the police and they tried to stop them from getting to this meeting and a shooting took place.  
 When I came home in the late afternoon after buying what they use to call those days, the World, I realised that one of my sons had been killed.  The following day one of my sons, the very son that was said was killed, appeared.  Now I was shocked.  Now the last of my sons did not report home and I started panicking.  I went to Baragwaneth.  I found my very son, the first son's name in the list that he had been killed, brought in and when he was taken to the ICU, he died.  Now it is written Leslie Ndlovu, that is my first son.  The boy who was missing was Hastings Ndlovu.  Went to the mortuary where there were hundreds of bodies strewn all over the place.  I have never seen such an incident before.  On that day, that is the 17th I could not trace my son.  
 I came back home.  Tried again the Friday, again I failed.  Collected the school principal, we went together with a neighbour.  Right at the entrance my neighbour said here is this fellow.  He was face down, I held him by the ear, turned him over and I said, oh thou fallen piece of earth.  Those that have done this deed shall be very sorry.  So I realised, yes, it was Hastings Ndlovu, my son, that had died.  This had an effect, not only on the family, but in the community around me at Orlando West.  Unknowingly, the worst was still to follow.  My three girls left the country.  Two of them then were at Fort Hare, one was at Ngoya ...
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They skipped the country with drastic consequences to their mother who fell ill and died.  
 What happened thereafter was, as I said, drastic.  I was now in close surveillance of the police, the SB who were very unkind to me.  Picked me up from time to time.  Sometimes I got dismally pained because Soweto had become a Russia at the time.  Police feared getting into the location, but at midnight, the dead of night they would come in, pick you up and promise you all types of things, but nevertheless things went bad even in the schools.  Discipline had gone down terribly.  Some of the teachers and principals were suspected of being agents of the system and things as headmasters, we had a really trying time, but in as far as the students concerned, I think they scored victory because firstly what they fought for was achieved.  In a few months time that instruction in Afrikaans was revoked immediately and boys were bubbling with victory.  They had thought as achievers we have failed them in putting this Government out, but as I had said one time at John Vorster that by killing these children, really, I think one day we are going to achieve because these children no more, whenever that car which they call the yellow-yellow, mellow-yellow, they would really not fear to tell them where to get off.  If you said to them, this people are going to shoot you, they would tell you, what about those that have died already.  So, some of us felt and they helped, also, to consciousise the youth that the struggle was on.  
 On the streets in Soweto you will find written down the street the blood, the tree of freedom is watered with blood.  So even some of us that had lost, we felt we will let the students feel they are on the right track.  Let them go on. 
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We have suffered too long.  I see there are some slight changes.  I am not sure about the fact now, but at the time a school going child got something for capital.  It was about R50.00 or R55.00 when the white child was on R600.00.  I am not sure of the facts now, but I think that is being looked at addressed.  
 Come to the social economic factors.  The schools had many functions, the school was really functioning, but some of the things that were there at the time lost favour.  That, I think, it is being redressed also. I learnt the other day that there was going to be a big music eistedford at Pietersburg.  So some of the things are coming back correctly and, I think also, at the time when we struggled for increments, that could not be coming because we were told that, at one stage, Dr Verwoerd had pegged the budget on education.  What I see now the teachers salaries are being looked into and it is a sign, but the greatest of all the victories, I think, the 1976 riots, student riot has been the major factor in getting this freedom, this new democracy.  
 We have, at a place called Sophiatown, when there was trouble there, we used stones mostly although the students felt that we have never involved ourselves in the struggle, we did.  If it was little, I think that little brought about the greatest victory of all, the democracy which we now enjoy.  I think those are some of the things that the police, mostly the police seemed not to have been on our side, but on the side of the oppressor.  I remember at John Vorster when one said, Jong, in Afrikaans because there were Afrikaner police nearby.  He said, Jong, if you do not speak the truth, we will throw you out that window.  I said 
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this window, I am always in and out town.  These things are also open.  I think I will not go out alone out of that window, but I will go out with one of you.  
 Really, I felt here now I am in the window, they can do anything with me here.  So, laat ek ook glad nie hang, in their own language.  So, I think those are some of the things that helped me.  I said you threw poor Taxletimore out of this windows and you said the man was trying to escape.  How can a man escape out here?  So, although we have lost, but I think on the student's side, they did score victory.  So, although we wept and cried.  
 I remember when I failed on three occasions, four occasions to look for my son, I met wailing of woman who could not find their sons, students, pupils at that place.  It was really heartbreaking and there were rumours around in Soweto here that people who live next to an avalon, had seen some helicopter dropping bodies and you could believe that because of what I had seen out at the mortuary.  Hundreds of mothers could not get their children.  I was almost one of those, but fortunately, on the fourth day I did discover my son through the help of a neighbour.  We say, bravo to those kids.  We hope the organisers of this June 16 should really carry on with this lest the future generations forget.  I thank you.

MR LEWIN: Thank you very much Sir.  You used a quotation when you found your son.  If I remember correctly the full quotation is, oh pardon me thou ...

ELLIOT NDLOVU: Befallen.

MR LEWIN: ... befallen piece of earth that I am meek and gentle with these butchers.

ELLIOT NDLOVU: Yes.
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MR LEWIN: I think that your testimony has shown to us today the strength that actually lies behind a truly meek and gentle teacher as yourself and I would like to thank you very much for that testimony.  Thank you, Sir.

ELLIOT NDLOVU: Thank you.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you very much Mr Ndlovu.  I will start with you Piet.  Have you got a question?  Russell Ally.

RUSSELL ALLY: Mr Ndlouv, you said that you also had two daughters who left.

ELLIOT NDLOVU: Three.