Human Rights Violation Hearings — Winelands — 1996-10-16

WENDY ORR: Good morning Mr Van Rooyen, you got up early this morning to drive all the way from Saldanha and we say thank you very much to you.  Before we listen to your story would you  please stand to take the oath.
COENRAAD VAN ROOYEN  Duly sworn states

WENDY ORR: Thank you, I will ask Glenda Wildschut to lead you through your evidence.

GLENDA WILDSCHUT: Good morning Mr Van Rooyen, how are you this morning?  Is everything well, thank you that you have come here today, thank you that you've agreed to share your story with us.  You are from Saldanha and your story is about a shooting incident in Saldanha in 1987.  Would you please tell us a little bit more about yourself, where do you  work, what do you do and then proceed with your story.

MR VAN ROOYEN: I am Coenraad van Rooyen, I live in Saldanha.  At present after the shooting incident I work as a construction worker.  I - I am a trained welder, after this incident I can't work continuously any more because 3 or 4 times the month I have to go and see the doctor.  And this causes that employers are not very interested in my and therefore I do construction work which I can do for short periods at a time.

GLENDA WILDSCHUT: Did you work for Sea Harvest before?

MR VAN ROOYEN: Yes, years ago in the 70's.

GLENDA WILDSCHUT: Do you also work as a temporary worker for Sea Harvest?

MR VAN ROOYEN: Yes, I did that until late in the 1980's.

GLENDA WILDSCHUT: Please go ahead - please go ahead with your story.

MR VAN ROOYEN: A few of us - a few friends were spending the day together at the beach.  We were having a braai.  We stayed there on the beach the whole day, we had a braai, we had a few drinks but the whole day while we were there on the beach we heard sounds like crackers in the Diazville Township.  We decided round about half past 6 that evening that we've had enough and we were going home.  
 While walking though this township my friend left for their various homes, but unfortunately I had to pass a house where  a policeman and his wife were living.  His name was Johannes Stroebel - Inspector Johannes Stroebel, when I arrived there - when I crossed the park I saw their children and people were scattering in various directions.  I did not know what was going on and I decided just to go ahead.  
 But I passed through all these people - all these people running around I saw this policeman - Johannes Stroebel running from his house with a shotgun in his hand.  I did not know what was happening but I started running because I became frightened because at that specific day children were wounded in Saldanha.  I started running but having crossed the road I ran into somebody else's yard.  This policeman followed me and he shot bird gun - bird shot sorry into my back.  I ran into somebody's yard, I jumped over the fence to try and get to my own house.  I was wearing a black sweater and that got caught in the fence and at that stage he got the chance to grab me and pull me back.
 He swore at me and he took the butt of the shot gun and he start hitting my head.  When I fell he started - he kept on hitting my head.  Fortunately I must have lost my consciousness because the bystanders said he took me by my sweater and dragged me across the road to his house.  My family and my - went to fetch my wife.  I was in his yard at that stage - he kept on kicking me and hitting me with the butt of the shot gun.  That's what the people said because I had lost consciousness.  
 When - in my yard he told my wife and children that  if they came any nearer they would shoot - he would shoot them dead, so they remained at a save distance.  That evening a police van came - they put me into that police van.  I was unconscious and the bystanders said they kept on assaulting me in this police van.  And they then took me to the Charge Office, there I partly regained my consciousness and I remembered that they dragged me to the cells.
That night when I regained my full consciousness I felt very cold, and all - the whole cell was flooded with water.  And I sat huddled in a little corner, most of the time I was half conscious and I spent the night like that.  The next morning I heard the rattling of keys, one Constable, Stroebel's wife said  
Open this cell that I can see what this pig look like - looks like.  
This pig who threw stones at my house.
And she said
Why did you throw stones at my house?
And I asked
Was it me, I couldn't remember that I've done that.
And she said
Close the door and let this pig just die.  
A little while afterwards I shouted through the window that I wanted to see the Officer in charge, now he was Captain or Lieutenant Kitchener.  I asked to see him because I was urinating and vomiting blood and I would like to go and see a doctor.  Could he send somebody to take me to the doctor.  For the whole day he showed no interest and I was suffering extreme pain for that whole Monday.
The next morning the police opened the cell and I asked them to please take me to see a doctor because I was going to die and he then said
 Bring him out.
And I was standing there - I was crawling rather from the cell and I asked please - please take me to a doctor because I'm going to die.  Then he decided take him, put him in the police van and take him to the doctor.  
They drove at a high speed to the doctor, it was 11 km to the hospital.  I sat there for a whole hour at the hospital and I asked them - they could ask the police who had accompanied me please to take me to the doctor immediately because I am suffering extreme pain.  When the doctor eventually examined me he said that I should have gone to Tygerberg Hospital on the Sunday already because I was bleeding internally.  
I can't remember how I came to Tygerberg Hospital but on that Wednesday morning they operated me - on my stomach.  Afterwards I stayed in hospital under police guidance for 3 to 4 weeks.  I've asked my attorney - I approached an attorney - why - there was police guidance in this hospital and my attorney he laid - instituted a charge and the charge was that I was involved in stone throwing.  When this court - when I appeared in court I was acquitted.  This is what my story is about.

GLENDA WILDSCHUT: You were convicted?

MR VAN ROOYEN: No, I was acquitted.

GLENDA WILDSCHUT: Do you know which injuries you sustained or why you were operated?

MR VAN ROOYEN: According to the doctor I had internal injuries like my pancreas was injured, my intestines were damaged.  And they had to remove that.

GLENDA WILDSCHUT: You know that our Investigating Unit have started investigating this whole matter and I will read a small bit of the report they've compiled so far
The book in the Police Station in which they write all the events of the day - this book  [indistinct] shot by Constable Stroebel with shot gun and that he fired bird shot at you.
But the entry makes a claim that the victim was not injured as a result of the shooting.
 I - I'm - I think that most of us in this audience will struggle to understand the logic that you are shot but you are not injured as a result of the shooting.  I do not have any more questions to ask you, I'll hand over to the Chairperson.  I'm sure my colleagues might have questions to pose.

MR VAN ROOYEN: Thank you.

ADV POTGIETER: Mr Van Rooyen just a few questions,  were you active in politics, were you politically involved that the police were watching you?

MR VAN ROOYEN: I can't say.

ADV POTGIETER: Sir my question is were you politically involved in Saldanha at that time?

MR VAN ROOYEN: Previously yes, I was member of the UDF.

ADV POTGIETER: And was it well known that you was a member of the UDF?

MR VAN ROOYEN: Yes.

ADV POTGIETER: A second question.  You say that the - you were acquitted in court.  Did you receive any compensation - did you institute a claim for compensation and did you receive any money?