Human Rights Violation Hearings — Grahamstown — 1997-04-09

MS SANDI: They were holding us all.  Not dragging us, but they were holding us and we got to K Street and they said here are the comrades, and I said where are these big comrades?  They said, what we want from you is you are going to tell us where our firearms are which you took and went to give to the Mungundwana, the Rats, the municipal police.
 She said, I don't know what you are talking about, they said we saw you get into a casper, belonging to the Defence Force and we want our firearms, four of our firearms were taken by the police.
 By this time they were dragging her.  And she said I don't know about anything and I wanted to know what firearms are these.  Why can't you just talk  about this?  And she was clinging onto me and they dragged her with force from me and there was a biggish tree.
 We struggled for her and they eventually got her and they said we are going to show you, we want these firearms.  They dragged her and dropped her to the ground.  When she fell to the ground, some of them were kicking her and I
tried to protect her and wanted to know what firearms they were talking about.  And I got her again and she clung to me and they said to her, you are stubborn.
 I went to her and picked her up again and I was trying to move away.  These - my other children were starting to run away and I called them to come and help me.  I grabbed her and they grabbed her once again and dropped her to the ground for a third time.  I picked her up again, but this time, I don't know what it was, some of them were assaulting me on my head and my back and dragging me away from her.
 And in this time I could see a tyre.  When she fell, they put her near the tyre and they pulled me away and said that I should go home and telling me that they were going to deal with my daughter.  A group of them pushed me away, when we got to M Street, there were so many of them who said to me, you know where you stay, go home.
 When we got near number 17, I said oh, my God, my child, I don't know what they are going to do to this child.  And by this time they were throwing things at me and I started running.

ADV SANDI: Where was Wallace in all this time when you were being chased home?

MRS SANDI: I cannot say where he was, because there were so many children who were pushing me when I was going home, but the one who I saw was Zolizwa who was also running because they were throwing obstacles at her as well.
 We ran when I went to number 7 to look for comrade Nzuzu to please help me because I did not know what they were doing to my child.
 When I came back, I found Ntomtetilele who was her husband and he she was not there.  When I got close to my
house, Zolizwa was there and Wallace was standing there and when I was going to go into the house, Nontyatyambo was approaching and she was naked by this time.
 When she got close to me I held onto her and she had been severely burnt down her front to her stomach.  I took her and took a towel which was close by and covered her.  I went with her to number 17 to try and get a telephone.
 There they did not want to have anything to do with me, saying that I was going to cause trouble for them.  I then went to the Qangile home in M Street and I said, when I got there there were policemen at the gate and she was talking throughout giving the names of these children, Mfulani child and names of Lizwa and those others and the ambulance was called and it took us to the hospital.
 When we got to the hospital, they treated her and we were told that we were going to be taken to Port Elizabeth and she was treated there and then we were told, shown the ward where she was going to be admitted.  I think we must have got back at quarter to four.
 I then left her, I told her that I would be back.  I got home, promising her that I would come and see her the Tuesday.  When I got home, I was preparing for work, I was working at St Andrew's.  I prepared for work.  When I got to my work, I informed by employer about what happened.  We phoned her father there and then. 
 Her father was working in Port Elizabeth at a packaging company.  We got hold of him at Bod Packaging and I told him what happened at home.  He said there and then that he would go and see her.  That was the Tuesday.
 My employer said to me that she would keep phoning to find out how she was.

ADV SANDI: And eventually you received a telephone call at work saying that she did not survive the injuries which she sustained?

MRS SANDI: On the Wednesday when I was preparing at work for my employer to take me to Port Elizabeth, I received a telephone call and informed that my child had passed away.  This is while I was preparing to go and see her in Port Elizabeth.

ADV SANDI: Was anyone arrested in connection with this incident?

MRS SANDI: Yes, there were people who were arrested because she herself had said who they were.

ADV SANDI: ; Were these people convicted?

MRS SANDI: They were convicted but they were sentenced to some corporal punishment and that was all.

ADV SANDI: Were you able to conduct the funeral without any incidents or interference?

MRS SANDI: My brother was Sergeant Sukula, took me because they had already burnt down the house, my house the Thursday after having burnt my child the Wednesday and then my brother took me to his house, at number 197.

ADV SANDI: Did you ever receive an opportunity thereafter to go back to your house?

MRS SANDI: I could never go back to my house because there was a Mr Nango who was still living there up to this day, he said he was speaking to his older brother about renting the place.  What happened was that I was living at my work and Mr Nango never came to me.  What his brother said was that this man was going to rent the house, but they never came back to me.
 Thereafter, after some time I heard that my child's
father had given the house to him.

ADV SANDI: Whose house did you say it was in your statement?

MRS SANDI: ; It is my brother's house.  After this incident, my children and I went to go and stay at my brother's place.  Thereafter in - on the 6th of January of the following year, my sister-in-law indicated that she wanted this house back, which my brother had said we could stay in.  I then gave the house back and I am renting a house from my aunt in Nyameni and my niece is paying the rent for me since she is employed and I don't have a place of my own, to this day.

ADV SANDI: Is there anything else you would like to say before I ask you what your expectations and wishes are from this Commission?

MRS SANDI: That is basically all I have to say with regard to the incident for now.   I never used to wear spectacles back then, but because of the injuries I sustained, my head, I don't know what happened, but I started wearing spectacles thereafter.
 The Doctor said that there was also something wrong with my blood and I still suffer constant headaches to this day.  And I am now due to go and have my spectacles changed again, but I cannot afford to because I am unemployed.

ADV SANDI: Thank you very much Mrs Sandi.  If there is anything which you still have to say, we will have the Committee direct questions to you.
 Mrs Madinda, in your statement you said that your house was burnt down.  Was it in 31 O Street?

TENJIWE QUENETTE MADINDA: Yes, that is correct Mr Chairman.

ADV SANDI: Please tell us what happened in 31 O Street
when your house was burnt down?