Special Hearings — Women's Hearings — 1997-07-29

ALLI MAZIYA: I was arrested in Vosloorus and this was in 1990.  When I arrived in Vosloorus I was coming from Tembisa.  I am not going to relate the whole history about my life, but when I arrived in Vosloorus the first thing that I started doing, I tried to establish an organisation, but after about two or three years we eventually managed to establish an organisation which was Vosloorus Crisis Committee.  That is where I was elected to be the first Chairperson of this organisation.  That was in February 1990.  We had a march, we held a march where we were expressing our concern that we were no longer going to pay for services and the second issue, we were not going to buy from councillors shop, but that we were also not going to buy from shops of the friends of the councillors and that we were also going to isolate the councillors' children, we are not going to talk to them.
 So when this boycott started, it started very painfully, because we also did not know what this councillors are going to do.  This boycott also effected the people who were aligned with the councillors.  So within this area there was a conflict between the, among the students and pass, students organisation, PASO and COSAS.  At the very same time there was also the taxi violence.  So Vosloorus became a hot bed area, because many people were running towards Vosloorus whereas Vosloorus had also its own problems.  
 Let me first start by the 31st.  On the 31st I had called a meeting where there were different organisations.  We were the, were going to discuss about the conflict amongst students, but we were also going to discuss the taxi violence and the third issue we were going to discuss was to see if our boycott of councillors was it a successful, was it weak or was it strong enough and where we could strengthen it if it was weak.  It was a holiday, it was on the 31st of May and our meeting dispersed at about seven in the evening.  When I arrived at home I realised, I found that my mother was there.  She was visiting for a weekend.  When I arrived there my mother, I explained that my mother and my father should sleep with my mother in our room.   My wife's name was Lindiwe.  So they decided that they are going to sleep in the bedroom with my son who was nine months old.  
 I did not have any problem.  I went to sleep in the other smaller room.  I slept very late, because I had among, there were some young boys I had been with at the meeting, but as I was sitting there is, something told me I should not go to sleep.  I had this premonition that I should not go to sleep, but I woke up at night.  I left these other boys sitting in the diningroom and I went to sleep.  At about one a.m. I heard noises as if there was rain outside.  When I listened I then realised that it seems there is somebody crying outside.  So I woke up and went to check what was happening outside.  I heard a woman's voice crying outside and I thought maybe I could be of assistance to this woman.
 When I got out of the blankets and got out of the bedroom I realised that this person was crying right inside my house.  It was my mother's voice I heard inside the house and I went to check in my bedroom why my mother was crying.  When I tried to get inside the door through the sittingroom I heard something hitting me on my feet and I feel down and it appeared in my mind that this noise that I am hearing, these are gun noises, but there were all the other noises, like there were explosive noises.  So, I went back. I tried to stand up, but I was not able to stand up, because I had been injured on my feet, but eventually I did manage to stand up and I put the lights on.  
 After I had switched the lights on I heard people running outside and I insisted on checking outside.  I opened the door to and I heard the car starting on the high speed and I ran away and I was holding on the fence just to see what kind of a car was this and what direction was it running towards.  I saw many Escorts and white mag wheels.  From there I realised that there were lots of cars noise from all directions were also running away.  It would seem that these cars had stopped here and it is as if they were waiting to help these people who were attacking us and I went, then went back to the house and I went back to my bedroom.  
 I found my mother had a gaping wound from the chest up until her stomach and her whole stomach flesh had been removed.  The child was swollen as if something had gotten into her body and Lindiwe's body had been burned and she was already dead, but the child was crying and my mum was also crying.  We also tried to assist them.  We then realised  that we were not able to lift my mum and there was nothing we could do to assist her, because had a heavy weight.  So, I took the child and we ran towards the hospital, because my child was still alive, because we thought they would admit my child and manage to save my child.  
 Just as I entered the hospital my child died.  They took the child from my hands and took the child away and they started treating me on my feet, because I had been injured on my leg, but others said, no, they should leave me where I was.  They wanted to put me away in a safe place, because they did not know who were those people who were attacking us in the house.  Those people might be at the hospital at that time.  So they put me in a safe room somewhere and I did not feel I wanted to stay at the hospital and I told these people.  I said, no, may I please go and check in my house what is happening.  There is nobody else except the two young guys who were there.
 What really alarmed me was that by the time I arrived home was about two a.m. when I arrived in my house.  I found that Lindiwe's corpse was no longer at the house.  My mum was also not in the house, but I tried to find out what happened to their corpse.  I found the police in my house and the police wanted to search my house and they said they were looking for weapons.  I asked them how could they actually come and look for weapons in my house, because I am the one who had been attacked, but they insisted on wanting to search my house and I started quarrelling and fighting with the police and there were lots of people in my house.  The police chased away these people so that they should not come near our house.
 From there the police left.  I think they were about 30 minutes.  About after 30 minutes these policemen came back and they asked me who was the owner of the house.  I said I am the owner of this house and at that time there were other relatives who had arrived who were from outside of Vosloorus.  At about six a.m. my mother-in-law and my father-in-law and my brother-in-law arrived at home and said there is something very strange as were the police.  There is another policeman who had a gun, a huge gun and he showed that there was also another White policeman.  The White policeman had this gun and looked in the book and said this, there is nothing written in this gun.  There is no indication that this gun had been released from this police station and it would seem this is one of the guns that had been used on the house that has been attacked.  How did this gun get out of the police station?  So you must tell me how this gun got out of this police station.  
 While we were still listening at that the police came back and they wanted me to make a statement.  The way the whole situation was confused, there was an urgent need that I should relate the story of what happened and how it happened, but I did not understand what was the need of this confused and urgent situation.  So, I was, whilst I was still there I thought after the police had taken the statement they would come back to me and explain to me when would I appear in court or if they would come and report to me that they have arrested the people who had attacked us, but after eight or nine months there was a young chap that arrived to my place.  He was among the members of COSAS.  
 He says he really could not keep this inside him, because he was very concerned about this thing, was knowing us.  He then started to explain to me who were these people who planned the attack.  The most painful thing is that I cannot relate this story, expose this story, because I think I do not have powers to reveal or expose peoples' names, because I have got no evidence that they know this issue, but what I do want to reflect here on is that PAC as well as our Mayor, during that time, Mr Senogela, they know what happened in my house.  They also know who are the people who attacked my house, because this incident was committed by PAC together with Mr Senogela, as he was the Mayor of this place during that time.  
 Another issue that was related was Beckie Shelemba when he tried to relate this issue to us that he was prepared to expose this thing.  I said to him he must go to the police, because even if he told me, there was nothing I would be able to do.  I will just take what he has related to me and I will listen to what he has related, but I would be in no position to do anything about it.  I will just know who are these people, but I cannot know exactly what happened, because there was a lot of confusion with the papers in which I had made a statement.  I do not know if the person who took the statement from me, if he was able to look for this young chap and help this child to apply for amnesty or if he did not do that.  I am not in a position to know that.
 My heart would be very sore if this young chap can be arrested where, if the Commission was not able to assist him to get any assistance.  I do not know if you have got any questions or any clarification.  I think I have related what I think, what I feel is still a wound in my although I did accept what happened to me, because when this thing happened to me it would seem I was the person that the community was looking upon as a leadership and the people would provide any guidance and direction to the community and even the youth, even when the youth wanted to discuss issues on revenge to other people, I was the one who was involved in discussing the issue and that situation gave me strength of accepting that other people who have lost their loved ones under the same circumstances that I also lost my loved ones.  People who are like me are not foolish, are not stupid people.  
 I have to acknowledge and accept that those were the circumstances that prevailed at that time which propelled, which made me realise my loved ones, my mother, my child and my wife so that people in South Africa could also be liberated.  I am happy today that we are liberated.