Human Rights Violation Hearings — Durban — 1996-10-25

UNIDENTIFIED COMMISSIONER: You also mentioned that you don't have a good relationship with your child.  What did you mean by that?

WITNESS:   When I gave birth to my child I was very young.  And now as he is grown up, some of the things that he does I don't know how to deal with them.

UNIDENTIFIED COMMISSIONER: It is apparent that you are quite a clever woman and you explain things quite easily, they are very clear to us.  We are going to hand over to the chairperson.

UNIDENTIFIED COMMISSION: Nomhle, you have already told us a lot about yourself, your life and your family life.  You talked about your brother.   What is this other brother doing, what is his name?

WITNESS:   Yes, we are staying with him, but he is not employed. What is his name?   ---   His name is Vusi.

CHAIRPERSON: (Inaudible) ... army as a recruit.   What will happen to your son then, who will look at him while you are at base?

WITNESS:   I asked Vusi to stay with him whilst I am away.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you for coming today.   You are indeed a survivor of the struggle, and in a sense one can only appreciate why we have got where we are today because it is made up of people like yourself, women with the hearts of warriors, and who with all of that have managed to sustain some kind of belief system in their selves and have still managed to go forward.   You dream of being a doctor, you dream of being - of furthering your studies.  And I think that if you join the army, at least that opportunity will be given to you.   We have heard what you say.   I think the recommendations you make that the conditions in the prisons, particularly for women, need to be looked at very carefully.   I also think that there needs to be some kind of counselling for both you and your son, because the mental scars are still there.   But we salute your courage and we hope that we will be able to assist you in some of the things that you have talked about.   Thank you for coming today and being part of this special day.

CHAIRPERSON: /UNKNOWN BY REQUEST

CHAIRPERSON: UNKNOWN BY REQUEST

CHAIRPERSON: (DORIS NGUBANE   (Sworn States) (Through Interpreter))

CHAIRPERSON: Mama, Dr Ramashala will assist you with the leading of your evidence.   I will now hand over to her.

WITNESS:   My name is Doris Ngubane from KwaMashu.

MAPULE RAMASHALA: If you don't want to reveal your name, Mama, it is okay.  You are relating to us a very sad story here.  I can see on your statement.

WITNESS: We have 7 sons and one daughter, who is married.  We are from Nkumbane, me and my husband.  We went and settle in KwaMashu.  My husband works at Blanket(?).  Violence started after a while.  It was worse in 1992.   I began to realise that it was real bad when it actually affected me personally. Police came and Inkatha members came.   We ran out of our houses, some when to schools.   I wasn't the only one, neighbours, people from KwaMashu ran out with - together with the children.   My house wasn't that far.   As I was deciding to go back to my house to fetch a blanket, I was hesitant because there were soldiers all over the street and they used to take people and just go and dump them anywhere.   I waited until late, because I wanted to go and fetch a gas to make food for my children.   My husband on that day was at home.   He told me that the man doesn't run away from his house.   So, I went back to home so that I could fetch the blankets, because it was cold in that school.   And I wanted to take the gas as well to make the food.   When I was nearer the place where I was staying, I realised something from K Section as I was looking there.   And I was scared.   I saw three boys, they were running, they were coming from the soldiers.   And as I was looking, I am not quite sure whether they took a short cut, but when I arrived at my house they were right there with me.   I took the keys from my pocket.   I unlocked.  As I was trying to unlock the door, the key couldn't unlock my door and then I looked around, I saw one of the guys was - Justice was his name - and I said, "Justice, how are you?" and he kept quiet, and he realised that I was scared.  I was shaking.   He took the key from my hand and opened the door.   And all of a sudden I was wet at my back.   I don't know what hit me or assaulted me.   I got inside the house and my husband came and they hit my husband.

MAPULE RAMASHALA:  Can you please explain to us is Justice the boy that you knew before or it was your first time seeing him?

WITNESS:   He was the councillor.   He was the guy who used to stay in a councillor's house.   They came inside the house.  They pull me next to my bed.   And these two went to my husband and this other one struck me with a knife and I fell down.   And this guy said to me, "Can't you hear what I am saying to you?".   He kept on assaulting me.   I have wounds all over my body, scars.   I have 36 scars all over my body.   They hit me with something, I think it looks like the knobkerrie which policemen are using.   And I have scars all over my body now.

MAPULE RAMASHALA: At this time when he was assaulting you, was he alone?

WITNESS:   No, they were there standing.   I fell down.   He came on top of me and then he started raping me and as I was crying he stabbed me.   And he was stabbing me under my feet.   And my husband was right there watching, as he was trying to look away they told my husband he should look.

MAPULE RAMASHALA: As he was raping you, these other two, were they standing watching you?

WITNESS:   Yes, they were watching and they were hitting my husband, not allowing him to look away, they said to him that he must look while this other one was raping me.   He went and fetched a jug with water and he poured the water and he put the water in my private parts.   And they kept on telling my husband that he should watch.   The second one came.   He also raped me and the other one hit me with the very same jug that they used to pour water over me.

MAPULE RAMASHALA: Yes.

WITNESS:   And then the fourth one also came and he also raped me.   After raping me he would fetch a jug of water and pour it on my private parts.   And I have a hole in my head.   And I have got lacerations and stab wounds all over my body.   And I don't know how these were inflicted in me.   When they went, they told me that if they didn't get me where I was, they were going to kill us, because my son was carrying a UDF flag.

MAPULE RAMASHALA: Who started doing this, was it Justice?

WITNESS:   That is correct, it was Justice, but at that time he was not living in that area, he had gone to join the army and he was together with the other soldiers who were coming into the location.

MAPULE RAMASHALA: Do you possibly know the names of the other people who also raped you?

WITNESS:   No, I only knew Justice.  From there I don't know what happened to my husband, but a certain man from the very same area came to find out what had happened, then my husband asked him to assist him to carry me and they took some possessions from the house.  And he didn't know how to take me to the hospital, because I had been very injured at that time, up till such time that an elderly man came and said they should take a blanket and carry me to Malandella's place, so that he can phone the ambulance to come and pick me up because they were not going to be able to take me out.   And there wasn't anybody to assist my husband, because they had gone to a certain group called "Amasinyora".   The youths used to move from place to place, and they went around attacking the places.   Even the ones who were staying further up were guarding the place to see as to who was getting in and out of the location.

MAPULE RAMASHALA: (Inaudible) ...