Human Rights Violation Hearings — Lusikisiki — 1997-03-25

NKOSIPHENDULE NAKWA: (sworn states)

ADV SANDI: Mr Nakwa as I am looking to your statement here you are going to tell us about your father, Mzayifani Alfred Nakwa.

NKOSIPHENDULE NAKWA: Yes, that is correct Sir.

ADV SANDI: You have mentioned your uncle, Golete Nakwa.

NKOSIPHENDULE NAKWA: Yes.

ADV SANDI: You are going to tell us about these two people here.

NKOSIPHENDULE NAKWA: That is correct.

ADV SANDI: Let us begin with your father's story.  You said that he was arrested.  For how long was he arrested?

NKOSIPHENDULE NAKWA: As I was still young at the time I am not sure about this, but I can just estimate that it was plus minus one year.

ADV SANDI: How old were you at the time of this incident?

NKOSIPHENDULE NAKWA: I was about seven years old.

ADV SANDI: Your father, was he a member of Congo?

NKOSIPHENDULE NAKWA: Yes I can say so, although I cannot be sure, but because he was arrested at the time when Congo members were arrested, I can say so.

ADV SANDI: How was his health at the time of his release?

NKOSIPHENDULE NAKWA: He was very sick and as I was young at the time I saw him being beaten up by the boers, because they would kick him and would beat him with the back of their rifles.

ADV SANDI: You mean that on this day that he was arrested, you were there, and you saw them beating him up?

NKOSIPHENDULE NAKWA: Yes, I saw all this.

ADV SANDI: How did you feel when you saw your father being beaten up in front of you as you were still a child and he was your father.

NKOSIPHENDULE NAKWA: This was very painful to us.  Even today I have a picture of that day.

ADV SANDI: What did he say happened while he was in prison?

NKOSIPHENDULE NAKWA: He told us that they were not fed well and it was very cold inside.

ADV SANDI: You said that he passed away in 1973.

NKOSIPHENDULE NAKWA: Yes Sir.

ADV SANDI: And he died due to injuries sustained in prison?

NKOSIPHENDULE NAKWA: Yes, because since then he was not well and he could even go back to work to work for us, because I could not even go to school, because he wanted me to go to school, but he could not go back to work to work for us.

ADV SANDI: Do you have a request you want to make to this Commission?

NKOSIPHENDULE NAKWA: Yes Sir.   I have children and I would like the Commission to help me in my children's education.

ADV SANDI: Let us now go to the case of Golete Nakwa who was also arrested.  Can you please tell us what happened to him?

NKOSIPHENDULE NAKWA: I do not know where he was arrested.   I did not see when they arrested him.  I just heard that my uncle was also arrested, as they were arresting anybody in the village.   I saw him when he came back from jail.  I
do not know where they arrested him, but he just told us that he was arrested.

ADV SANDI: Was he also a member of Congo?

NKOSIPHENDULE NAKWA: Yes, he was a member of  Congo.

ADV SANDI: What was his state of health when he came back from prison.

NKOSIPHENDULE NAKWA: He was coughing all the time.  He was also vomiting and he died later on.

ADV SANDI: He died in 1969?

NKOSIPHENDULE NAKWA: Yes in 1969.

ADV SANDI: You have already mentioned the requests to this Commission concerning yourself and your children.  Do you have any other requests for the Commission to pass on to the President?

NKOSIPHENDULE NAKWA: No Sir I have  no further requests.

ADV SANDI: Thank you.

NKOSIPHENDULE NAKWA: Thank you Sir.