Human Rights Violation Hearings — Johannesburg — 1996-04-29

PAUL HLONGWANE: There were special branches that were put to look after my activities.  I'd be taken in for questioning or kept for a month or three, so....

MS MKHIZE: Thank you very much.  Maybe before going on to the next one I thought it might be of interest to the
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Commissioners to know your activities, what exactly were you doing in between, because they were detaining you?  So if maybe there are specific activities you were engaged with which you think might have made them to keep on locking you in.

PAUL HLONGWANE: Political?  Yes I was political.  My activities was to fight for liberation of fellow men because I was actually convinced that men are all equal in the eyes of God.  So I had to fight to free our people.  That is one reason that brought me into this trouble, and I don't regret it because of the outcome we see today.

MS MKHIZE: If I might assist you, I see here in your statement that you also wanted the Commissioners to know about your experiences round about 1987.

PAUL HLONGWANE: That is the second issue.  Well in 1987 we actually saw that there was chaos going on in the township.  Our children could not go to school.  Hooligans took an upper hand in so to say police became their sweethearts.  So we formed what we called a street committee.  Children were being raped and people robbed of their properties so we organised ourselves to fight this evil.
 It was so ...(indistinct) that people would come to us with complaints that they had been robbed of their TV's or wirelesses.  We had a task force who would go and get hold of what people had been robbed of, free of charge, not charging anybody.  So it went so much that people came to us, and - we had no problem with Orlando East Police, but we got into trouble with Protea, the White police, who eventually heard of our activities.  In that organisation I was the chairman.  Then we were rounded up and locked in.
 By the way by then I had developed sugar diabetes and 
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I had to be treated.  I had tablets and the way I had before of getting my insulin I had to wait for 15 minutes before I could take any meal, and my meal was specific.  I was told what to eat and what not to eat.  Right, when we got to Protea I told the Captain in charge, I don't know his name, that I was a diabetic case and I asked him, I pleaded with him to please try and get my tablets because we were kept at Protea.  He kept on saying to me well I'll send my men to your place.  Till eventually they decided to send me to Sun City.  They told me there I would get the right food, I would get the right treatment. Now my diabetes was very high, in so much that I was starting to lose my sight.  I remember with the assistance of, the man today, I think he is in the Ministry of Health, Masondo, we had to write and make applications that I should be allowed to go to Baragwanath.  Still it was difficult but eventually we told Mr Smith who was in charge, look he will bear all the consequences if I die.  Then he decided to send me to Baragwanath.  My sugar was up and a lot of complications took place. Well I stayed there for a month with the treatment.  The doctors did their best, till eventually we were released. I came back and I was taken to doctors, as you see in that - my lawyer was not allowed to see me during my time of - that is Mr Whitey, he is in there, to come and pay me a visit at Sun City.
 So after my release we took up the case.  We claimed from the State for the negligence of my sugar because I developed - I could not see any longer.  Everything was just in a cloud and then I was sent to different doctors to examine me and all that.  So the case went on.  Eventually my case had to be dropped because it was a question of 
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finance.  I couldn't pay the lawyers.  So that's how it ended up.  I could hardly even buy a pair of spectacles.  I struggled in the way I had after from 1960 I had opened construction, that was building construction of which I was given a place out at Jabavu which I paid for and built and that was a sort-of a show house, an exhibition.  So when I came back from detention the comrades, or whatever they call themselves or I don't know what you call them, anyhow at any rate those are civics, they call themselves civics, they said I could no longer occupy that place, it belonged to them, it is their property. I went to the Council and claimed the place.  They agreed but I could not use the place because it was taken over by the civics.  Now I battled to make ends meet.  
 Thereafter, let me say, there is something I've forgotten, after six months, after the release, we were again arrested.  Then we appealed to Khotso House for  assistance.  They arranged an advocate, they call him Van Vuuren, well he's late, he had an accident in Bloemfontein who defended us.  Now that was the case of detention was all over brought there to us.  We went for trial you know for almost six months and then eventually we were sentenced, three years, five years suspension, fortunately the fines were paid.  The Khotso House assisted us.  
 But I could say in short, due to the negligence I had I could no longer drive and I could not even, you know, carpentry you use sharp instruments, I could not use that because it was dangerous.  So in short that is my story, and in fact I couldn't go and march or sing.  It's a strain.  I've been here since this morning and I am a diabetic case you know, it sort of breaks me down, but perhaps if it was 
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in the morning I could have given you more details about the whole affair.

MS MKHIZE: Mr Hlongwane I just want to thank you very much.  And as I said earlier on we understand, given your condition also that you must be very tired, so I will give you back to our Chairperson and thank you again.

PAUL HLONGWANE: Thank you.

COURT: Thank you very much.  I hope they don't have too many questions because we'd like to release you. Russel Ally.

RUSSELL ALLY: Mr Hlongwane how are you presently supporting yourself?

PAUL HLONGWANE: I get a bit of money from the old age people and selling some whatever....(tape ends).  In '60 I lost my house.  Somebody - it was given to somebody.  Now with the hope that I would occupy this house at Jabavu these people took over.  Right now where I am, I'm at Emndeni where I am paying R200,00 every month, in fact he has put an increase of R50,00 now.  I've got to make ends that I pay this man otherwise I'll be kicked out of the house.

CHAIRPERSON: Yasmin Sooka.

YASMINE SOOKA: Mr Hlongwane what would you like the Commission to do for you?

PAUL HLONGWANE: What I would very much like is to assist me to regain, to get my house back because I have been battling with the City Council.  They are playing that delay system and I get nowhere.  Bear in mind that the houses cost me a fortune.  To get into the place I had to pay R5000,00 and the house itself at that time in 1958, it cost me R40 000.  That was a show house.  I had to build attractively.  And I can't - and I've spent on the house.
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YASMINE SOOKA: And you've never been able to make any money out of it?

PAUL HLONGWANE: Well I could perhaps, I don't know whether it's a dream, but at least I could arrange and have people get material and have people making blocks and all things, in fact I do not know because I've been out for such a long time.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you very much.  Dr Randera.