Human Rights Violation Hearings — Bisho — 1996-09-09

CHAIRPERSON: Friends, we have witnesses, we have eight witnesses and the minister.  Would you be kind enough Mr Kasrils to, say if we took another say, three, four, five witnesses.  We have got to indicate, we are not going to leave here without having finished.  Those who want to go home are free to do so but those that were promised that they would be heard today, have to be heard and we have to honour our commitment to them.  They are sitting here, grandmothers  [indistinct].  I hope that you will have patience.  Please call them in.

BONGANI FINCA: Your Grace we ask for Alice Nombeko Mfenqe, Remonica Myeha, Rosy Ramncwana, Mkhangeli Elliot Mbula, Biziwe Elizabeth Lali and Ntombembi Gazi-Kaleni.  Please let them take the oath when they are settled.

REV XUNDU: I would like to help you take the oath.

BONGANI FINCA: Your Grace these people that are taking the stand are people that we are taking all together because all of them are victims whose families died in the march.  Their story is basically the same because they were not at the march.  I will ask that we take them in this order.
 Ms Remonica Myeha will be following Reverend Xundu.  Rosy Ramncwana - Ms Maya.  Mkhangeli Mbula will be following Dr Ramashala.  Biziwe Elizabeth Lali will be following Denzil Potgieter.  Ntombembi Gazi-Kaleni will be following Dumisa Ntsebeza.
 But as I said it's going to be a question of just going through quickly how they got to hear because they have got no testimonies on the massacre as such.  Reverend Xundu.

REV XUNDU: Thank you Chairman.

TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION: BISHO MASSACRE - DAY 1 - 9TH SEPTEMBER 1996

CASE NO: 7

UNKNOWN: REMONICA MYEHA [wife]
REMONICA MYEHA   Duly sworn states

REV XUNDU: You were born in Zwelamanzi, is that so?

WITNESS: [indistinct].

REV XUNDU:  Is your house in Zwelamanzi?

WITNESS:  Yes it is in Zwelamanzi, in Tekeni.  My clan name is Mareti.

REV XUNDU:  Please tell us when did your husband leave for the march into Bisho?

WITNESS:  He left on Monday morning on the 7th.

REV XUNDU:  Is the 7th is the Monday, is that so?

WITNESS:  Yes it is.

REV XUNDU:  Thank you.  When did you find out that there is unrest at Bisho and that people were dying?

WITNESS:  We heard on radio and on TV on the Monday evening.

REV XUNDU:  Please come close to the mike, we can't hear you properly.  Please answer the question I was asking you previously.

WITNESS:  We heard on radio and TV on Monday evening.

REV XUNDU:  After you heard, what did you do?  Did you know immediately that your husband was one of the victims?

WITNESS:  No we did not know and we went to sleep without knowing.

REV XUNDU:  Carry on.

WITNESS:  On Tuesday the 8th members of the community of Zwelamanzi came to us at about 0600 a.m.  They said they had come to us before we go anywhere to tell us that my husband has passed away.

REV XUNDU:  Thank you.  What did you then do, did you go look for him at hospital?

WITNESS:  No we did not.  We asked an elderly man to help us.  Before we did anything he said he would phone Gray hospital to find out what's happening.  After he phoned the Gray hospital he informed us that the corpse was in West Bank.

REV XUNDU:  Did they find the corpse in the end?

WITNESS: Yes they did.

REV XUNDU:  Was there an investigation as to how your husband died?

WITNESS:  After a lot of difficulty in Ciskei it was difficult to get a death certificate, until we got it and a report for the post -mortem.

REV XUNDU:  Did you then start preparing for the funeral?

WITNESS:  Yes we started preparing for the funeral.

REV XUNDU:  When your husband died, how many children did you have?

WITNESS:  We had five but the first-born has already married.

REV XUNDU:  How many dependants did you have?

WITNESS:  Four.

REV XUNDU:  After your husband died, did you get any compensation from the government?

WITNESS:  After he died we sent to attorneys Smith and Thabata to lodge a civil claim.  This year in March they gave us a report back that when my husband died he was already old therefore there's nothing the government can do.  When I said that my children are still at school they said that I must find scholarships to educate my children.  There is nothing the government can do.

REV XUNDU:  Was there absolutely nothing the government did?

WITNESS:  They gave us a bit of money this year in June, they then took R1000 from there to pay the lawyers.

REV XUNDU:  How has this incident affected your life?

WITNESS:  Because of this incident my life is just at a standstill, even my children because the breadwinner of the family died.

REV XUNDU:  How has your health been affected after this incident?

WITNESS:  I was not well even before this incident.  I worsened after this incident.

REV XUNDU:  What type of things can you tell us, what things?

WITNESS:  I suffer from headaches and nose bleeding.

REV XUNDU:  Where do your children go to school?

WITNESS:  The two are still at school, the one is doing second year at Fort Hare, my youngest is doing standard nine at Ntzulanga High School.  I have one that cannot go to school because there is no money.

REV XUNDU: What wish can you give to the Commission, maybe we can help you?

REV XUNDU: ---  If the Commission can help me educate my children so that they have a particular skill that they can use in life and also that they see that they can live decently enough.

REV XUNDU:  Where was your husband working before he died?

WITNESS:  He was working at the Victoria hospital.

REV XUNDU:  Do you get a pension from the government?

WITNESS:  No I do not.

REV XUNDU:  What standards are your children doing at school?

WITNESS:  The one is doing second year at Fort Hare University.  The other is neither working nor at school.  My youngest is doing standard nine at Ntzululazi.

REV XUNDU:  Is there something else perhaps that you would like to request?

WITNESS:  Because my husband liked sport I would like that, I'd be not the only one who is helped but the community at large, by building a sports centre so that the youth in my area can be helped.

REV XUNDU: Thank you Mr Chairman.

CHAIRPERSON: Is there anyone who would like to ask questions?  Thank you.

TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION: BISHO MASSACRE - DAY 1 - 9 SEPTEMBER 1996

CASE NO: 8

UNKNOWN: ROSY RAMNCWANA [grandmother]

BONGANI FINCA: Mr Chairman, we ask that Rosy Ramncwana.  Your Grace, she will be lead by Tiny Maya.

MS MAYA: Thank you Mr Chairman.
ROSY RAMNCWANA   Duly sworn states

MS MAYA: Ms Ramncwana, on the day of the march you lost your grandchild Luzuko Ramncwana who was shot dead.  You say that you realised when he was not coming home.  How did you find out that he died?