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

NOZIBONELO MARIA MXATHULE: At that time the Comrades' cases were never attended to.  The same like this of Mr Willard, I submitted and furnished a statement to the police.  After some few days we were told that this person has passed away.  I was told to come after two days.  After a day I would come to the police station.  The next time when I arrived I was told that I am becoming a nuisance.

MS SEROKE: Now, this incident that happened where you were taken to the guest house, did you report it to the police?

NOZIBONELO MARIA MXATHULE: Yes, I did, but nothing transpired of it.

MS SEROKE: I thank you very much.

CHAIRPERSON: Yasmin Sooka.  Just one last question from me again.  So, what has happened to your Comrade who said, use to go around with the police who was harassing you?  Is he still actively involved?  What ultimately happened to him?

NOZIBONELO MARIA MXATHULE: He has left politics, but he is still a friend or friendly with the police.

CHAIRPERSON: When you say he still goes around with the police do you mean he, you said he was also part of your group of Comrades, but also assisting them.  So when he is still with them, is he still playing a duel role or he is clearly now on one side, on the camp of the police?

NOZIBONELO MARIA MXATHULE: To date he is still an informer and he is still a Comrade.  I use to see him next to, in Mr Willard's yard.  I stay, I do not stay very far from Mr Willard's place.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you very much for coming forward.  It must have been difficult for you to come and share about those experiences especially in view of the fact that some of the violations that you are talking about occurred in the context of people you believed in.  We will, certainly, pass on your statement to the Investigative Unit and look at each and every aspect very, very carefully and we will keep you informed, if, after we have investigated all what you have said.  Thank you very much for coming.  Is there anything which maybe you came forward hoping the Commission, wanting the Commission to know as your wish?

NOZIBONELO MARIA MXATHULE: Yes, there is.  There is something I wish the Commission might be of assistance to me with.  At the moment I am not able to have children.  Sometimes my kidneys get swollen, my feet get swollen and my back aches.

CHAIRPERSON: Well, what we have been doing with most people who appear before the Commission, even before the Commission finalises its victim finding process, we encourage people to access Government departments of hospitals.  We have been, since we started, meeting with different MEC's to make sure that people are not turned back mainly because they do not have money or not, but we encourage people to try and stick to one hospital.  Like, in your case, if you have a condition which you associate to, with your human rights violations we will ask you to approach the local hospital, stick to them, allow them to do whatever investigations that will help, even in case you are found to be a victim when the question of reparations is looked at we will know exactly what has happened, the nature and the extent of damage.  Thank you very much.