Human Rights Violation Hearings — Alexandra — 1996-10-29

MR MNGADI: At the present moment I go for treatment at
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Baragwanath hospital.  They normally check our legs whether we are still fine or well or if there is anything wrong.  Whatever, if there are some wounds developing or something like that.

YASMINE SOOKA: Were you able to deal with the mental trauma of having lost your leg afterwards and did you receive any counselling for that?

MR MNGADI: I never got a chance to go to councillors but my mother used to take care of me. She is a nurse, she used to come at home and give me moral support.

YASMINE SOOKA: Did you receive any kind of disability grant or any other grant from the state?

MR MNGADI: After I got injured I didn't ask for funds, I just claimed the money just now after the elections, in 1994 and I got the pension grant after getting a letter from a doctor.  Now I am getting a disability fund.  But I have a problem at the moment because I have a child, I am not working, my dad passed away, my mother passed away and my child is attending school.

YASMINE SOOKA: Did you identify the policemen who shot at you?

MR MNGADI: We were not shot by one policeman, there were many of them and they were holding their big rifles.

YASMINE SOOKA: Is there anything that you would like to add before you finish your evidence?

MR MNGADI: I would like you to repeat your question.

YASMINE SOOKA: Is there anything that you would like to tell the Commission about what you would like the Commission to do.

MR MNGADI: Firstly I would say I would like to ask the Commission to make sure that the perpetrators should come out and explain as to why they shot at us.  What wrong have we done and what was the problem.  Secondly I would like to
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ask the Commission to make sure that most of the youth in Alexandra who were harassed and traumatised is there anything that they can do for us and also together the parents who lost their children.  Because truly I would say that I won't be able to forgive because at the moment the government is doing nothing for us.

MS MKHIZE: We thank you very much.  I will give the other commissioners a chance to ask questions to get a clear picture of your story.

MR LEWIN: Mr Mngadi if I could just ask two questions.  One, how old were you at the time, in 1986?

MR MNGADI: During 1986 as I am 31 at the moment I would say I was about 21 years old.

MR LEWIN: You spent, you have described for us quite a long period when you were outside.  What was actually happening in Alex even around you, what else did you see?

MR MNGADI: I would say that in Alexandra we just finished burying one young man who was killed by police on the very same year.  It was in February.  And after the funeral we as a committee of Alexandra we had to take part in finding out as to why the police shot at him.  There were always sounds of guns and tear-gas thrown all over.  After that funeral up to the date where we got injured things weren't going well.  White people were shooting randomly at youth walking around the streets.

MR LEWIN: May I ask the morning when you were shot yourself you said that you were in the bakkie and you were then shot and left lying there.  What actually happened around the bakkie, what happened to the Hippo from which you were shot in those say the two or three hours that you were lying there, did you see anybody else being attacked, anything
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else happening?

MR MNGADI: No.

YASMINE SOOKA: What were the names of the other people who were with you in the car?

MR MNGADI: The first one who died at the spot was Whitey Mzewu.  Whitey is the name and the surname is Mzewu.  The second one is Isaac Mpomese.  The third one is Jabu, I have forgotten his surname.

YASMINE SOOKA: Whitey and Isaac and Jabu, were they also injured as badly as yourself?

MR MNGADI: As I have already explained, Jabu is the one who came out of the car and ran, he escaped injury.  It was only myself, Isaac and the one who died.

YASMINE SOOKA: Thank you.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Did you say (indistinct) the name of the owner of the bakkie?

MR MNGADI: That is true.   They shot him on the foot, he was the one who was driving.

THOMAS MANTHATA: (Indistinct).

MR MNGADI: We were coming along the short street coming from Mmkulene Street and we have to - the short street has to end at the next street.  He managed to control the car just a short distance, he couldn't be able to control the car any more.  After he was shot he didn't drive the car any further.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Was he taken to the hospital with you?

MR MNGADI: That is correct.

THOMAS MANTHATA: It was Isaac Basi.

MR MNGADI: Yes, Isaac Basi.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Maybe I might ask you just one question.  As you have already explained to us that you matriculated is
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there anything that you would like to further your studies on?

MR MNGADI: I would agree with you because even at the present moment I still have hopes and wishes to do something in my life but unfortunately I don't have the money to continue.  If I may get assistance either from the government I might be able to continue with my studies because at the present moment my situation, if I can continue studying things might be better.   And I can see that if I don't go to school in the coming years I will have problems in life.

THOMAS MANTHATA: When you say you would like to continue studying what would you like to study?

MR MNGADI: I would say before I got injured I had wishes to become a teacher.  However at the present moment I couldn't be a teacher because of what has happened to me.  I won't be able to stand as a teacher and teach others because my leg is amputated and I can't stand and teach.  Maybe I can do office work.

MS MKHIZE: We would like to thank you very much.  As you have explained that you got some disability pension you didn't tell us exactly what kind of funds you got.

MR MNGADI: I can say that that is just ordinary pension that all the elderly people get.

MS MKHIZE: Nkosana I would like to thank you very much for having come before the Commission to give your testimony.  Yours is a painful story because you are one of those who are left with open wounds, who find it difficult to forget where we come from.  However I am so glad that you still have wishes to continue with your studies and we do believe that many people just like you who happen to be involved in
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the struggle they might follow your (indistinct) trying to work towards their future and also forgiveness.  We also believe that as a Commission that if we take the (indistinct) forward to the President on reparation one of it is to assist people to continue their studies and we hope that it will help for the younger generation to benefit from whatever studies that you may undertake.  We will try to help you.  Thank you very much.  
THE COMMISSION ADJOURNS