Human Rights Violation Hearings — Newcastle — 1996-09-11

WITNESS:  On that day, as I have explained that we came to a conclusion that we were not going underground before we go and talk to the manager, and that's exactly what we did.  At half past five, because the usual closing time was 6 o'clock, we waited for the manager.  We were told that we must wait, he'll come and talk to us.  At about nine - between nine and 10, if I am not mistaken, shop stewards were called.  Mr van Zyl was there.  After they called the shop stewards those people who were working in that welfare department - Ace Mngadi was one of them, he was known or he is known as a soccer star.  He is the one who called them, the shop stewards and everyone.  Mr van Zyl opened the door and they came to us.  They told us that we nearly died there.  Now they told us that Mr Mngadi had a spear.  We got worried.  After that we heard that buses are coming from Nongoma, from Qesa, from Newcastle.  That's when we realised that we had a problem.  And fortunately enough we realised that there were so many police around and we were at least relieved, we thought we were safe.  And Mr Struwig, the mine manager, came and told us that he's asking for all the workers who are Zulus to go to the playground, there are brothers who wants to meet them.  Maxwell Nxumalo, who was a chairperson, told them that if they have a problem those people they must come and join us because we are also in trouble.  He called them to come over so that they can come and solve the issues.  Struwig failed, and then he left.  At about half past one they asked us that we must leave the entrance.  We left that entrance to the underground.  We left that entrance and we went to the offices nearby.  I think what happened is that we saw people, a lot of people wearing tackies, having spears in their hands, and these people as they were coming, passing us, they went to the police and they shaked each other's hands, and that's when we realised that - that's when we realised that these people knew each other.  After they were all left we saw another group approaching as well, and they just stood nearby.  Those police who were there, I think they were nine if not seven, went to them.  Lucky enough there was a certain man by the name of Mthethwa.  This man came and he was singing.  We were all confused.  Nxumalo was the one who was announcing, telling us that it's war, we must leave the place.  And then we started leaving.  That's when they threw a tear-gas canister and I was hit by a stone.  I tried to crawl and I went inside a hole.  We were a lot.  Other people were assaulted, were stabbed.  I was fortunate because when I got underground I could see because there were lights.  I don't know how many kilos, because I walked from Bongla One(?) to Bongla Two.  And afterwards I realised that people were injured,and others said when they tried to cry for assistance from police, police told them they didn't care about them because they are still alive.  All they were looking for were corpses.  And those corpses which were there, it wasn't just that people were assaulted or stabbed, because some corpses had just one wound.  What I can say is that these people were first being shot and then being stabbed.  There were people there who were saying that they were there because, "You Xhosas, you're blocking the Zulus from going to work or from going underground."  And others tried to explain to them that no, that wasn't true.  I will like to just explain that.  I think what really confused these people is that there was no quarrel or fight between the Zulus and Xhosas, but the employers themselves are the ones who did this.  They made us to believe that we were fighting with each other, we were enemies.  As I am here I am Xhosa, and Ngcobo here with me he is Zulu.  We never fought a day.  We were friends all along, we are still friends.

MR SIYOLO: Just to follow up on one thing.  From your statement it looks as it the police opened fire on the group of people that were there.  Is that so?

WITNESS:   I think I am not mistaken on that.  I am not sure how true it is, but there was one police who is now a head, he's a station commander.  He was a Flying Squad, Mr Geldenhuys.  He's the one - he's one of the police who were there on that day, and I think if you get hold of him he can tell the Truth Commission more. From your statement it looks like you got shot in the ankle, but in fact you got hit by a stone, is that right?  That translation I heard of what you were saying was that you were hit in the ankle with a rock or a stone.  Or were you shot?  We're just trying to clarify that.     ---   I think it was written wrongly, because what I said is that police were shooting, but I was hit by a stone.  They were using tear-gases.

MR LAX: Mr Ngcobo, just for you to tell us what happened to you on that day.  You were also present on that day, and you were also injured on that day.

WITNESS:   Mr Siyolo had already said ... (inaudible) ... Gideon and James Ntombela came from KwaZulu Government.  We met with them as shop stewards.  We agreed that we were supposed to go and meet with the management.  We did that.  We negotiated with the management.  As we were there negotiating about a case, a certain case, worker's case, Madela said, "Mr Elliot, what's going on?  Why are you sending people to come and kill us at the mine?  On a Saturday we had people who came to kill us."  He was the assistant general manager of Hlobane Mine.  He was a shop steward.  When Mr Madela realised that Elliot had sent his dog to come and bite us as mineworkers Elliot stood there and said, "What?  What are you saying?  I am calling Ulundi right now," and then he took the telephone, he called.  He said he was calling the chief of KwaZulu.  He called Ulundi.  He did mention that he wanted to talk to Mr Buthelezi.  He talked to him.  He was using English language.  After that we could realise that he was angry.  A week didn't pass, a chief came and three guys.  They said they were the securities of the king.  They came to the hostel to fetch Madela to go and answer back about his swearing at the kind and the chief.  This was so confusing because it wasn't true.  We've heard that the king was going to be a teaboy, and the chief was going to be a garden boy.  Every time when they wanted to fight they will say this thing.  They came with Mr Madela to go and fetch his son at Ulundi.  We gathered together as shop stewards.  We decided that we mustn't agree that Madela should leave because we were scared that they might hurt him.  This was so difficult because the management had allowed him to go, because they said they were going to pay him.  That's when we realised that this won't help, because if we let him go to Ulundi they will kill him.  So we refused, and we said if he wants to go home he mustn't go with these people.  Because it was so obvious that Elliot wanted to kill him, so we didn't want him to leave with them.

MR LAX: (Inaudible) ... Elliot ever go, or did he stay?