Human Rights Violation Hearings — Uitenhage — 1996-08-28

DILIZA MAYFORD MFAZWE: Yes, he gave an instruction that I be given some medicine and some other ointment to use on my ears.
UITENHAGE HEARING TRC/EASTERN CAPE
6 D MFAZWE

REV XUNDU: Then when you could not hear, did you get any attention for loosing your hearing?  As a result of this attack, did you see any doctor?

DILIZA MAYFORD MFAZWE: Yes, they were forced to take me to the Livingstone hospital.

REV XUNDU: Then, when you were released, in December, how did you feel?  Where you still getting some treatment?

DILIZA MAYFORD MFAZWE: When I came out of jail, I stood there at Madale.

REV XUNDU: When did you get your hearing aids?

DILIZA MAYFORD MFAZWE: I got them there.

REV XUNDU: Let us conclude now and ask, what are your wishes that you would like to put forward to this Commission?

DILIZA MAYFORD MFAZWE: I want some assistance because the people who attacked me damaged me for the rest of my life and now the government of De Klerk is compared to pay the compensation for this damage.  I need this compensation, starting from 1985 up till now.

REV XUNDU: What kind of payment do you want?  Do you want medical treatment or medical aids?

DILIZA MAYFORD MFAZWE: Yes, I want some medical treatment, because I do not have any medical aid.

REV XUNDU: Do you get any pension?

DILIZA MAYFORD MFAZWE: Yes, I do get a pension.

REV XUNDU: In one minute, could you just tell us any other thing that you would like to say to this Commission.

DILIZA MAYFORD MFAZWE: My other wish, Mr Chairperson, is that I do not have any accommodation because of these policemen, because when they beat me they made things very difficult for me such that I was unable to pay rent and I had to buy a house, UITENHAGE HEARING TRC/EASTERN CAPE
7 D MFAZWE
so these policemen should pay back my expenses for having to buy a house.  I had to sell my house.

REV XUNDU: Thank you Mr Mfazwe.  The Chairperson has heard everything, and I am now going to hand over to him and he is now going to conclude.

CHAIRPERSON: We thank you Mr Mfazwe for your testimony, we know that you had a very long story, but because of our position as a Committee, you decided to therefore to cut it short and you focused mainly this matter on gross violation of the human rights.
 Some of the things you have asked from us are going to be referred to the President of this country, but some of them will be attended to by this Commission.  I wouldn't like to ask you to go back to your seat because I would take this opportunity to say, we are now closing this hearing, I thank the mayor of Uitenhage, the members of the council, by allowing us the use of this venue and not even charge us a brass penny.  
 I don't know whether the Mayor is here, if he is not here, could someone extend my word of gratitude to him.  We thank the Ministers who were conducting the prayers, and even for their contribution for this hearing.  
 We also thank our Interpreters who are seated here behind us, they have done it efficiently and we have enjoyed it.  
 We thank people from the VW, who gave us transport so that we could transport the witnesses to and from.  
 We thank the policemen who kept order in this hearing, in such a way that it had to continue, through yesterday, we get an explanation after, we therefore extend our gratitude to them.  
UITENHAGE HEARING TRC/EASTERN CAPE
8
 We must thank the community of Uitenhage.  I don't want us to forget that for quite some time, the whole of yesterday and Monday we had no problem, it is only that certain people wanted to disturb all this because in whatever we do, we have got to do it with respect.  
 I would like to thank the victims support group of Uitenhage.  We would like also to extend the gratitude to them for the wonderful work that they have done.  This hearing in Uitenhage has been a success during the three weeks.  We wouldn't have been able to have done this without your support.  
 We thank all the community structures of Uitenhage, that have support to this hearing.  We thank the residents who came here in great numbers and mainly they gave us the full respect as a Commission which we can never forget, though it was disturbed towards the end by some people who are unruly.  
 We therefore wish to thank the panel, beginning with the Commissioners, Denzil Potgieter, Mapule Ramashala, who come from the Western Cape.  They have been with us in Queenstown, and I think they have been with us before that and indeed we have gotten used to being with them in hearings and we do wish to record our thanks to them, record our appreciation of the effort that they make towards assisting us in handling this hearing.  We are indeed taking you as our friends and our comrades in our work.
 We wish to thank our staff, regional manager.  Our staff members for their support, and lastly but not least, I would like to thank our colleagues, Ntsiki Sandi, Tiny Maya, Mcebisi Xundu, not only for the hard work that they do, but for their spirit of working together that we have 
UITENHAGE HEARING TRC/EASTERN CAPE
9
achieved and the friendship that continue to get.
 Lastly, I would like to say this hearing now has come to an end.  We shall meet in two weeks time as this Commission at Bisho, for the Bisho massacre.  I thank you all.

PANEL MEMBER: Excuse me for a moment, I would like you to give the Chairman an applaud so that he can go away smiling, thank you.