Human Rights Violation Hearings — Piet Retief — 1997-05-21

DR BORAINE: Mr Mnisi thank you for coming to be with us today.  What you are going to tell us about are events that took place not so long ago, only in 1993 and they involve not only what happened to you but also what happened to other people and they tell a particular story about the situation here in Piet Retief and specifically in Thandukukhanya. Excuse me asking but it seems necessary for your story to ask how old you are now.

MR MNISI: Nineteen years old.

DR BORAINE: So in 1993 you were 15?

MR MNISI: That is correct. I'll ask you please to start telling us your story but also please to tell us about Situli Shleza(?) as well and why his name is also important.  Thank you.

MR MNISI: I greet you all and I would like to know how you are because I'm fine.   In 1993 at Thandukukhanya there was going to be a memorial service that, that is Situli Shleza's memorial service.  He died on the 3rd of the same month of the previous year. 1992 and we were waking people up at night.  We kept on waking the people up at night so that we could convene for the memorial service that was going to be held on the 3rd of that month in that year.
 As we were still conducting ...(indistinct) we got to
Thandukukhanya in Richards Bay at Sinobile School, next to the school.  I was leading the group, I was pushing a tyre which was burning and at some stage the fire went off from the tyre, the fire was extinguished and I collected some papers to try and reignite it so that we could see the road all the way ahead.  As I was still collecting the papers and I just arranged them and set them alight my face became visible and that's when they shot me because it was light where I was standing as I was holding the tyre.  
 I fell down at this stage, and when I came to I saw a big light. I don't know where that light came from.  I tried to run away and when I did so I could hear some gun fire behind me,  I escaped to another street where I discovered some other youths whom I told that I had been injured and I was taken to the hospital in a car.

DR BORAINE: Just take your time please.

MR MNISI: I went to the hospital, the Piet Retief Hospital, and I was taken from it Natal Spruit Hospital where I remained for the whole month.  Then I came back to Piet Retief where I discovered that some of the youths that we were with at that time had mysteriously disappeared.

DR BORAINE: Take some water.  Maybe it would help a little bit if you told us about your own group.  Were you still all at school?

MR MNISI: Yes we were attending school all of us.

DR BORAINE: In Thandukukhanya?

MR MNISI: Yes that is correct.

DR BORAINE: And you say these people, when you came back, you say they were no longer there.  What do you think happened to them?

MR MNISI: They had died. The other ones who died were the ones we were with that particular night.

DR BORAINE: Did you discover how they died?

MR MNISI: Yes I did discover that they were also shot.  They didn't die at the same moment that they were shot but they were finished off at a later stage.

DR BORAINE: How did you discover this?

MR MNISI: I was told by Jockey Nkosi.

DR BORAINE: And who was he?

MR MNISI: They used to stay at the same place at Skotipola(?)  I don't know whether he's present at the moment, I haven't seen him for quite some time.

DR BORAINE: And do you think there was any connection between your own case and the case of the people who disappeared?

MR MNISI: We knew each other.

DR BORAINE: But in terms of the people who were responsible for attacking them?

MR MNISI: Yes I can certainly say that.

DR BORAINE: Who do you think that was?

MR MNISI: I do not know them, I would like to know them.

DR BORAINE: I mean when you yourself were shot.  When you described those bright lights.

MR MNISI: I do not know who shot me, I never saw who it was.

DR BORAINE: And you didn't hear from any of your friends who were with you?

MR MNISI: I did hear.

DR BORAINE: Can you tell us?

MR MNISI: That told us that Ashmond was present because they said when we were admitted at the hospital he also came there and he was hiding himself at a nearby tree with a gun....he was a taxi driver at the residential area.

DR BORAINE: So he wasn't associated with the police for instance?

MR MNISI: According to my knowledge, no.

DR BORAINE: And can you think of any reason why he should attack you?

MR MNISI: According to my own opinion I think this started when the taxi fares went up because that is what we were trying to address as the youth at the time and there was going to be Situle's memorial service. Maybe it has some connection but I'm not really positive.

DR BORAINE: Could you take us back to Situle and take us back to 1992 when you say Situle was killed. Who was he and how was he killed?

MR MNISI: Situle was a member of the ANC.  He was attacked by some assailants at his place and he was also kidnapped.

DR BORAINE: Do you  know who those people were?

MR MNISI: I have no knowledge, I would like to know that.

DR BORAINE: Did anybody give any details about what happened to him after he was taken?

MR MNISI: I did hear some rumours but I don't know how true they are.

DR BORAINE: Tell us about the rumours.

MR MNISI: They alleged that Mkwanazi as well as Pina who were present when he was killed.

DR BORAINE: And who were these two people?

MR MNISI: They were policemen here in Piet Retief.

DR BORAINE: And had they given any threats?

DR BORAINE: Not according to my knowledge.

DR BORAINE: And were they around a year later when you yourself were shot?

MR MNISI: I have no clarity on that aspect.

DR BORAINE: You mentioned the incident when you yourself were shot, you mentioned that you were going down the street with a tyre, and trying to light it again. Can I ask, could anybody have made a connection between the tyre and the possibility of necklaceing?

MR MNISI: I wasn't going to injure anyone.  We were burning it so that we could see the road ahead, we were not going to necklace anyone.

DR BORAINE: So could you tell us how many people were in your group.  You mentioned that there were a number of you?

MR MNISI: We were quite a large number.  I can't say how many we were.

DR BORAINE: Could you define large, I mean was it 10, 20, 100?

MR MNISI: We were more than 10, may be the same number as in this house, but there could be too many in this hall, maybe a little bit less.

DR BORAINE: And were they all about the same age and from the same school?

MR MNISI: Yes I would say so but there were some who were older than us.  We were not really the same age but basically teenagers.

DR BORAINE: An then Sipho, you yourself were shot. Were any of the others injured or shot at?

MR MNISI: Yes there are some who were shot.

DR BORAINE: Were they injured or were they killed.

MR MNISI: They were injured.  Some were killed.

DR BORAINE: Can you tell us how many were killed?

MR MNISI: Two died.

DR BORAINE: And what happened.  Was there a funeral for them in the township?

MR MNISI: Yes, one was buried in the location and the other one I think was buried in Driefontein, but I'm not really positive because at the time I was in hospital.

DR BORAINE: I asked this, was there any political connection at the time of the funeral as there had been in the '80's?

MR MNISI: Yes the funeral was a political one.  I think there was a political connection.

DR BORAINE: Was that an ANC funeral?

MR MNISI: That is correct.

DR BORAINE: Can you tell us please what has happened now, what is the situation?

MR MNISI: I think the situation has calmed down.

DR BORAINE: I mean when you were shot this was just a year before the election? Are there still the same differences?

MR MNISI: I think there is.

DR BORAINE: And do you still function as a group of activists?

MR MNISI: Yes.

DR BORAINE: What is your programme now?