Special Hearings — Children's Hearings — 1997-05-22

VUYANI EDWARD MBEWU: Early in 1986, it was quite a while after I had been discharged from hospital and it was quite clear that this, I would never regain sight in this eye.  My parents and I sought out an attorney who could assist us with my problem.  We found one, although I have forgotten the name, but in my statement before Priscilla here at the Truth Commission, I am sure that I have mentioned the name of that attorney and I believe that the attorney has since retired.  After having consulted with this attorney, the attorney kept  advising me to come back on certain days.  So, there was someone that use to assist me at the time by the name of Clive, my cousin's son who lives in Guguletu, Tandakolo.  Tandakolo was present when this incident took place so in thinking that there were, there might be some details relevant to this matter which I would probably not have been able to remember, he was also called in and the attorney attempted to assist us.
 Firstly by trying to establish where these police were from who had shot at us.  I had not considered or I did not realise at the time that there was a difference between railway police and State police who were driving around in the caspars' and the attorney took us one day, took us in his car and we went to these camps around town.  The army camps where he would stop in the road next to these camps and pretend that there was something that he was going to look for inside and while the soldiers or police were in and out there, we had to look at the uniform that they were wearing, because no one could even identify the number of the caspar, because it had stopped on that side and it had gone back in that direction.  So when we got to the second camp Tandakolo said that these people who did this to us had on this uniform.  
 So this gentlemen investigated and in his investigations he came back with a, during the course of his investigations he came back with a report that evidence has been found that this matter took place on the date that we mentioned although I do not know whether he was going to keep calling us since then.  Eventually nothing, we heard nothing about the matter.

GLENDA WILDSCHUT: So nothing came of the claim?

VUYANI EDWARD MBEWU: No, nothing came of it.  Up till now when I was called, firstly, by the Black Sash and submitted a new statement.  The attorney who we consulted with at first tried to play an effective role, but we do not know what became of the matter.

GLENDA WILDSCHUT: Thank you very much Vuyani.  I do not have anymore questions to ask you so I will hand you to the Chair.  Maybe some of the other panellists might want to ask questions.  Thanks.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you Glenda.  Are there any other questions.  Mary.  Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela.

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: Thank you Chairperson.  Vuyani, I would like to ask you if since the day on which you were injured, what your life has been like.

VUYANI EDWARD MBEWU: Since I realised that I had lost my eyesight I have never been confident again.

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: It is quite evident that this is still a source of great pain to you and we would not like to cause you anymore pain than we have beyond the relation of your story, although if you like, you may answer the question.  We would appreciate it.

VUYANI EDWARD MBEWU: For example, since 1982, I was still very young then.  We use to enjoy playing football when we were children and we use to play it quite often.  We had our own team and at the time of my injury I was still playing for that team.  It was the, the team was called Four United Brothers.  So I realised then already that I would never be able to continue playing football, because I would be unable to see my opponent.  I would only be able to see what was happening on my left, but not on my right.

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: In other words, the most important thing in your childhood was taken away from you in that fashion?

VUYANI EDWARD MBEWU: Yes, that is correct.

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: I am going to put one last question to you, Vuyani.  At the time you say the people were at the stadium, what meeting was that or what was happening at the stadium?  That did not come across very clearly in your testimony.

VUYANI EDWARD MBEWU: The field where we were was not a stadium as such, it was a field which we levelled out for ourselves or which we used for ourselves.  As I said we established a team while I was growing up and at the time we were not familiar with smoking dagga and smoking and so forth, so that place was a rubbish dump where people would cross the road from their homes and just throw their rubbish there and we took the initiative to clean it up ourselves.  We went and we chopped off trees, solid wood to erect the poles for ourselves and on days where we did not go to school, like that day for example, we would go and fetch our ball and go and play.  So anyone who wanted to join us, because we did not always play as a team.
 So then we were playing by ourselves and I think what made people even more furious was what happened in Mannenberg and that is why people came to stand there to watch.  Not that many of them were concentrating on the football, because it was just a friendly street game, it was not really a match.  So people were interested in what was happening in Mannenberg.  So the police left Mannenberg Road and came to shoot us without us having done anything.

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: You did not do anything?

VUYANI EDWARD MBEWU: No.

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: Thank you Vuyani.  Could you, last, tell us lastly about your appearance before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission public hearings.  What made you come here today?  I would just like to explain that, interpretation may say something different.  I just want to know what it means for you, but we would like you to tell us what coming here today means to you.

VUYANI EDWARD MBEWU: Firstly, I would say that many people, even those I grew up with and those that I am living with now, the concept that I am blind in the one eye is news to them.  I also never ever said to them that I can see, but when they look at me they might see that something is wrong in my eye or they might not pick it up, but I would never say to anyone that there is something wrong with my eye, but I would never hide it from anyone who would ask me whether I could see in this eye and I would tell the person that I am blind in this eye and tell them why.
 My presence here today is, if nothing else, the uselessness for which I lost my eyesight.  I see no reason why, but because of the time and the circumstances which were prevalent at the time things like this happened.  So to me being here and relating my story, it was a source of great pain, endless pain for me, but today it is just one of those things to, the fact that I cannot see, because I live with people.  I do not isolate myself from anyone, I participate in whatever they are doing except those things that I cannot do because of the limitations of one eye.  It is not something that I always think about.  I try to push it out of my mind and try and do what everyone else is doing although I limit myself where I know that I cannot do certain things because of the constraints being sited in one eye only.

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: Thank you very much.