Human Rights Violation Hearings — Beaufort West — 1996-08-12

MR KLAASTE: No, I was assaulted while being interrogated.  Not in the room, they would first give you time to cool of and then take you out and then proceed with the interrogation.  And one of the sergeants - sergeants office - this Sergeant Coreeges' office was there at the police station.

MS SEROKE: When you were transferred to Victor Verster in Cape Town, was there a court case before then, and were you trialed?

MR KLAASTE: There was no court case and we were never visited by any attorney or legal representative.

MS SEROKE: [indistinct]

MR KLAASTE: We only received one visit from S Moosa while we were at Victor Verster.

MS SEROKE: When you came out from prison, nobody ever explained why they kept you there?

MR KLAASTE: Someone who would have to explain, would have to be Du Toit and nobody ells.  And he's many colleges, they would have to be the ones who would have to explain to me why.

MS SEROKE: You say that when you went back to school, you had to repeat matric.  What was your state of health, what impact did this detention have on you?

MR KLAASTE: It was - it damaged me to a grate extent emotionally because there you were confronted by students who called you a jailbird and so on.

MS SEROKE: Gerald, it's interesting that you were taunted by being called a jailbird because other students like you who  were detained, came out of jail as heroes because they were seen to have been fighting for the freedom of there people.  And it was very interesting that your colleges in that school - what kind of community was that?  Were they not politically aware of what was happening around them?

MR KLAASTE: Are you referring to my school mates or people who would taunt me?

MS SEROKE: Who were those who taunted you?  Were they colleagues or just people in the township?

MR KLAASTE: These were people who saw the organization's work as political and as interfering with ones school career and saw it as a political organization.  But this wasn't actually the case, it was merely a organization which assisted with projects in the community and exist to this day.

MS SEROKE: What are you doing now?

MR KLAASTE: I am a teacher.

MS SEROKE: So you managed to complete your education after your release?

MR KLAASTE: Yes, this is after I went to work for the organization for a year.

MS SEROKE: Thank you very much.

MR KLAASTE: Thank you.

CHAIRPERSON: Any questions?  I said  to your friend, who gave evidence before you, that so many of  our youth matured overnight  because of everything that they've experienced.  All the experiences really made them grow up before their time, but we - as we have said before - would like to express our gratitude for everything that you people had done.   
 Your contribution to the liberation of our country.  It doesn't alleviate any of the pain, but one hopes that you would say that I was swollen here - they hit me with a fist here - I was kicked and so forth.  And even if it is swore I know that we are reaping the fruits of that struggle.  And the torture which we endured at the time was not for nothing and here we are now, jailbirds and all.
 There are people who admire us and people who want to say that they are very grateful that there were people like yourself.  And we hope that the police force will experience the transformation of our country and except that we will except them as those who will protect us and not hurt us.  Thank you very much.

MR KLAASTE: I would like to ask you something, Archbishop.  What does one do those that did this to you?  I feel that they should also appear before such a panel.  I'm referring to these that were in this team, I would like them to say why they did all this.

CHAIRPERSON: Kan jy weer  [onduidelik] wat jy gese het nou.

MR KLAASTE: I would just like them to come forth and say why they did what they did.

CHAIRPERSON: Let us just explain what our decision - what decision we as a Commission took at the beginning that we wanted people who never got the opportunity to tell their  stories - a lot of our people believed for a long time that they were nothing.  That they should get  the opportunity to tell these stories to us here, and as you have seen, today too, that it was always -  wherever we have had our sittings -  that people would say that they are grateful that they have received the opportunity to reveal the secrets in their hearts.
 But what you have just requested is only fare and we hope that those concerned in the police force and so - in the police force and so forth will come forward themselves, but should that not happen the Commission has the authority to make them come and tell us their stories.
 Because so many - in so many cases the witness would come before us and say we would like to know.  And perhaps it is so that members of police forces and others would be able to come and reveal that truth.  In our quest to establish the truth.  Thank you very much.