Human Rights Violation Hearings — Uitenhage — 1996-08-26

CHAIRPERSON: ... by being assaulted while in detention when he was detained by security police, then lost his hearing and he cannot hear very well now, and it is thus crucial for me to sit next to him so that he can read my lips which I am talking, because he cannot hear me properly, so I am now going to sit next to him in order for him to follow the questions properly and also there taking of the oath. Thank you.

MZUKISI PETROS MAPELA: (Sworn duly states).

CHAIRPERSON: You will tell us today about the way in which you were assaulted in 1977. On the 12th September and when Steve Biko was killed, but your story will be about from June 16th, from the first anniversary of the day known as "June 16th". We would like you to start, look at me so that we can understand each other nicely, tell us where do you come from?

MZUKISI PETROS MAPELA: I am from Uitenhage, I was born around here, we were moved forcefully from Dgendeni to Nobuhle in 1976.
 When we got to Nobuhle these things happened in 1976. In 1977 it was the first anniversary of what had happened in Soweto in 1976 and what happened in Uitenhage started with the students at Limberg High, were the students were demonstrating in the school yard and the soldiers were called and released the dogs to bite the students.
 The students ran away into the location and stayed in the location and at that time I was working and I used to work night shift and I was woken by my friends and they told me that this incident took place at school, that people went into the location and burnt things there.
 We got together and decided what we could do about this and we took a decision that we would burn government institutions such as, the first place was the bar, the second one was the rent office and the third one was the beer hall. It was a leisure place. That happened the night of the 16th June 1977.
 When we did this, the police didn't arrest us and we went home, we stayed at home and during September one of us was arrested in connection with something else and after his arrest, it became apparent that he had burnt somebody else's house at Nobuhle and then this thing of our having burnt these things also came out.

MS GOBODO: So, when this guy was arrested in September he told the police what you people did on June 16. You are reminding us that in 1976 and 1977 a lot of buildings were burnt, a lot of government buildings, more so bars were burnt and this happened during the struggle of 1976 and 1977. Only buildings were burnt, so you also got involved in this when the first anniversary of June 16th was commemorated. I want you to tell us now about your detention, who detained you?

MZUKISI PETROS MAPELA: It was on a Monday afternoon in September at about 4.00pm, September 1977. I was at home when approximately seven or eight cars, police cars stopped. The police were with security guards and approximately five of them came in and one of them was Kuhlane, he was a member of the security branch and they told me to get dressed and that they were taking me away.
 I got dressed and left with them. When we got into the car, there was a white guy sitting in the car.

MS GOBODO: What was his name?

MZUKISI PETROS MAPELA: First, he asked "do you know me" and I said "No". I said, "No, I don't know you, Mr White man," and he said "who is your white man", and I thought maybe he wants me to say "Baas" and I said "I don't know Baas".

MS GOBODO: Was he speaking Xhosa.

MZUKISI PETROS MAPELA: Yes, he was speaking Xhosa. And I asked him, "What do you want me to say?" and he said "Call me Radebe". So, I know him as Radebe.
 The police van then left and Radebe was sitting here asking "Who do you think you are?" and we went to the charge office where the head office of the security branch was and when we got to the office there was one chair in this office and a table.
 The chair was at the table. Radebe then came and sat on the chair.

MS GOBODO: Radebe is this white policemen?

MZUKISI PETROS MAPELA: Yes, he sat on the chair and sent the others to fetch him some water. The other two, he commanded the other two to remain behind and sit on either side of me. I had been placed on the floor. Can I demonstrate to you?

MS GOBODO: Yes, you may if you wish to.

MZUKISI PETROS MAPELA: Radebe was sitting like that and he handcuffed me to the chair in this fashion. So these two policemen were standing on either side of me.

MS GOBODO: What did Radebe do in dealing with you.

MZUKISI PETROS MAPELA: Radebe said that before he asks a black person anything he'd start by hitting them so that by the time he put the questions they had answered honestly.
 There were three pipes, one of them was green and the ANC people were assaulted with that. The other one was a black one, Black Consciousness members were assaulted with that and Communist Party people were assaulted with the red one.

MS GOBODO: You say that Radebe had three pipes and he told you that the green one was to assault ANC people, the black one was to assault the Black Consciousness people and the red one was to assault the Communist Party people.
 I would like you to tell us from thereafter he told you, after Radebe told you about these pipes and what he does with them, what did he say to you?

MZUKISI PETROS MAPELA: He then said that he would hit me with the green pipe, because he said I was an ANC crook. He then took the green pipe and when he assaulted me, he assaulted me on my head with this and if you tried moving your head, these two policemen on either side would hold your head, so that Radebe could hit you right on your head.
 Radebe continued to hit me with this and they would bring him pies and cooldrinks and he would keep asking me who I was with when I went and burnt these houses. I answered Radebe, I said to Radebe, "I don't know who they were because it was at night".
 At approximately 1.00am I had been severally assaulted by Radebe, this is 1 o'clock at night, so I started agreeing with what Radebe was saying. I agreed that I had burnt these places and Radebe made me write a statement and sign it.
 There were policemen who kept coming in and out, black policemen, Kuhlane and Nokwe and Ndzengu and these were the ones that were sent and they were in and out.
 While I was being assaulted they did not take any part. These were the ones that were sent for pies and cooldrinks. I was then taken to a Magistrate for a statement, I went with Kuhlane and when I came back, we brought the statement to Radebe and Radebe read the statement and said "Yes, this is exactly what I want you to say".
 I was then taken to Rooi Hell.

MS GOBODO: What did the statement contain that you signed?

MZUKISI PETROS MAPELA: It was me agreeing that I had burnt the rent office and this bar and this beer hall. I did not say who I was with because I said it was dark and I couldn't see who the others were.

MS GOBODO: You were now taken to the charge office?

MZUKISI PETROS MAPELA: No, I was taken to Rooi Hell.

MS GOBODO: Is that the name of a prison?

MZUKISI PETROS MAPELA: Yes, it was a prison known as Rooi Hell.

MS GOBODO: Why was it referred to as Rooi Hell.

MZUKISI PETROS MAPELA: I think it was because of the way the people were treated there in jail.

MS GOBODO: That's understandable.