Special Hearings — Women's Hearings — 1997-07-29

ALLI MAZIYA: That is a very difficult question for me to answer, but I will nevertheless do.  A lot of things happened immediately after the death of some members of my family.  My house was attacked on the first of June and on the 31st of June I lost my job.  I was not even at work during that time, because I had sustained some injuries.  As we all know that these were lone houses.  It does not really matter that you paid your bond very well at some stage, but at a later date when you do not have any money, they chuck you out of the house.  Because I had bought the house under somebody elses name, because I was running away from the police, that is why I had to go to Vosloorus.  It came to a stage where I realised that there was a need for me to get a place of my own and I could not register the house under my name and that is when I bought this house in Vosloorus.
 After a few months I had to sell my house.  I did sell it and people never realised what was happening in my life up till such time that in 1992, if I am not mistaken, I was elected in SANCO as an organiser of the southern SANCO and that was the very first time that I got a salary after I had been, after I had lost my job.  That is only then that I was able to earn a living.

YASMINE SOOKA: Thank you.  I have no further questions.

CHAIRPERSON: Joyce Seroke.

MS SEROKE: Mr Maziya, what I would like to know from you is with regard to the hand grenade.  How did it come about that this hand grenade landed in your bedroom?  Do you suspect, perhaps, that somebody knew as to which one was your bedroom, because according to what you have said it was thrown into your bedroom?  Do you think the attack was mainly orchestrated on you or you were the target?

ALLI MAZIYA: I already mentioned that I am scared to tell you the names of the people, because during the course of the week, just before the attack, there is a lot of things that happened.  On a particular Wednesday a PAC member came to visit me during the day.  It was the very first time that this person had come into my house.  Till today the person is not known, but his name is Oscar.  When he came to my house on this particular Wednesday, according to the rumours that I heard was that it was himself, the Mayor, as well as two other males driving in a Skyline and the Skyline was parked in front of my yard.  He got off the Skyline and got into my house and in the house there was Sipholo, a young man that I was staying with.  Sipholo was in the children's bedroom, because my house was a four roomed house.
 He got into the house and Sipholo asked him as to what he wanted.  He said he had come to visit.  Then he proceeded to the sittingroom and Sipholo went to sit with him to try and find out as to what he wanted.  According to my own opinion, I think, it was on a Wednesday and my house was attacked on Friday and according to the way in which they shot my house, if you could look at the video, I believe that the SABC as well as the City Press still have the photos that were taken on the day of the attack and the way in which I was shot.  It indicates that the person who was shooting from outside knew the house very well or knew the interior of the house very well and he knew as to where my bed was and how the furniture arrangement was inside the house.  I could clearly say that it is Oscar.

CHAIRPERSON: Maziya, if I might just ask you one or two questions as well.  At the time when this happened to your family you were a leader in your community.  Can you tell us what position were you holding.

ALLI MAZIYA: I was the President of the SANCO organisation and I was heading the Social Welfare Department of the ANC and the other position I was holding was that I was within the committee that was welcoming some exiles who were coming from outside countries.  I was also a shop steward at my work place, that is at Rickett.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you.  This is helpful for us to have a clear record about your involvement.  Often a husband died because of their convictions.  In this instance your wife, you lost your wife because of your convictions.  How did your in-laws react to this?  Were you blamed for this or what was their reaction?

ALLI MAZIYA: That is one of the most difficult aspects of my life that I have had to deal with, because at my place as well as at my wife's place they always had a problem with our relationship, because Lindiwe was also politically active and I was politically active too and whenever I had a problem in Tembisa, she would come to pick me up and take  me to a place of refuge.  And at times I would go and seek refuge at Lindiwe's place.  I remember one day when my in-laws were telling her that she was going to die, because she did not realise that the police were always coming to her place looking for me and they were not looking for her.
 And after the attack the only people who were able to accept the fact that it has happened.  Though I do not know as to how they feel now, but I believe Lindiwe's mother as well as father did accept the fate and after they had accepted that we are husband and wife, they eventually accepted that whatever happens to me, happens to her and whatever happens to her, happens to me.  And even this incident did not disturb them in such a manner that they blamed me, but I think they accepted it as it happened and I do believe that they are still very hurt, that as members of the family, that is a natural thing to happen especially with Black families or in Black culture.  
 We do point fingers at other people and blame other people for the deaths of others, but I believe that it was God's will that she died and I was saved.  I am not proud of that, but I have come to accept it, because in our culture when a wife dies, she is being killed by the husband and when the husband dies, he is being killed by the wife.  I do believe that her family might harbour these beliefs, but, anyway, I have come to accept it and I have told myself that it is a natural occurrence within our culture, because when it happened I thought that it was not Lindiwe only who died.  My mother also died as well as my child.  If it was my wish I would not have killed my mother as well as my child, but what I want to point out was that there was absolutely no reason for them to have killed so many members of my family.  They would have done that straight to me and have left the rest of the family and I still say they are cowards, because they are not coming forward to tell us the reasons as to why they did this.  I do not think forgiveness lies within me, that God will forgive them.  Maybe if they can come forward and explain as to why they did it, they could be understood.

CHAIRPERSON: Another question which I would like to ask you is there any reason why she was not buried in Vosloorus?  Lindiwe.

ALLI MAZIYA: Lindiwe was buried in Vosloorus.

CHAIRPERSON: Is she the same Lindiwe who is Dr Ndaba?

ALLI MAZIYA: No, Lindiwe is from the Matibela family.