Human Rights Violation Hearings — East London — 1996-04-16

MRS MHLAWULI: Yes it is so. At this time, when we were at Oudtshoorn, there was 
the launch of the UDF, we went with some of the people from the nearby places and we 
wanted to observe and be part of it.  So we were happily attending, in fact when we went 
there we hid ourselves because we didn't want to publicise the fact that we were going for 
fear of the police.  When we came back, it was learned that a black police person came 
and said that we are public servants and are not supposed to be taking part in politics. This 
they  
said in a very polite manner, trying to influence us not to participate in political issues.
 They all tried their best to make it better for him to EAST LONDON

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MHLAWULI: understand the trouble that he is courting, but he ignored them and continued with his 
participation and dealings with political issues.

MR SMITH: How did the community act towards your husband in view of his political 
involvement?

MRS MHLAWULI: Do you mean when...(intervention)

MR SMITH: I want you to relate the occasion when his office was destroyed in a fire.

MRS MHLAWULI: At some stage, during all this time he was visited by people who 
tried to get him to stop his involvement in  politics because he was going to get into 
trouble. One evening we were woken up and he was told that his office had been burned 
down.  When we went there we confirmed that this had indeed happened, some of his 
belongings were there. As he was studying through UNISA, he would often stay late to 
study.  Nobody knew who had committed the arson.
 There's an incident that took place just before their disappearance and murder. As 
we were friends with Matthew, each holiday we used to go back home in Cradock and go 
via Port Elizabeth to our friend. One day they were in 
Tarkastad at a youth meeting.  When they came back from 
that meeting they were arrested by the police, white police, but they were separated.  So 
nobody knew what was happening between them, for some hours they sat...(indistinct) 
without any explanation.  He was shocked and told us that he had been arrested and gave 
us an account of what had happened, but nobody could explain this.

MR SMITH: You used to go to Cradock to your home every 
holiday?

MRS MHLAWULI: Yes, in June 1985 we went home as usual but EAST LONDON  
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MHLAWULI: this time when they were about to go, on that Monday the 24th I had to go to a winter 
school because I was studying through Vista.  They took me to Port Elizabeth with the 
hope that he'll be coming back and transport me home.  On Tuesday he phoned me to 
reassure me that he will come and collect me. On Wednesday there was no telephone call.  
On Thursday when he was supposed to come, still there was nobody.  But because he 
would contact me regularly, I was surprised that he couldn't do that this day. My sister-in-
law phoned me and he was unable to tell me where my husband was, but said that he was 
on the way to Port Elizabeth when she was making enquiries about him. She just 
reassured me, saying maybe they are coming.
 But it came out that they knew about this disappearance but they were afraid to tell 
me that they have disappeared.

MR SMITH: Just going back a little, when he spoke to you on that Tuesday over the 
telephone, did he mention anything about going to Port Elizabeth, or did he not say 
anything about that.

MRS MHLAWULI: No he didn't say anything about going to 
Port Elizabeth on that particular Tuesday.  So I kept on waiting for him, expecting him, on 
Thursday and he never turned up on Thursday.  And then on Friday I saw a newspaper, I 
read this article that these people were actually missing.  But I thought to myself that they 
must be detained.

MR SMITH: Was that the article in the Herald.

MRS MHLAWULI: The article in the Herald, yes, I thought that they are definitely in 
jail.  So what I needed to do 
now  was to go and get him a warm tracksuit and a pair of training shoes and warm shirts 
too.  So I dashed to town EAST LONDON  HEARING TRC/

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MHLAWULI: immediately to get those things. Later on I talked to my sister in law again.  I think she 
was trying to ...(intervention)

MR SMITH: Sorry, just let understand this, I'm sorry to take you back, you actually went 
to buy him shoes and a tracksuit, being under the impression that he's in jail and so you 
were preparing to get some warm clothing for him?

MRS MHLAWULI: Yes.

MR SMITH: Okay, proceed please.

MRS MHLAWULI: On Friday my sister-in-law phoned me to find out if my husband 
was here, I think she wanted to find out how much I knew about his disappearance, but 
when I asked them they again said they didn't know anything. I asked her where the car 
was, and they said it was there as well as the key. I asked my father in law to please 
arrange that I should be taken back home, because I was already anxious, having this 
premonition that something has happened. I was fetched by my father-in-law and some of 
the friends on that Friday.
 When I got back home, I can't remember very we'll whether it was Saturday or 
Sunday, but when I got back home I found many people there, when there is a reverend 
and people who pray, you immediately know that something terrible has happened.  So I 
fainted and when I came to I was given the bad tidings that they have not come back but 
also that their bodies have found.  There is a fisherman who said that he saw the bodies 
next to Beacon Bay, but he didn't know what corpses they are.  It was stated that there 
were two bodies, the one was next to a red house.  The people from Cradock went to Port 
Elizabeth to make sure about what has happened, they also went to the spot where EAST 
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MHLAWULI: the bodies were identified. Some were divided, they tried to search for these bodies. 
Amongst them was my brother, Tqobane, and he said that as they were busy searching the 
police arrived and asked him what he wanted there.
 He told them that he was just looking for a child who was with him at the beach.  
They took him into the van.  Now in the van there were prisoners who were carrying 
spades.  Then he asked them what they were going to do with the spades.  They didn't 
know, they were just instructed to carry spades and to get into the van.  Then he was now 
aware that there was a misunderstanding between them.
 The other group realised that one of them is missing and he tried to put his hand 
through the side of the canopy to wave, but he couldn't do it.  Then they just went off.
 My father-in-law was among the group that was searching for the bodies. And he 
said, "Nolita, my child, I saw a place where they killed my son.  There was something 
very suspicious, there was blood.  It is clear that they killed him, they burned him at the 
same place, because I even touched the sand because I wanted to see actually what it was 
that was poured on them, and I smelt petrol.  I tried to check there to find rings, belts and 
such things but there was nothing of that kind."
 They went back home without anything. As it has already been said that the 
fishermen could identify the bodies, they were at the mortuary at New Brighton.  They 
went there to have a look at the corpses, and I understand that the police were very 
difficult, they were pressurising them, they made a guard of honour as people were 
proceeding into the house.  I understand there were also remarks.  My father in law had a 
look and confirmed that one was Sicelo.  He said the 
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MHLAWULI: condition in which he was in was really shocking. They had burned him terribly.

MR SMITH: Are you prepared to continue.