Human Rights Violation Hearings — Durban — 1996-10-25

MARIE ODENDAAL MAGWAZA: I will lead you now with questions so that we get more information of what we really need.   Now, your banning order is over, and you are going back to Umlazi.  As you explained that when you were at Umlazi they still continued harassing you after you got married, police came to your family, and harassed you.

WITNESS:   I went back to Umlazi, I met Mr Ngubane and we got married.   We went to ... (inaudible) ..., that's where we got married.   Policemen used to come there, I don't know who showed them where I was, but they used to come and harass me there.   and my mother-in-law was still there, she was still alive and she as scared that what kind of a daughter-in-law whom police are always after her.   Is she a criminal or what?  And I could sense that the love they had for me went down because they didn't trust me that well.   I was staying in their house, it wasn't my husband's house but it was at her home, his mother's house.   We left that place, we went and built our own place.   Policemen also followed us.    After a while I think I got confused.   I think I was confused and at that time even my husband was now having a negative attitude towards me now, things were not well between us, because he was - I think he was now tired of being harassed by police and busy running away from police, because of me.   One day my husband wasn't there and when he came back ... (intervention)

MARIE ODENDAAL MAGWAZA: What exactly do you mean when you say you were confused?

WITNESS:   I don't know how to explain this, but I was really confused, I don't know what happened to me.  I was talking like I was a prophet, some of the things were not making sense, some of the things were making real sense.   When my husband realised this,  he went to a traditional healer.   My husband was a reverend.   And people from that area knew that he was a reverend.   All these things are happening, I am a Christian, and people from that area know me as being a Christian.   There was a man from Gabashe's family, who was also a member in our church.   Mr Gabashe came and my husband told him that my wife is crazy, I think my wife is sick.   And I ask my husband why is this man coming to stay with us, you think I am crazy, I am not.   My husband and Mr Gabashe went to see a traditional healer and they brought back some medication.  I told them I can't take this herbal medicine which they brought, so my husband tied me and he used to beat me and my daughter used to beat me and assault me in front of my ... (inaudible) ...   My husband used to assault me in front of my daughter.   I used to stay for two weeks without taking any food.   Not because I didn't have food, but I wasn't feeling well.   One day another Mr Gabashe came, not the same Gabashe who came and went with my husband to a traditional healer, another man now.  This Mr Gabashe is our cousin and he said to me why was I was swollen, why was my hand swollen, and I told him it was my husband who tied me and he tried to speak to my husband and my cousin said to my husband he mustn't do that.   And then he left.   He came back with R10,00.  He gave my husband to take me to hospital.   There was also a certain reverend and my cousin asked this reverend to take me to hospital.   It was the reverend and together with two other women.   And we arrived in hospital the doctor's diagnosed me as being crazy.   They gave me injections and I gained consciousness after I was in - I was admitted in hospital.   They explained to me how I came there.   My sister doesn't know this story, what I am telling you, she doesn't know, except for my daughter.  I never told my sister.  She will be surprised.   I didn't want my sister or my husband to hate each other.  I was admitted in hospital.   I still have the medication with me.   I was given a ... (inaudible) ...  people who have a medical experience they know this medication, it is only given to people who are mentally ill.   There is no peace between me and my husband now.   One day Mr Nxobisa came to our house.   When he came he brought chickens with him.  He said we must keep those chickens for him.   We had ... (inaudible) ... because we were doing our plantation.  We kept those chickens for him.   I used to give these chickens for food and then he came back another day to fetch his chickens, he said he was taking them to Bel ... (inaudible) ...  to Bizane.  My husband was going to go with me Mr Ngubane on the same day.  We grabbed the chickens, we put the chickens in Mr Ngubane's car.  It was during the weekend.   They left on Saturday, they were supposed to come back on Sunday, because on Monday they were supposed to go to work.

MARIE ODENDAAL MAGWAZA: Let's just hold there.   I can understand your story but I just want you to stick on what really happened to your husband, because on your statement it says that you got divorced and you were left with the children.

WITNESS: That's why I am relating this story about the chickens, because it started there.   Mr Ngubane didn't come back.  I went to Mr Nxobisa to ask where my husband was.   I asked Mr Nxobisa where was Ngubane, my husband.   And Nxobisa was surprised, he said to me he was supposed to be back home, and he said to me I must go and check him at his sister's place.   His sister didn't like me.   He went to his sister's place.   I went back home.  I told my children that your father is to your aunty's place.   I took a bus to Mawood(?) to check if he had a problem.  When I arrived there he explained to me.   I found him very well and I asked him, "Ngubane, my husband, why are you here?", and then he told me the reason he is not coming back home it's because at home he is doing nothing but there he is fixing furniture.   And then ... (inaudible) ... said to me, "Ja, it is true, he is now working", and then I explained to them it is not a good way of someone to do, because he would have - he should have explained to us at home that he is not coming back, because he is fixing furniture.   After two to three days a person came to my house.   I could tell that this person who is coming to my yard is driving his car fast and then this person started knocking and I ask, "Who is it, who is it?"   And it was ... (inaudible) ...

MARIE ODENDAAL MAGWAZA: (END OF SIDE B)

MARIE ODENDAAL MAGWAZA: 6A/0 (START OF SIDE A)

MARIE ODENDAAL MAGWAZA: ... I was scared.   I hold my children.   I held my ... (inaudible) ... I left my kids alone.   I went back to Mawood to see my husband and to explain to him what happened.   And my husband was angry.   He told his sister that listen to her, she wants me to go back there, but she knows that the chief doesn't want me from that place.

MARIE ODENDAAL MAGWAZA: Let's go back.  I can understand that people were harassing your children.   How many children do you have?

WITNESS:   Four.

MARIE ODENDAAL MAGWAZA: Are they all still alive?

WITNESS:   Yes.

MARIE ODENDAAL MAGWAZA: As you have explained that you are in psychiatric treatment, are you still taking that treatment?