Human Rights Violation Hearings — Vryheid — 1997-04-17

WITNESS:   Maybe I should go back and say we had heard that a member of IFP who was shot in Bekkersdal, residing at a hotel, will be buried.  He was an IFP member, and I wouldn't know the details of the shooting and so forth.  And also we heard from the people who would come and contact us that they were harassed at night, Friday night.  There was a shooting spree in uMondlo streets.  The funeral went on ahead, and after that, the IFP funeral, now they started calling us names.  The person who was in the forefront was Jerome Buthelezi.  And one other that I would like to disclose his name although I did not make mention of his name in the statement is Nkomondo.  I don't know his role in the IFP, however the leaders of IFP then were Jerome Buthelezi and Nkomondo.  We did try to monitor the situation, and they went to bury and they carried their member to the graveside, and they had with them spears.  And we tried to hide and keep a distance from them, about 900 metres away from them, and we were following them.  There were those who had black guns, and one had a sack full of guns, and there was a police vehicle following them at the same time.  Inside there was Mr Mdluli, the assistant of Mondlo station commander.  They were free and they went on ahead and carried their member to the graveside.  They stopped at Mondlo in a gas station.  That's where they started attacking us in public, and others were happy about that action, IFP attacking us.  The police were watching and doing nothing to rescue us.  After we had tried to run away we got to the riverside and we found there was an ANC group still there awaiting.  We ran back and got to the post office, and we saw a police vehicle, green in colour, and they started shooting at us for no apparent reason.  They never said a thing, but they started shooting.  And we tried another route.  We ran through Inanda and we got section B.  I am sorry, on our way to B we saw a house that was burning.  At A section when you pass Super Garage there was a house whose owner was with them, their supporter.  We found out that the house that was being occupied by ANC Comrades who were destitute, were the ANC members, and they did not have any place so they had to go to Mondlo and occupy houses there as ANC members.  And one other member who was killed was Mike Mthethwa.  We ran and we got to B section, and in the afternoon we gathered as the youth of ANC and we headed to our office, which was destroyed at the time, and we said, "Better still we should be killed jointly like this," because we didn't know who was behind this, whether ZP or IFP.  Now we were chanting our songs and singing our freedom songs and five vans came.  I won't disclose one of the police names, but there was a supervisor with them who said, "Let them be shot."  They started shooting indeed, and there was a van that was driving behind me as I was running away, and they tried to shoot, and I was shot right on my right hand - no, on my left hand, by these people in the van.  This is when I was shot as I was trying to escape, trying to jump the fence, the wall fence.  As I managed to jump I fell down on the other side now.

MR DLAMINI: I am sorry, Mr Buthelezi, is that the very night of the funeral, the very day?

WITNESS:   Yes.  During the day we were harassed, and in the evening this took place and we decided to gather at some place.

MR DLAMINI: There are incidents here that follow.  Please be brief so we may listen to the other incidents as well.  Try to be brief.

WITNESS:   Maybe I should try.  From what IFP was doing at Mondlo in that time there were sergeants that came to take statements about what was happening in uMondlo, and the City Press members, who took statements.  And they took all of that to the Mondlo Police Station, but after that there were rumours that I was an informer, police informer.  And one of the persons who was saying that, those rumours, I know him, he's a police, and I know his name.  The following day on Monday I was standing by the office in uMondlo and the police approached uMondlo, KwaZulu Police, and they were pointing guns at me and said I should get into the car.  And I asked them as to where they were taking me to and they said I have with me a weapon, an axe, so I should get into the car.  Yes, I did get into the car and we went to Mondlo Police Station.  I asked the station commander, Mr Mxinga.  Mr Mxinga did come to me with Mr Ndlovu, and I asked them as to why I was arrested, why were they arresting me.  They said this was due to the axe that I had.  I asked Mr Mdluli that the previous day we were together monitoring the IFP funeral, "And before you there were two boys who carried black guns, with axes as well.  Did you arrest those or did you bother yourself to ask them as to why they had those things in their possession?  But you did not.  However, you do find it easy to ask me.  Is it because I am not an IFP?"  He did not respond.  Shortly after that Mr Thompkin arrived, who was a member of a police committee, and there was a meeting that convened as well with the IFP followers, and ANC followers were present in the meeting.  And Mr Thompkin wanted to know why and what was the problem of what was happening, but it was said that I have kept hostage of the IFP members in the ANC office.  And I repudiated all of that.

MR DLAMINI: Let me disturb you and interpose right there.  That was on the 21st of March on Monday?

WITNESS:   Yes.

MR DLAMINI: Now, what happened subsequently after your arrest and Mr Thompkin came?  What was the end of the whole thing?

WITNESS:   They released me.

MR DLAMINI: Now, take us to the next incident of the 24th of March where the Stability Unit arrived.