Human Rights Violation Hearings — Kimberley — 1996-06-11

NKOSINATHI NKOHLA: When we came back from Johannesburg I learned about what had happened but I didn't get much details about what happened.  I was here locally in Kimberley.  On the 21st June 1993 it was on a Monday very early in the morning  I was from the office of the party - I was busy working in the office and I was in the company of Chris Mandela.  There was a comrade who came in who said we have to attend a meeting urgently in the offices.
After the message was delivered, I think it was in the afternoon at five,  we went together with Chris and I peeped through the window.  I met Chris and we saw someone outside the office - he asked - we asked each other how this person had been here and then nobody knew about it.
During that period we went out and we went to buy some food with Chris and then we travelled to the meeting.  On our way I said to Chris, You know I have organised and recruited a lot of people in Bophuthatswana and I am so tired - how about going back so that we can just get feedback from those who had attended the meeting so that we can continue with the decision taken.
We agreed to go back and on our way we met Terror.  This person grabbed me at the back - they took me to the City Hall.  When I asked him why were they arresting me he said I was the  suspect.
I gave Chris the books and I went together with the police in the office.  There is  a  boer  called Starke and I was handed over to him and he asked me where was I when this happened.  I said I was at Sishel.  He said I mustn't speak nonsense here because they know that I was there on the day of the march.  I insisted that I was not there, I was in another place but they kept on pressurising me and then took me to the District Surgeon.
When we got there the doctor asked me how do I feel.  I explained that I had no problems.  I was locked up at Barkley West and then I was taken again the following day by the police.  Again I was interrogated, and I kept  on giving the same answer because I had this background of the organiser, they wanted to use me.
At the time I insisted that I don't know nothing about what they were talking about.  They said if I don't co-operate with them they will take the reports that I gave them and they are going to use them against me.  They also said they would take these and publicise and scatter them around using the helicopter and they would make as if I was working with the police then the pamphlets would contain the messages that I was apologising because I have been working with them.
So they said they knew that my home will be burned. I decided then to agree that I really took the hand grenade and threw it among the marchers.  They said I must go and be a State witness and even give information of who were the other people who were in my accompaniment  when the bomb was thrown.  They said they were going to protect me and they promised me an amount of R10, 000   [the witness is crying]

ADV NTSEBEZA: Okay - it's okay  just take your time.  It's all right just take your time so that you can recover okay.

NKOSINATHI NKOHLA: The people that used to be my friends ostracised me because the boers  gave the impression that I was working for them and it appeared as if I got paid and this spoiled my future because I didn't have friends.  The boers tried to make things difficult for me.
I couldn't  do anything about the situation - I was unable to stop them from using me.  I couldn't resist what they were doing because they were pressurising me.  I was worried because I knew about my background and the Comrades had nothing against me because I informed them about what happened to me.
This affected me so much I have never been the same person again.  I am unable to move freely and the police wanted to continue using me against my people.  It was painful to be a State witness for something that you didn't know about.  I had to witness against the people who didn't do anything against anybody.  I had to admit that I saw people who took the grenade, those  [indistinct]   and his colleagues, they  were the people who capitalised over all what happened and then they insisted that I was their informer.
They also asked how many were we, I said we were six and I formulated a story so that I can be saved from their oppression.  Van der Kolf came after I have agreed to their story and then they said they were going to take photos at Trust Bank George Street where this all took place.
They alleged that we got training so we had to agree that we had got training from that area.  They also wanted to know who were responsible for all - some of the things that they talked about and I didn't know what they were talking about.  But I did agree and admitted that I knew everything they were talking about.
After we did these point outs they asked me -  Erasmus and Rossouw asked me if I was prepared to be a State witness, I said no.  They then decided to charge me.  They took me to Transvaal Road and Rossouw came and said they were going to charge me because I didn't want to work with them.
It is then that they started to be against me.  Then - it's then when I met Sipho in the court.  All the statements I have given  I was trying to accuse Sipho for something that I didn't know.  When we got there in court they told me about their alibi.
There were some witnesses who came from Sishel.  They brought everyone, but at the end some of the Comrades stood by me and they insisted that I cannot do such a thing.  They said they knew me very well and I was working with them.
You all know then what was said by the previous speaker and during the day of the march I was not at Kimberley.  Everybody should know that I was not there,  I came very late towards the end of the month  and I did not know about what happened.

ADV NTSEBEZA: Now that - were - did the police  at any stage - did they state anything to you about Smiles?

NKOSINATHI NKOHLA: The police did not mention anything about Smiles during the interrogation,  but it came out during the court proceedings when one of the questions were asked, Thembinkosi was asked about this Smiles and he was asked what would he say if Smiles admitted to have committed the offence and then he insisted that it's Sipho and myself who threw the bomb.

ADV NTSEBEZA: Now just the last point.  I would just like to ask you a question.  How do you feel when you admit about something that you have never done and somebody has to serve a jail sentence for something that he didn't do?