Human Rights Violation Hearings — Heiderveld — 1996-08-22

NOMAKULA EVELYN ZWENI: [indistinct] the citizens were running in front of us.  They were just bodies, strewn all over the place in front of us.  I am from the ANC there were just dead bodies all over the place.  Some were trying to climb buildings, from Langa, that's where actually everything happened.  That was the time I  kneeled down and try to pray, that's when - that's when I kneeled down he was bleeding from his head.
I said God please I am asking you, I am asking you God, we are tired of apartheid, after that I left, I simply left.  I went to Guguletu, I was told that - they must come back with their passes they would be responded to.  I didn't even see where my husband was.  I heard a certain woman saying your husband has been shot somewhere, he has blood on his - has been - he has blood on his shoulder.  That's how - I said that's how soldiers die.
 We are arrested, we are tired.  You just go to Parow, you are told that you are trespassing, you go to Paarl, you are told that you are trespassing, which South Africa are we going to live in, if you go anywhere you are told that you are trespassing.  After that the boers were just going in and out of our houses, taking people beating up people, eventually they came to me.
They came to me, they asked me - they asked me what are you doing here.  I said you are trying to destroy apartheid, that's what I said to him.  I said we are tired, we are simply fed up.  We are simply fed up to have the boers on our shoulders.  We are tired of the yolk on our shoulders.  They didn't ask, they didn't ask they just simply beat us up.
I was fighting back - I was fighting back - I was telling myself that if I - if I die, I will die in the struggle, but my child will - will know what I died for.  I don't want anything, I don't even want to go to work in a white man's place, because that's - they treat us like monkeys.  We left now after that we were taken to different places.  Around 1968 was a little better.  In 1975, something started now again.

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: Excuse me mamma, you said  you said as a - your husband was shot on the shoulder.

NOMAKULA EVELYN ZWENI: The bullet was taken out, he couldn't go to the doctor, because the doctor himself was afraid.  You couldn't go anywhere, you had to do the treatment yourself buy medicines from the chemist because you couldn't go anywhere, because if you take them to the hospital you would now be identified as one of the rioters.  I tried to take the bullet out myself, I did everything myself.

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: Mamma let's just talk about your beatings during the 1960's before we can go on to the Bellville beatings.  Just tell us again how were you tortured just because you were part of the 1960 march, on the 21st  of March.  Please just tell us what happened there.

NOMAKULA EVELYN ZWENI: Since then I never rested.  The boers were coming in and out, everyday they would come and fetch me, put me into a van, we were scattered all over and you would be beaten up.  You would be beaten, you would even be beaten and not fight back and tired - and not fight back.  Who told you that this is - this is your country.  Who said to this is your - you - you - I use to say this is our land, you are visitors.  While he was beating me, I would him  tell him these things, you - I live in this country.  Your - you will take your apartheid with you and - away to - from South Africa.

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: Mamma did you have a pass?

NOMAKULA EVELYN ZWENI: No I never had a pass, I only had an ID when Mandela was out from prison.  When I saw the newspaper that Mandela was out  that's the only time that I had, I took - I went to get myself an ID.  Somebody said to me - somebody said to me Mandela now is back, go get yourself an ID.  When they asked what about a pass, when are you going to get your pass, I said I am not a dog, I am not going to have a pass somewhere in my body, I will never have a part, never.  I only had an ID just now.

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: Mamma again let's talk about your beatings and the torture, then we can go to the Bellville incident.

NOMAKULA EVELYN ZWENI: We never rested after that, my husband use to sleep sometimes at work.  Sometimes he would come during the day or even at night, I always.  I was always expecting the police.  They use to say you - you - you think you clever, you - one day you'll get what you looking for, that's what they said to me.  Now after that there was a little silence after that as - now in 1976 it was the youth's turn.
I saw the policeman, I saw them coming, I knew they coming to me.  They asked me if now you have started a grand - they said is that an ANC.  They said this is just - is this the same thing, just beat up a black woman.  They beat me up, the boers that day, my ears were totally closed.
They were slapping my face they would beat my head up.  And I just wait for the next beating.  Each time they - they hit me, each after every blow, I will just for the next one.  But after a while - after a while I lost my energy.  That group left and then a new group came in again of the boers.
They told me that we think we are clever, you say - you say have the land, where do you think you have the land from.  I said to them we have the land, this land is ours - I am going to say that until I die.  Until I get under the grave, I don't want  [indistinct] in front of my face, because our blood is one, we are all created by God.
I told him until the very last day, because a boer treats a dog better than a human.  He will - he will treat a dog much-much better than a human being.  He will give you food in a tin, just like a bandiet, this is my home.  I was born here, I don't have a home abroad.  I will never go anywhere else.  I was - in 1976 they said to me you, have you started again.  I said just leave me alone, he said beat her up again, beat her up again, that is how I was beaten up so much and I was fighting back.
My ribs were sore,  my back was sore, everything was just sore.  One of the woman gave me pills.  The boers now came again, they came to take me to Bellville.  There is a little - there is a forest just beyond Bellville at one o'clock they beat me up and I was fighting back, and I told myself if God want's me to die, today I am going to die.
I am going to fight back, I fought back until these two fingers got injured, these two fingers do not work anymore.  One kicked me up - kicked me here, a car approached us, I was red, my face was swollen everything was just swollen - every part of me was swollen.  I couldn't hear anything.

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: Where were you taken mamma after that, did you - were you taken to hospital?

NOMAKULA EVELYN ZWENI: What - taken to hospital, I can never go to hospital nobody can take me to hospital, because when you get you, you will be beaten up anything.  It's the boers anyway in the hospitals so the talk about you.  No you just treat yourself in the house.

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: Please tell us about the incidents in Bellville, what happened there.