Human Rights Violation Hearings — Port Shepstone — 1996-08-12

COMMISSIONER: Thank you, Mrs Ngcobo.  We will try and see if we can uncover any details on why your husband was killed and who killed him.  We again extend our sympathy to you for the suffering that you have had to undergo, and we thank you very, very much for coming in and telling your story with us - your story to us today.  It showed great courage for you to come and tell us that story of how you watched your husband being murdered right in front of your eyes.  Thank you very much for telling us that today, and we wish you strength as you leave us now.  Thank you very much.

COMMISSIONER: I believe she is here.  Is it Hlongwane, Saraphina Ntombifikile Hlongwane?  You have come to tell us about the tragic death of your daughter in 1992.  You are like many, many other people who've come to this Commission who have lost their children, and we extend our deep sympathies to you.  Before you give your evidence can I ask you to stand please so you can take the oath.

SARAPHINA NTOMBIFIKILE HLONGWANE: (Sworn, States)   (Through Interpreter)

MR LACKS: Good afternoon, Mr Hlongwane.  Welcome.

WITNESS:  Good afternoon, Sir.

MR LACKS: Before we proceed with your story please just tell us a little bit about yourself.  Are you married?

WITNESS:   No, I am not married.

MR LACKS: How many children do you have?

WITNESS:   I have two children.

MR LACKS: How old are they?

WITNESS:   The first one is 1971, the second one is 1973, and the other is 1981.

MR LACKS: Now, Nonhlanhla was - when was she born?

WITNESS:   She was born in 1973.

MR LACKS: So she was your middle child?

WITNESS:   Yes.

MR LACKS: Now, are you working at the moment?

WITNESS:   No, the firm has closed down.

MR LACKS: Are your children - your other two children, are they at school?

WITNESS:   Yes, one is at school.

MR LACKS: The other one?

WITNESS:   No, he is not at school.

MR LACKS: Now, can you tell us about what happened as far as you know as far as Nonhlanhla is concerned?

WITNESS:   Nonhlanhla left home going to Gamalakhe to visit her father.  She was already looking for another school to attend at that place, Gamalakhe, and she went to see her father at Gamalakhe.  I was at home, hoping that she was with her father and already got the school.  One day one lady came to me and asked me, "Where is Nonhlanhla?"  I said, "Nonhlanhla is at Gamalakhe."  She said to me, "Just stand up and look for the child.  Be sure and ascertain that the child is there."  And another one came to me and told me that she heard that Nonhlanhla got killed in Gamalakhe.  She was taken forcefully by a group.  And I suddenly left and I went to the police.  I told the police the matter.  The police said they did not know anything, and they told me to go to another place where I could probably locate Nonhlanhla's corpse.  I went to that place.  They checked from their records.  They said it was not going to be easy to be located because the people who are here are the ones who are known, Nonhlanhla is not know.  I left, I went back home.  One day the police came to my place and told me to go to Port Shepstone to approach Goldstone.  I went truly to Goldstone and he asked me what clothes was she wearing on that day.  I explained back, and he said to me the child who's sort of similar to what I am explaining had been seen, but they cannot locate the child.  And finally it was heard that she was buried in Dabeka.

MR LACKS: Please take your time.

WITNESS:   (Pause)  The police she was buried at a place called Dabeka.  I went in search of that place, looking for that place in Isipingo, and I asked from the police - I asked the police to exhume the body so that I can take her and bury her, and they said that's not possible because that will cost a lost of money, and they showed me the grave where she was buried.  I couldn't believe that that was her grave.  I asked them "If someone is dead how do you bury the person?  Do you just throw the person into a hole?"  (Pause)  I asked the people working at the graveyard how they buried my child.  They told me they just threw the body into the hole.  They didn't even wash the body, they just threw the body into the pit.  This is painful to me.  They told her that she doesn't know her mother.  They heard the child crying at night, saying she wants to know her mother because I am not the mother.  She wants to know the truth what happened to her mother.

MR LACKS: In your statement, Mrs Hlongwane, you mentioned that you were told some stories as to two possible reasons why your daughter was killed.  Do you remember that you told that to us in the statement?

WITNESS:   They said because she fell in love with a police.

MR LACKS: You also said there was another reason, and that was that some boys had got hold of her and had insisted that she do their washing for them.

WITNESS:   (Inaudible) ... one girl who's already late.  They said to her she must do the laundry.  They would do the laundry, the clothes - they will wash up the clothes which they were wearing when they were committing all this crime.

MR LACKS: Who were these boy?  Do you know any of them or do you know who they might be?

WITNESS:   I just heard that one of them was Zakhele, but I don't know exactly.

MR LACKS: The Zakhele you're talking about, is that Zakhele Xaba?

WITNESS:   That's correct.

MR LACKS: Now, do you know whether your daughter did in fact have a relationship with a policeman or not?

WITNESS:   I did not know that she fell in love with a police, or dating a police.

MR LACKS: Now, if I can just go back and ask you some small questions please.  You've spoken about her going to visit her father.  Who is her father?  What is his name?

WITNESS:  His name is Dennis Mushaba, working for KZ.

MR LACKS: As far as you know she never got there on that day?

WITNESS:   It looks like she never reached the father, because the person who told me about her death also told me that she was killed putting on the very same clothes that she left home with.

MR LACKS: Have you spoke to her father about this and asked him whether he saw her at that time?

WITNESS:   No, the father apparently never saw her.

MR LACKS: Now, you said that in June a certain lady came to see you and asked you to go and inquire about your daughter.  Who was that lady?  Do you know?  Can you remember?

WITNESS:   That lady comes from Murchison.

MR LACKS: You don't know what her name is?

WITNESS:   Her name is A G Hlabisa.

MR LACKS: And then you said that after that another lady came and told you that she thought that - she'd heard that your daughter had been killed at Gamalakhe, a second lady.  Who was that lady?

WITNESS:   I don't know the second one, but we used to work together.  I have just forgotten her name.

MR LACKS: If you are able to remember that at some point in the future perhaps you could try and let us know so that we could follow that up please.

WITNESS:   Yes, I will do.

MR LACKS: Now, it is correct that you went to the Magistrate's Court at Port Shepstone and you got from them a death certificate, which we have before us.

WITNESS:   That's correct. As far as one can see from the death certificate there is reference to a police docket, a police investigation.  Do you know whether any case came from such an investigation?   ---   No, I don't know.  The last time they told me that they were going to investigate this issue, but I don't think they ever did.

MR LACKS: Were the people from Goldstone in any way able to help you with their investigations?

WITNESS:   They never helped me in any way, because they just showed me where my child was buried and that was it.

MR LACKS: This person referred to as Zakhele Xaba, is he still around?  Is he still from this area?

WITNESS:   No, he is late.

MR LACKS: Who was he?  What sort of a person was he?  Was he involved in politics or ... (incomplete)

WITNESS:   He was an ANC leader.