Human Rights Violation Hearings — Pietermaritzburg — UNKNOWN

DR MAGWAZA: We will do what we can to find out who was responsible for giving the order for the assassination of your parents, and we hope that if we do that it will enable you to come to terms, or to better come to terms with your parents' death.  As my colleague, Dr Magwaza, has said we will also make recommendation to the Government as to how you should be assisted as a result of the loss of those people who should have been with you to care for you and to raise you, your parents.

DR MAGWAZA: Finally we thank you very much for coming here today, and for having the courage to relive those memories with us, and we wish you every strength and courage as you go.  We hope that it has been of some benefit to you all to sit here, the four of you together, and to share this story with us.  Thank you very much.  Is there anything that any one of your sisters or your brother would like to say to add to that, or do you feel that you have said everything that you want to say?

WITNESS:   We don't want to say anything.

DR MAGWAZA: MGENZENI MBANJWA

DR MAGWAZA: (Inaudible)

WITNESS:   (Inaudible)

DR MAGWAZA: These grandchildren of yours, how old are they?

WITNESS:   The one, the son of Thulani, is six years old.  He has started schooling.  The other one by Themba is four years old.  The other one of Thamsanqa is two years.  The second one it's one year old ... (inaudible)

DR MAGWAZA: Mr Mbanjwa, where are you staying?

WITNESS:   We are staying with ... (inaudible) ... at the moment.  We are coming from Taylors.

DR MAGWAZA: When did you leave Taylors?

WITNESS:   That was 1990.  We were attacked and we went to Khaluzi.

DR MAGWAZA: Who were attacking you?

WITNESS:   This was the members of the IFP.

DR MAGWAZA: Do you belong to any organisation?

WITNESS:   Yes, we belong to ANC.

DR MAGWAZA: You have come before this Commission to tell us about the abduction, the harassment of your son, Thulani Mbanjwa, who was born in the 1st January 1968.

WITNESS:   Yes, that is so.

DR MAGWAZA: Can you tell us in details exactly what happened in 1989 on the 28th May?

WITNESS:   Thulani left on the 28th of May 1990 ... (inaudible) ... we were attacked at Taylors.  We were at home.  The attacks started during 1988 and continued until 1989, and then ... (inaudible) ... during 1990 we were attacked during the day at 12 o'clock.

DR MAGWAZA: Were they attacking your family or they were attacking just all the families next to you?

WITNESS:   They were all attacking our families, because they arrived at 12 o'clock during the day ... (inaudible) ... they surrounded the family. Which year?   ---   It was 1989.

DR MAGWAZA: In your statement you say it was on the 28th of May - on the 28th of May, the day on which Thulani died.  They did attack you before?

WITNESS:   Yes, they did attack us before two times in 1988 and 1989.  Therefore we left the place during 1989, and we were escorted by the police up to Khaluzi.

DR MAGWAZA: Thulani was educated?

WITNESS:   He repeated standard 10 two times.  He wanted to study medicine.

DR MAGWAZA: You wished that - you wanted him to go overseas to study medicine ... (inaudible) .... when he ran away during 1990 to Khaluzi ... (inaudible) ... it was on the 28th of May of 1990.  Thulani went away to a place called Taylors.

DR MAGWAZA: We wanted to check these matters.  Let me remind you.  Was it 1989 or 1990?  In your statement you said he left on May 1989.  Is that true?

WITNESS:   He left on the 28th of May 1990.

DR MAGWAZA: Which means we have to correct your statement.

WITNESS:  When he arrived at Taylors we didn't know that he was at Taylors because I told him he mustn't try to go and look for ... (inaudible) ... because ... (inaudible) ... he got the kid, and the kid was about five months old.  We had a problem with the kid.

DR MAGWAZA: Was he married at that time?

WITNESS:   No, he wasn't married at that time ... (inaudible)

DR MAGWAZA: So it means he just got a baby from just a girlfriend?

WITNESS:   Yes.  He had a problem because he wanted to check his ... (inaudible) ... he thought maybe he might have got a ... (inaudible) ... somewhere else.  He was also trying to find some job so that he can help to raise up his kid, who was five months old.  While we were still hiding there ... (intervention)

DR MAGWAZA: Where were you hiding?

WITNESS:   We were renting a stand of Mr Dlamini, and we are still staying there.  On May the 28th, early in the morning at 6 o'clock, I waked up early in the morning at Khaluzi.  When I waked up Thulani was not there.  I thought he had gone to his temporary job where he was working somewhere in town in the suburb.  Unfortunately he had gone to Taylors.  It was on Monday the 28th of 1990.  We waited at home until eight, after nine.  At about 10 o'clock a young boy came.  He is from the Mdlungu family.  He said he is coming to tell us that one of the young men came to him in town to tell him that Thulani has been arrested at Taylors.

DR MAGWAZA: You said - this young man who came to tell you, what was his surname?

WITNESS:   His surname was Mdlungu.

DR MAGWAZA: (Inaudible) ... what can you tell about ... (inaudible)

WITNESS:   (Inaudible) ... came after the first one that I am talking about.

DR MAGWAZA: The first one who came to see you is this young boy from the Zulus?

WITNESS:   Yes.  The second one came at about 11.  They were not able to come to my place very easily because they were sort of prohibited from coming to talk to us.  They came to tell us that Thulani has been caught by Ndlovu and he has been killed by this man.  We went to the police.

DR MAGWAZA: What did they tell you who killed Thulani?

WITNESS:   It's Mr Ndlovu, Thelu Ndlovu.  This is the man who killed Thulani.

DR MAGWAZA: Did you know this Thelu Ndlovu?

WITNESS:   Yes, we knew him.  We used to stay with him.   To which organisation does he belong?   ---   He was an Inkatha member.

DR MAGWAZA: Did he ever - was he used to attacking other people who do not belong to his party?

WITNESS:   It used to happen, but we didn't know that it was him.

DR MAGWAZA: You were just surprised when you heard this news.

WITNESS:   Yes.

DR MAGWAZA: The first report was given to you by Mthunzi Ndlungu.  What was his name?  What was his name?

WITNESS:   His name was Moses Ndlungu.

DR MAGWAZA: And the other one was Mthuzi Mhlongo?

WITNESS:   Yes.

DR MAGWAZA: What happened after they have reported this?

WITNESS:   We went to ANC offices to ask for help.

DR MAGWAZA: Before you reach there, you said he was killed at Taylors.  When did he go to KwaNgube?

WITNESS:   It was on the 28th.  He went there to look for his letter.  They were coming from KwaNgube.  When he arrived - before he went to KwaNgube to collect his letters - I want to correct the statement.

DR MAGWAZA: KwaNgube is a name of family, it's not the name of a place?

WITNESS:   Yes.  He didn't start from the KwaNgube family.  He went home.  We left a dog behind when we left the place.  He went there to look for the dog, and then they saw him.  The Nzo family saw him from there.  Before they see him there was a neighbour who sent a young boy to go and tell Lu that Thulani is here.

DR MAGWAZA: What was the name of this neighbour?

WITNESS:   That was Lulu Mthembu.  That was the neighbour I am talking about.

DR MAGWAZA: Where is this Lulu Mthembu?

WITNESS:   We are told he is at KwaNdabuza.  We haven't seen him. Where is Thelu Ndlovu?   ---   He is at Taylors at his home, at a place called Ehashini.  They said yes, Thulani is around.

DR MAGWAZA: Did they tell Ndlovu?

WITNESS:   That is true.

DR MAGWAZA: After they told Ndlovu what did Ndlovu say?