Amnesty Hearings — Bloemfontein — 2000-06-13

ANDRIES DAVID JACOBUS VAN TONDER: Yes.  In the first case when I entered the door, they overwhelmed me with a panga and I tried to prevent this with my hand and in the process my fingers were chopped at this point.  They were chopped, my ear was chopped off, I was chopped in the skull, I also have chop marks on my shoulder.  There was previous evidence of the spade, the one said that they didn't have a spade, but they did indeed use a spade because when they took the shotgun off me, they attacked me with the spade because they dropped the panga, I don't know why, and my wife tossed it underneath the fridge, very fortunately so, because we could have been killed.
	They then hit me with the spade.  You can see that they assaulted me to such an extent that this knuckle of mine has been hit away completely due to the assault with the spade.
	My wife was shot through the chest with a 9mm pistol, she has the bullet to show to you.  It was a very traumatic experience for us because we are not accustomed to such things, we are not accustomed to being attacked at 2 o'clock in the morning.  One is sleeping peacefully and one doesn't expect something like this and all of a sudden you are woken from your sleep and assaulted, stabbed.  I wasn't healthy at that point, I was quite ill.  My wife supported me extensively and assisted me.  For us it was traumatic.  From our house she had to walk because they cut the telephone lines and we didn't have any telephonic contact with the outside world.  They left there in one of my vehicles.  I had the bakkie, but my wife walked in search of assistance.  For her it was traumatic, because she had to walk through the veld in order to get to a place where she could get help and after they left, I went back to the house and found the place in complete chaos as they had scratched around and tossed things about, everything was topsy-turvy.  I then found the keys to the bakkie and I struggled forth to Mazelspoort where I was looking for assistance from Mr Breedt, who then took me to the hospital.
	When I arrived at the hospital, or at least when I arrived at Mr Breedt's place, I asked him whether or not my wife had arrived there and he said no, then I became very concerned but at least they found her, or at least I thought that they might have found her at the side of the road and further injured her, you can only imagine my distress.  
	I was taken into the hospital and they were giving me treatment because my ear had been chopped off, they were trying to fix my fingers, to reattach my fingers in the correct position, they were applying plaster of Paris.  Later they assured me that they had found my wife and that she was also in the hospital and that the bullet with which they had shot her was against her arm, it had not been fatal and the bullet was removed.
	I was in hospital for 14 days.  She spent less time in the hospital.  It was a complete disruption of our lives.

MR KACHELHOFFER: May I just ask you, after the incident, did this incident still haunt you?

ANDRIES DAVID JACOBUS VAN TONDER: Yes, of course, it is not something that one would forget about very easily.  If you are facing the barrel of a gun or a panga which is so sharp that it could kill you, because if I had not defended myself with my hand, I would probably not be here today to tell my story.

MR KACHELHOFFER: Do you still have proper use of your left arm?

ANDRIES DAVID JACOBUS VAN TONDER: No, I do not, I cannot clench my fist properly, I can also not handle cutlery properly.

MR KACHELHOFFER: How old were you and your wife at the stage of the incident?

ANDRIES DAVID JACOBUS VAN TONDER: I was 66.

MR KACHELHOFFER: And your wife?

ANDRIES DAVID JACOBUS VAN TONDER: She was the same age as I.

MR KACHELHOFFER: Just with regard to the applicants, I would like to know what happened between you and the applicants after we adjourned yesterday.

ANDRIES DAVID JACOBUS VAN TONDER: I went out.  They apologised to my wife and I.  We are very grateful for that.  We are glad that they have come to that point of realisation where they could tell us that they are sorry.  We accepted their apology and outside they shook hands with my wife and I and they told me that they were very sorry about what had happened and I was very pleased that it came to that point and I thank them for this.

MR KACHELHOFFER: Is there anything that you would like to add regarding your injuries?

ANDRIES DAVID JACOBUS VAN TONDER: No, I think that that is sufficient.

MR KACHELHOFFER: Thank you Chair.
NO FURTHER QUESTIONS BY MR KACHELHOFFER

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you.  Mr Mbandazayo, surely there are no questions to ask?

MR MBANDAZAYO: None, Chairperson.
NO QUESTIONS BY MR MBANDAZAYO

CHAIRPERSON: Ms Mtanga, surely?

MS MTANGA: No questions, Chairperson.
NO QUESTIONS BY MS MTANGA

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you.  Mr and Mrs van Tonder, this Committee is indebted to you to have come forward as victims.  This process is definitely made for that process that we reconcile with the horrendous past we all lived in and at an
advanced age like you are, to come and relive what obtained about 8 years ago, 8 to 9 years ago, it takes real courage because the events you have related to and the injuries sustained to you at such an advanced age, nobody would want to hear them again.  The Committee is indebted to you that you were able to come forward and reconcile with these people.  I think that's what we have, a better South Africa tomorrow and more especially for you and your wife, to know why this happened, why these people were attacking you, I think we are actually as a Committee overwhelmed by the courage you have shown.  Thank you very much.
WITNESS EXCUSED
	Mr Mbandazayo, any submissions?