Human Rights Violation Hearings — Grahamstown — 1997-04-07

NODANILE GERTRUDE BAKAULI: In 1986 in Bedford the police came at night.  Matiwane together with Rooibaard's son.  They knocked at the door and they kicked the door.  They told me that I was wanted in the police station.  I was sleeping at that time.  When I woke, I was trying to wake up, they took me.  I was naked.  They took me, they dragged me to the car.  I was only wearing an underwear.  They took me to the van.  We went, he was just dragging me all around and pulling me.  I tried to ask them what was happening, who called me.  Yourself, Mr Rooibaard's son took me and he detained me.  My children came in the morning with my clothes and they told my children that no clothes were allowed. If Mrs Pontsi was not there, Mrs Pontsi was from Cradock, I would stay there naked.  Mrs Pontsi gave me her clothes because she had spare clothes.
 We were taken then to Somerset.  I was still wearing this woman's clothes.  We were also taken to Waainet together with her.  They did not allow me to bring my own clothes.

ADV SANDI: At the time of this incident were they looking for anyone?

NODANILE GERTRUDE BAKAULI: They were looking for my sons.

ADV SANDI: Who are your son's name.

NODANILE GERTRUDE BAKAULI: Vuya Mangaliswe and Dumsuma Dodo.

ADV SANDI: Did they get them?

NODANILE GERTRUDE BAKAULI: Yes, they got them when they arrested me.

ADV SANDI: You were detained for how long?

NODANILE GERTRUDE BAKAULI: I stayed there for six months.  I was detained in June and I was released on the sixth of December.

ADV SANDI: What happened to you when you were in Waainek.

NODANILE GERTRUDE BAKAULI: I was not well.  Even today I get dizzy and I suffer from diabetes.  Also suffer from back problems.  The doctor use to come inside and to examine us.

ADV SANDI: Who was this doctor?

NODANILE GERTRUDE BAKAULI: I do not know his name.  He was a prison doctor.  When I was released I went to Dr Bennet.

ADV SANDI: What happened to you after you were released in December?  The police, did they come to you?

NODANILE GERTRUDE BAKAULI: No, they did not.

ADV SANDI: Do you receive any medical treatment today?

NODANILE GERTRUDE BAKAULI: Yes.

ADV SANDI: Where do you receive this?

NODANILE GERTRUDE BAKAULI: From Dr Bennet for diabetes and high blood pressure and dizziness.

ADV SANDI: You go for treatment regularly?

NODANILE GERTRUDE BAKAULI: Yes, I am supposed to go tomorrow for a check- up.

ADV SANDI: Is that all you want to say concerning your story?

NODANILE GERTRUDE BAKAULI: Yes, these police treated me very badly.

ADV SANDI: Who are these?

NODANILE GERTRUDE BAKAULI: Yourself and Matiwane.

ADV SANDI: Can you explain to me who is this yourself?

NODANILE GERTRUDE BAKAULI: He is a short man, he is a white man, Rooibaard's son.

ADV SANDI: You mention that this yourself is Rooibaard's son.  Who is Rooibaard?

NODANILE GERTRUDE BAKAULI: He was also a policeman, but he passed away.

ADV SANDI: Was he a policeman in your area?

NODANILE GERTRUDE BAKAULI: Yes.

ADV SANDI: What is your request, Mrs Bakauli, to the Commission?  You mentioned about your health.

NODANILE GERTRUDE BAKAULI: Yes, Sir.

ADV SANDI: Do you have a request to the Commission?  You have mentioned that you are not well in your health.  Are you satisfied by the treatment you are receiving from Dr Bennet?

NODANILE GERTRUDE BAKAULI: Yes, I am.  Even tomorrow I am going for a treatment.

ADV SANDI: Thank you, Mrs Bakauli.  Let us now go to Mr Bambiso.  Mr Bambiso, as I am looking at your statement, you are going to tell us about yourself, about what happened to you in 1986 in Bedford.  You say that you were arrested, you were detained and you tortured.

KAYENI DERRICK METRO BAMBISO: Yes, that is so.

ADV SANDI: I would like you, when you are telling us your story, to emphasise on different ways in which you were tortured at the time you were in prison, because this Commission is looking at how the people, who were arrested, how they were tortured in prison.  I hand over to you now, Mr Bambiso.

KAYENI DERRICK METRO BAMBISO: In 1986, it was on the 13th of July, there was something we wanted to do in the community.  Due to the political situation and many Comrades were arrested at that
time.  The political activities were deteriorating in the community.  We gathered together as Comrades to discuss about the ways in which we can lift up political activities in Bedford.  As we were this group of Comrades we wanted to get rid of the people who were known as the stumbling blocks.  In other words, people who were informers.  There were three ladies who were staying in Masikane area in Bedford.  They were Rooibot Chain, Selina Lange and Thembeka Sikasi.  They were together with the police.  They were having affairs with the police.  
 We sent certain Comrades to go and call these ladies, because a decision was taken that we will deal with them.  At that time it was half past four during the day.  They came to hear what they were called for.  We wanted to know about their position in the struggle in our community.  They did not give us an answer.  They told us they will shoot us.  They would get guns from their boyfriends and shoot us.  We must leave them alone.  Because they answered the way they did we decided to burn them.  We tried to organise things that we were going to use in order to burn these people.  The police were phoned by certain people informing this.

ADV SANDI: Were you arrested after this?

KAYENI DERRICK METRO BAMBISO: I was arrested the same night.  This happened in the afternoon.

ADV SANDI: Let us now concentrate on the time you were arrested.  What happened to you?

KAYENI DERRICK METRO BAMBISO: Before I was arrested, because I was playing soccer.  When I came back from a soccer practise, when I was on my way home my mother told me that the police are looking for me.  I asked her what were they looking me for.  She said that she did not know, but the police were looking for
me.  I went to my grandmother's home, but I decided to leave because I felt that I was not safe.  I went to my friends.  It was at night, before nine.  We were going to our homes to have supper.  The police were all over the township.  They were not in their police vans, they were just patrolling. When we came out of the house we met the police with their torch.  They chased me, because we ran away when we saw that they were police.  They said that here is Kayeni, we have been looking for him all over.  I went to the Bongweni township, because it was dark I fell down and the police came and they picked me up and they assaulted me.

ADV SANDI: Were you hand-cuffed?  Were you hand-cuffed at the time you were arrested?

KAYENI DERRICK METRO BAMBISO: Yes, they hand-cuffed me at the time they were arresting me.

ADV SANDI: What did they do to you after they hand-cuffed you?

KAYENI DERRICK METRO BAMBISO: They tortured me.

ADV SANDI: Please explain to us the ways in which they tortured you.

KAYENI DERRICK METRO BAMBISO: Firstly, Mr Chairperson, it is very painful for me to say or to explain to you what was happening.  They were kicking me.  Even in the township before they took me to the van they were assaulting me, kicking me in the township and they took me to the police van, took me to town.  They did not take me to the police station.  There was a place which was used as a rent office in town in the BAAB offices.  They took me there.  It was quarter past nine at that time, because there was a watch there.  From quarter past nine till quarter to three they were assaulting us.  They would squeeze our private parts and they would close
them to a drawer.  That is when I got injured.

ADV SANDI: When you say that you were being tortured and everything was done to you, what do you mean?