Human Rights Violation Hearings — Welkom — 1996-10-08

CHAIRPERSON: Any other question from the Commissioners.  Well, thank you, Mama Josephina.  The Commissioner has listened to your story.  We shall see what we do about it.  We'll try to Captain Dluku(?) to make investigations about him, where he is.  Maybe he's the one how will tell the story because Pakathi now is dead.  Thank you very much for coming forward.
/CHAIRMAN

CHAIRPERSON: Now the next person to come forward is Pint Nqoi.
EXCHANGE OF GREETINGS BETWEEN CHAIRMAN AND WITNESS

CHAIRPERSON: Pint, before I ask Mdu Dlamini to lead you, can you stand for to take the oath.

PINT NQOI: (Sworn states) (Through Interpreter)

CHAIRPERSON: Now, I'm going to ask Mdu Dlamini to help us in leading this witness.

CHAIRPERSON: QUESTIONED BY MR DLAMINI

CHAIRPERSON: Good morning, Mr Nqoi.

WITNESS:   Good morning, Sir.  You have come to share with us the incident which took place on the 1st of April 1990 involving your son Moses Makhetha Nqoi who was born on the 19th of September 1971 which means that at the time of the incident, which is death, he was 19 years of age.  Is that correct?   ---  That's true, Sir.

CHAIRPERSON: Perhaps before we get into the story of what happened to your son, would you please tell us about other members of the family.  You wife, if she's there and other children.  Are you married?

WITNESS:   My wife is still alive.  I have four children together with Moses.

CHAIRPERSON: Is your wife present here?

WITNESS:   At this moment she's at home in Kokstad.

CHAIRPERSON: I see.  So she couldn't come to be with you.

WITNESS:  Unfortunately that's true.  She was not able to come.

CHAIRPERSON: On behalf of the Commissioner we would like just to extend our support to you and her as well and the rest of the family.  If you would just convey our regards to her.

WITNESS:   I thank you, Sir.

CHAIRPERSON: The other four children that you mentioned.  How  old are they?  Are they at school?

WITNESS:   At this moment I have only one child who is at school.  That's a boy.  But the other two they are working.  This Moses I'm talking about, he's not working or schooling.

CHAIRPERSON: Can you tell us what happened on the 1st of April 1990?

WITNESS:   It was in the morning.  I was still lying on my bed at home.  Then people were shouting outside and they were saying that I should come quickly because my son has fell down.  He was shot by Pakathi's group.  It was when they were coming from the Roman Catholic church going to attend a meeting of the ANC at the church.  At the time when he left I was not sure at what time but what I've learnt is that it was true that I should go and look where my son was shot.  Then I got the fact how many people were there.  Then people said there were many Kombis and they were chasing these people from the Roman Catholic church when they were singing in the morning and then they chased them.  Those people who were chasing them were Sinqani and company.  They were chasing our children with the Kombi.  I only saw the place where he fell but I was not sure how he was assaulted.  They chopped him on the head.  Then I picked him up there.  Then I took him to the hospital.  At the hospital they sent him back to me.  They stitched him only.  When this boy arrived at home whilst he was sleeping I could see him jumping from the bed in his room.  Then I asked my wife, "Do you find that there is something going on in the house?"  When I went to look for my son, he was shivering.  Then I took him to Dr Zazi(?).  This doctor told me only one thing.  He has the chance of living which is 50 to live 50 per cent to  die.  Then I was forced to take this child.  This doctor gave me a letter to take him to Beranomi(?) right away.  I took him to hospital called Beranomi.  Then I went out to look for transport because I was at home.  I was unemployed until even today.  I took this child to Bloemfontein.  I was helped in Bloemfontein.  Even now he's still epileptic and I've no hope that he will do anything in his life.  He's just a man who's going to be just in the house.  That's the problem I have with my child.  He is a person who's just confined to be in the house and he always has fits.  He gets free tablets from the hospital.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you, Baba Nqoi.  You mentioned that he was killed by a Pakathi group.  We heard earlier on from the first witness that there was a Mr Pakathi.  Can you tell us more about this group?  How did it come to be named after a certain individual?

WITNESS:   Shortly the truth is the work of the councillors at that time, I didn't have the full picture how they started, particularly that how come Pakathi was so notorious.  Our councillors, yes, this Pakathi was working.  He was going anywhere where he liked.  Even within the police or whoever couldn't control him but he was doing everything.  He was giving instructions for people to be confined in their houses and there was nobody who was walking in the street.

CHAIRPERSON: Amongst the people who assaulted your son you mentioned Fincani.  Did you know any other people?

WITNESS:  This one among the people who were in the Kombi.  It was revealed that he was one of the people who were in the Kombi at that time.

CHAIRPERSON: They couldn't identify others, did they?

WITNESS:    Even if they were known, but I don't see them any more.

CHAIRPERSON: And Mr Fincani is he still around?  Do you know anything about him, his whereabouts?

WITNESS:   I hope that he's still in Tabong but there might be another way but I'm not sure where he is right now.  But I believe he's still around Tabong.

CHAIRPERSON: Your son, is he still under treatment for epilepsy?

WITNESS:   Unfortunately he gets this treatment.  I took him to the specialist and then they told me that they would not give him a disability grant because he's not amputated.  His skull was broken and there's a specialist who told me from Bloemfontein.  They give him only tablets.

CHAIRPERSON: Sorry, I missed one point which is very crucial.  You mentioned something about the disability grant.  Did you say that his application was refused?

WITNESS:   Yes, that's true.  Even his papers were written "afgekeur".

CHAIRPERSON: Is he capable of doing any work?

WITNESS:   He's working at a particular time but many of the time he is not able to work.

CHAIRPERSON: Obviously this incident affected you as a family and if my observation is correct, how did it affect you?

WITNESS:   We're affected in I lost the person whom I thought would be the head of the family, whom I thought would be the bread-winner.  So this thing has made me hopeless because he was the one I had faith in him.

CHAIRPERSON: And normally these things affect mothers more than fathers.  How is his mother?

WITNESS:   His mother is - she was living under difficulties.  She had high blood and I'm not able to talk to the mother all the time.  Every time when I took the child to Bloemfontein she lost hope  /that

CHAIRPERSON: that this child would not live any more.  Then I always encouraged her not to lose hope.

CHAIRPERSON: We have noted your request that you made when you presented your statement that you request help with medical treatment and as well as financial help to keep him going.  That has been noted.  We don't have any powers to do anything.  We can only recommend to people who are in a position to do that, like the State President as well as other government structures.  Especially for the financial side of it, the disability grant - the possibility of a disability grant.  Thank you, Mr Chairman.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you, any other questions?

WITNESS:   That's what I was requesting to the government that in my child's condition how can I be helped for to be given the disability grant.