Human Rights Violation Hearings — Worcester — 1996-06-24

MR KARIEM: Whilst we were boycotting our classes in 1986 in June the police came to my home, to fetch me again and I went away with them.  We went to the CID offices.  When they got there they put us in a room again and there was a big black man who was a policeman, I don't know whether he was a constable or whether he had a higher rank, but this man - we later learned came from the Transvaal and this Mr van Rensburg and Mr van Loggerenberg told us that they could not get anything out of us and that they were going to pass us on to this black man and he would get the necessary information out of us and then they made us sit down on the floor and they told us that we had to do exercises, that it was cold.
And I  just looked at them - we just looked at each other and we didn't say anything and they called out our names from this list as before and as they called out our names and the various guys got up one by one and this guy got up and introduced himself to us as Mr D.
And he said to the first student who got up yes you may start, do frog jumps and the second student's name was called out and he told him you must also do frog jumps and so he continued calling the names and everybody had to do these exercises and when he called my name I didn't get up.  And he asked me what was going on and Mr van Rensburg asked me what was going on,   I didn't answer and then this black man came to me and kicked me in my side.  He continued walking and just looked at me and whilst the others were doing exercises Mr van Rensburg told me that I must start co-operating.  I had to also do exercises - I gave them my name - they said if I gave them my name and  surname and address I wouldn't have any further problems.  And I thought I was not going to do all these unnecessary exercises,  there was no reason for it, why should I heed their requests, I hadn't done anything.  So I just remained sitting on the floor.  Mr van Loggerenberg then asked me whether I thought I was being clever and I said no.
He repeated the question and I said I am not clever but I am a scholar I do  go to school.  And this Mr D once again kicked me in the ribs -  he then told the other students to stop doing exercises -  they had to stand up straight.  He then came to me and hit me in my face, he was using his fist and then hit me in the ribs.  He walked around me and kicked my feet out from under me and I remained lying on the floor.  They then told the others to sit and they told me to sit up straight which I did.
They then called me into an office and that's where I met Mr Stony Steenkamp who is the Detective Sergeant and he told me that he was investigating my case - I said what case is this and he said this was for furthering the aims of the ANC.   I said but how could he bring this kind of charge against me and he mentioned a certain denim jacket and schoolbooks of mine and he said I had made certain notes about the Freedom Charter.  I had made sketches in my school books of the ANC colours and I had also written verses and poem on these colours and there were also certain badges of  Steve Biko and a necklace with ANC beads and so on.  And he said that as a result of all these things which he found in my possession they were now charging me with furthering the aims of the ANC.
I then gave them my name and they took fingerprints and they locked me up in the court cells.  Whilst I was in the court cells other students were also being locked up and then the police came and took us to the cells and took us to Worcester prison and then I was confused because I  thought - they told me they were charging me but now they are not taking me to court but to a prison.
But I didn't worry about it and then I asked Ferdie Fourie a colleague - a comrade  - I asked him what - what should I do because they were charging me with furthering  the aims of the ANC, but they weren't taking us to court.  And Ferdie said that there was nothing we could do we just had to wait until people came to visit us and then he would explain what was going on.
I was in Worcester Prison for two weeks and we were then taken to Victor Verster.  There I was detained for two weeks and then a Mr Heunis came to see me there on a Monday.  The prison authorities released me into Mr Heunis' care and I then travelled back home to Worcester but along the way that he wasn't going to take me back to the court cells he was going to take me straight to my parents home.  He would leave me there and I had to come back on Monday to the Magistrate's offices, the Magistrate's courts,  because I had to appear in court.
And on that evening around about seven o'clock  Mr Heunis dropped me off at the flats and I went to my mother's flat and I told her what had happened and that I had to go to court in the morning.  My mother said all right and in the morning we went to court.  When we arrived at the court we were told that the case had been withdrawn and then we left.
I went back to school then and I saw things were quite normal.  I thought I would return to school as classes were normal and would not continue with the school's boycott and then I went back to school and so the year continued.  We wrote exams in June, September exams and the final exams and the results of our final exams came and we were then notified that we had to apply for re-admission to the school.
And I signed my form saying that I was re-applying for admission to the school and at the principal's office there was a post-box where we had to post our envelopes and that's what I did.  In 1986 the schools reopened and I went back to school,  I thought I was going to be re-admitted.  When I arrived there we stood around chatting and names were called out and a group of us whose names weren't called out asked Mr Abrahams - he then said that those whose names were called out were being re-admitted to the schools and we said we had also re-applied why were our names not called out and he said no  he had not received our application forms.  And that there were no more forms for us to apply and we could forget about coming back to school.   And that's why I left school and we applied for admission at Worcester Secondary, we tried Bree Rivier - could not get in and then we just left the schools.
From 1987 onwards I decided that I would not become actively involved in any boycotts anymore I just realised that as a result of what we were trying to do for our people, we were suffering  very badly and our education was being disrupted and that's why I decided it was the end of taking part in boycotts for me.
In 1990 there was a rent boycott in Worcester and end of Tape 3, Side A ...  in 1990 we were already living in our own home.  We'd moved away from the flats and the organisation which my mother had joined had called a rent boycott in Worcester and - because we didn't pay rent, my mother decided she would boycott electricity fees  to show solidarity with her other colleagues so that's what she did she  boycotted electricity payments.
Then there was a Mr Killian a sheriff in Worcester, he would bring summonses to the homes and pin them to the door or if he found that the doors were closed he would simply force the doors open and he would then enter the home and attach the summons to the furniture or he would just confiscate people's furniture and that's when I realised that there was once again something afoot in Worcester, the boere  were just doing as they pleased with our people and because my mother by this stage was also active in the struggle, I tried to assist her because she had always assisted me in the time that I was in trouble.
So one morning when this Mr Killian just burst into our home I asked him what he was doing in our house?  And he said he enters wherever he pleases.  And then I said to him I am very sorry but if you want to come in here you will have to bring a warrant, bring the police.  And he said well there are  policemen outside and I said where are they and they were standing outside, he called them in.  He told the police that the people did not want him to enter the home.  He said he was bringing  a summons for my mother.  And I said well, he couldn't see her and he had to wait to see her personally.
So a bit of a quarrel then ensued between myself and Mr Killian and the police and they told me that if I didn't stop giving them problems they would start shooting in the house.  And I said well do as you please and whilst we were having this altercation my mother arrived home and she then also confronted them asking them what they were doing in our home.  And then he grabbed my mother and that was quite enough for me I then grabbed him,  And the police grabbed me as well and then people who had started gathering outside in the street -  entered the house and then there was a major scuffle inside our yard.  We fought the police and chased them out of our yard and when the police got outside they started shooting birdshot at us and then they left.
That afternoon I went to Rhoodewal flats because there was a gathering of people who rented homes and I thought I had to go there and warn the people because the police might shoot at the people gathering there and there could be young children who would get hurt.
So whilst I was at the flats we had our gathering on an open bit of land and the police then arrived once again and started using birdshot and tear gas against us.  I was shot several times with this birdshot -  I was shot near my nose -  we then ran into a flat and someone then said I must  stay there they would call my mother.  Someone else also arrived they had been shot - he is now dead.  
And they then took the two of us and brought us to Dr Pillay's surgery for treatment because we couldn't go to the hospital because the police were guarding the hospital waiting for the people who had been shot.  So all the people who were shot that day were taken to Dr Pillay's surgery and from there we went home.
In 1991 Mr Killian the messenger of the court, again came to our house to bring a summons.  I then asked him whether he couldn't stand outside and I would then send iemand outside, because I said to that we didn't want him on our property.  He just said then he did his  work and I then said no you have to do your work some other way,  if you get to the gate you must ask whether there are people here,  you mustn't just walk in.   And then he said he had the right to enter anywhere.  I then said to him sir this is the last time this is going to happen.  He called the police again and he told the people that  I kept being clever when he came there and they tried to grab me.
I then said to them wait, one of my brothers then came out of the house with some of his friends and a scuffle began again.  Someone called my mother who came home and we had a fight with them again outside of our property because my mother said that we mustn't fight with the police on our property.
Outside myself -  my friends -  my brother and his friends decided that we would now throw rocks at the police and their vehicles to damage their vehicles if they don't leave our property which we then did.  They then left out of the neighbourhood and I left for the shop sometime later.  
Returning from the shops I saw a convoy of police vehicles in our street and a constable Hawker got out of the van -  grabbed me - I asked him what was going on and he said he was looking for me.  And I asked him for what reason, and he said that it was for throwing rocks.   I then asked him to speak to me carefully to explain what was happening and then he said he had no other way of dealing with me, this is the way in which he has to deal with me.  And then I said if that is the case what else does want to know from me.  He then told me not to talk nonsense, grabbed me by my shoulders and threw me in the back of the van.  He sat in the van with his gun and told me that if I got out of the vehicle he would shoot me which I then did,  I sat quietly in the vehicle.  I was then charged again at the police station again for public violence.   I was found guilty and I have not subsequently had any dealings with the police or  my apology's I did not engage in political activities any further.