Human Rights Violation Hearings — Louis Trichardt — 1997-04-09

PITSO P MANAMELA: Thank you very much.  It was 1986, the 13th of June.  We were going to a certain school.  Then we were surprised to find South African Police coming around the school.  While we asked them, they asked us that the Venda Government is going to take Vleifontein.  Then there were riots.  At that time I was doing standard eight.  While we were doing those violence, then they chase us with vehicles.  Then we ran from the school, running through the streets.   On the 13th, during the night, we slept well, but the next day we were surprised to find the Venda mobiles with the South African Police.  It is then that we were tortured.  Going village by village searching for us, is then that I and the late comrade Tsaisti, we were searched by the Police and another comrade and the mayor from Messina.
 On the next day, on the 16th of June, the helicopter came and it was searching for us.  It is then that we ran away.  We were in the bushes and we spent a week sleeping there without eating.  Then we were searched in the bushes and we were no longer there.  We heard rumours that the Police was searching for us here in the bushes with casspirs and dogs.  
 It is then that I ran away.  I ran to my uncle at Tshikota.  There at Tshikota I was surprised to find a SB, the late Rambowu, the SB who was working in the Central Government, that SB produced a gun.  I was sitting outside and he asked me that if I tried to do anything and tried to run away, he will shoot me.  I understood what he was saying and then I went straight to him and asked him why he was looking for me.  He told me that I am a terrorist and they are looking for and that I am arrested.  Then I allowed him to arrest me.  
 I went with him, thinking that he is taking me to Louis Trichardt police station knowing that he was working in Louis Trichardt.  Because I knew that, I was still falling under the Louis Trichardt Government.  He took me to Vuyane Police Station.  Before I arrived, then we went to Chakoma.  Police were called from Vuyane.  The Police from Vuyane came.  They arrested me and they handcuffed me, telling me that I am the great terrorist.  I agreed on what they were saying.  
 On arriving at Police Station, I was tortured severely.  As I was there I was so surprised to see some of my fellow comrades.  I remember there was comrade Bulwana and others.  Some of them have left.  When we were there a hole was dug and I was made to put my hands right there.  I had a big cold then.  It was very hot.  Further on, when they asked me to put my hands on the hole, to make some push ups, I asked them to kill me there and then.  Because I told them that I was not ready to do what they were asking me to do.  I was so argumentative.  I asked them to take me to the van, I will do those push ups in the van.  When I arrived at the van, I denied.  I said to them I was not going to do anything.  They must do anything that they wished.  They told me that I was so stubborn, that I was not going to be with those other fellow comrades from Vleifontein, Phulwana and comrade Moroti Mgudi.  
 I was taken again from the Police Station, Vuyane Police Station.  They phoned Tshitale Police Station.  I was taken by the Vuyane Police people to the place called next to Elim.  The Tshitale police were phoned.  The Vuyane police were told that I must be tied, my hands should be tied together, because I am a very big terrorist.  And I believe in that.  I stayed with them in front of the car.  My fellow comrades were in the back of the van.  
 I was taken to Tshitale Police Station.  On arriving there, it was late in the evening, around six o' clock, if my memory serves me well.  On arriving there, some police, many police were brought.  I was taken to their offices.  There was a certain man Sergeant Col Mawa and Marageni who tied my legs.  They closed my eyes and asked me to tell the truth.  I said I will do.  But then I told them that whatever they were telling me that I did bomb Mr Pieterse's home in Vleifontein with petrol bombs.  They told me that I was the one who taught the Vleifontein people to operate petrol bombs.  They assaulted me, they tried to beat me up to twelve o' clock.  
 On the following day, early in the morning, I was told that I was no longer allowed to stay with my fellow comrades from Vleifontein.  They took me to the Vulara Police Station.  The Police Station was fairly very new then.  I was the one who opened the Police Station.  I remember the blankets were still very new, including plates and other utensils.  On arriving there I was on a single cell.  When my parents were visiting me together with my friends, I mean the, my fellow schoolmates, they were told that it is not permissible to see a terrorist because there is no need for you to see a terrorist.  They left without seeing me.  
 There came a time when I had to go for food.  They brought food.  I got food in a very unmannerly way.  They just threw food to me and said that is how we treat terrorists because there is no co-operation between a terrorist and human beings.  According to my mind, I just pushed the food back the way they did it to me.  I was further told that I am so stubborn that I had to be taken back to Tshitale Police Station.  I agreed to that.  
 I went back to Tshitale.  On arriving at Tshitale I went to court.  I was told that my case had been remanded.  I was given a R70,00 bail.  I had to pay the bail.  
 Now, whilst I was at home, there used to be a lot of Police people visiting me day in and day out.  I remember one night when I was asleep they cross-questioned me.  They just pushed the door.  I was asleep as I said before, they opened all my wardrobes and they broke into my wardrobe.  My room even today is still cracked.  I could not repair it because I do not have money.  
 Way back in 1988, 1987, I was taken again and the same bail was still operational and they put me in the cell.  Maregane was there.  They told me that my bail had expired.  I was taken to Tshitale Police Station.  On arriving there, I remember it was on the 17th of August, it was during the night, midnight, 12 o'clock.  They took me to a forest in Vleifontein.  It was extremely very cold then.  There were a lot of soldiers seated there.  They put on some fire.  They took me again and they put me on fire.  My lumbar(?) was just catching fire.  I escaped and went aside.  They said to me, this terrorist from Pietersburg is very stubborn.  I agreed to that.  I consented.  
 They threw me into the van.  I was told later that there had to be some big ropes to tie me.  I said well that is not in accordance to my agreement.  They beat me using very strong irons.  I remember that they used a gun and I still have a scar on my head.  They took me back to Tshitale Police Station.  On arriving there, I told them that I was so hungry.  It was during the night.  The sergeant told me that I must go and tell my father Mandela who will bring food to me.  I was again told that Mandela would be able to help me in the torture that I was receiving.  
 I stayed for thirty days.  I was held for thirty days as Tshitale and I was told that my bail was still operational.  I had to go back to school.  When I was back at school they used to visit me.  They asked from the Principal as to how I was operating, as to whether I was influencing the students to strike.  My Principal, since he was not very in favour of me, told them that he is still influencing.  I was taken back to the Police Station.  
 In 1988, in January, I was released.  They said I must go out and my case had been remanded to the 8th of February the same year, in 1988.  I stayed there.  
 On the same day, the 8th, I went to Thohoyandou Regional Court.  There was a certain man, called Pete Ntabalala who was the then Magistrate.  Mr Pete Ntabalala told me that my case was no longer of public violence, it had been changed to attempted assault and possession of explosive materials.  They cross-questioned me.  I asked them why it was changed to that and I was told that it had to do with petrol bombs.  I asked them as to whether they got the petrol bombs from me.  They told me, no, it was searched.  Pette Ntabalala detained me for five years.   There was the late Tsaitsi, who is the son of the woman who is next to me.  I cannot remember the name of the late Makato, who took him and said he had to go and bomb his house because he was a little bit cunning and very silly(?).  When Tsaitsai came back, he told me how he had been tortured.  Well, I agreed.  I was so surprised when I was in my township prison, detained for five years.  I was told that Tsaitsai died in Harare Zimbabwe.  I wanted to know how he died.  I was told that the late Tsaitsai had been given a car which he did not know and he was involved in an accident, car accident.  Then I was involved in my own investigation and then I wanted to have Seth Ntai as my representative lawyer.  Now he is serving the Northern Province.  I paid the amount R1 500 and I asked for an appeal and I told them that I did not know anything.  Seth Ntai asked me to fill the forms, the appeal forms.  
 Whilst I was there I wanted to enrol for standard ten as a private candidate.  I paid R36,00.  There were six subjects that I enroled for and it was in October, the 10th I was called Geography first paper.  I was asked to go the Regional Court.  When I arrived at the Regional Court, I was told that my case had been postponed for the next day.  
 The next day on arriving there I was told that my appeal was reported to have been free, or I was said to have been an innocent person.  I was released, because they wrongly accused me.  It was discovered that I had already wasted a lot of money for having paid Seth Ntai and the other one for the exams when I was in Matacha Prison.  
 Now what I would like to ask from the Commission is that it should use its power to, well regarding the ten months that I was detained, was it really the late Mpepu's Government wasted my time.  I should have been a teacher or some professional person, because now I was prepared to go and further my studies as a traffic officer.  Now that really could not be attained because my time was wasted when I was in prison.  I could not, I was just staying there freely.  
 Now I would like to request the Commission as a powerful structure to, at the present moment, in the present Government, the Government of National Unity, should take me back to school or at least give me a job of some kind so that when I am at home, my parent, namely my mother, should be also receiving something because my mother is not working.  I also have some grandsons.  They are at school.  The other one is in TNT.  My mother does not have money to pay for school.  Well, the money that she gets for pension cannot do anything.  I beg the Commission to seek job for me.  Thank you very much.