Human Rights Violation Hearings — Pietermaritzburg — UNKNOWN

MR SINGH: Mr Mbanjwa, can you tell the Commission where you are currently residing at?

WITNESS:   I reside at Xaluza.  I reside at Xaluza.  I am only 30 years old.

MR SINGH:  You are called upon to give evidence to the Commission regarding the attack in Xaluza, Edendale, during the period termed the Seven Day War.  Would you like to give an overview of the political situation prior to this incident before you commence?

WITNESS:   Yes, I will do that, but before I talk about the politics around that time, the politics were not so much important to people then.  It only became something that was noticeable after all this incident.  At the beginning it was only the attacking of innocent people, people who did not know anything.  I will tell you first about what happened.  At the beginning of these fights the problem that we met - as the people of the community we would hear about Inkatha and the thing that Inkatha was doing, but we never thought it would take that much.  What we have seen often we would ... (inaudible) ... then they would proceed to Mhlazashe. Then after that as time went on there were certain rumours that were coming from the leaders of Inkatha that they Xaluza place, as well as Siyamo and Edendale, they wanted to come and plant some sugar cane.  And after quite some time, when the Seven Days War started, we were attacked by Inkatha members.  They were coming from a rally on a Sunday, and if I am not mistaken there were more than 26 buses which were coming from the rally.  They went past our area and they were shooting at the residents.  As a result many people were injured, as well as children and elderly people.  But what we discovered later on was that they were accompanied by the police, and they would conduct drive-by shootings.  And the police were accompanying them and doing nothing to restrain them.  Then on a Monday, when the fight started, we saw a group of people coming from the hill, that is Harewood, and when these people were approaching from Harewood the leader of that particular was Sikiza Zondi.  Sikiza was the leader of the group that was coming from Harewood and was attacking the Siyamo place.  Some were coming from further up.  There was a block of flats from which they were coming.  They were even coming from the mountains.  And as we were still confused as to what was happening it was apparent that we had to run for our lives because we heard some gunshots, and some people were attacked with pangas and assegais, as well as traditional weapons.  And the community tried to get together in order to prevent the attacks, but it was very difficult because we were not armed and we were fighting against people who were armed with traditional weapons as well as ammunition, live ammunition.  But the most deluding thing was that the police would come, and instead of arresting the perpetrators or the attackers they would shoot at the residents and they would throw tear gas canisters at the residents.  This went on for quite some time.  Then on Tuesday morning there was a certain car or cars that were accompanying the group of people that came to attack the residents.  That's a certain kombi that looked like an ambulance, as well as a red Husky kombi which was driven by Bruce, a certain policeman.  And many of those people when they saw the ambulance they would run towards it, but what surprised the residents was that the attackers came out of this kombi that resembled an ambulance, and certain members of Inkatha would come out of this kombi and they would start shooting at the residents and start attacking.  The very same Husky was also driving by and shooting people.  It was Inkatha members as well as the police.  Then thereafter there came a fight when many people were killed.  There was a particular attack.  I remember one elderly man who was staying at a certain block of flats.  That was Mr Gunene.  They got to Mr Gunene.  He was sick and he was asleep, and when he saw this group coming the daughters who were in there with him advised him that they should run.  They got there.  He was ill, but they nevertheless killed him.  Thereafter we never got to know as to whether these people got arrested or not.  There's a certain group that came from Ntombela's stronghold, as well as from Sikizi, and we reported the matter to the police that the people were attacking the residents from the hill.  And the police would approach the attackers, they would talk to them, and thereafter leave without arresting anyone.  And whenever the police left they would start their attack once more.  And when we used to look at the mountain or the hillock we would see KwaZulu Police approaching.  They were working hand in hand with the police at that time, and the Inkatha as well.  The KwaZulu Police would come and assist Inkatha in attacking people, and when people tried to protect themselves the Inkatha would shoot at them with live ammunition, and the police would also help the members of Inkatha, and they ended up attacking the residents.  It was such a tragedy.  It's difficult in my life even right now how I can ever forget what has happened in the past.  You see, to be attacked by people unexpectedly you don't know what to do, because at the time you are innocent, you don't know why this is taking place.  And the way they will attack they will just come in groups enormous in number, coming to attack.  All that gave us another perspective.  We could see that that was not just an attack, but this was a planned attack.  People knew who to attack and how to do it at the same time.  What was surprising us the most was that we did not know why we were attacked, but it's clear today that we were attacked because we refused to join Inkatha organisation.  That was the thing that killed the community, that people were forced to join Inkatha.  It's difficult and it is painful, because people died, dying for nothing, and not even know why they were killed - dying unexpectedly.  And secondly, people who were killing ... (intervention)

MR SINGH:  Please behave yourself.  Let's afford the witness an opportunity to ventilate and say whatever is in his mind, because this is the aim of the TRC, for people to ventilate an open up now, when you intervene and disturb him ... (inaudible) ... innocent people, old and young.  It's a very serious thing this you are about to hear. Please let's not make this a joke, laugh about or make this a laughing stock.  Please understand of what we are doing here is a very serious thing, so we are pleading with you people.  We are pleading with you people to behave.

WITNESS:   What we expected as the community was that we should run towards the police, where we could get security and safety, but we did not get all of that.  The only safety we got from the police was just being shot and killed, and on top of that attackers killing us, innocent as we were, and also police conversed and made friends with those people.  I will end here.

MR SINGH:  Thank you, Chairperson.  Mr Mbanjwa, you indicated that - and I want to just take you back to the story of the red Husky and the ambulance.  Are you with me on that?

WITNESS:   Yes.

MR SINGH:  You mentioned a name of someone who was driving that red Husky, a policeman, but I didn't hear you very clearly.  Are you able to say who that was?

WITNESS:   The person who was driving the red Husky was a boer, although I don't know his name, but those who knew him said he was Bruce.  The one who was driving the ambulance I don't know him, but he also was a white man.  And people were just getting off from the ambulance, youths by the names of Makatha and some others that I can't recall their names, who were also attacking.

MR SINGH:  You've said to us those people were Inkatha that got off the ambulance, but you don't actually know their names.  Do I understand you correctly?