Human Rights Violation Hearings — Empangeni — 1996-11-05

WITNESS:   Then on the Thursday, that is the Thursday on which they died, they came in four cars.  The children were behind and it was a small van.  It was himself, another male and in front was a driver as well as another one.  He signed to me that I should come and get into the van and they told me that Khulekane said I should get into the car.  And I said to them I was waiting for someone, they should go in the meantime and I would catch them along the way.  And that van went away.  It never waited for us.  And after that I went and came across two males who were coming back from school and they were also going to go along Goma Street and I asked this male as to where Khulekane was.  He told me that Khulekane had gone in a certain car and I told him that I had seen Khulekane in that car.  And when I got home I told my daughter to give me a little mat so that I could sit down.  That's when I heard gunfire and I asked my daughter as to what was happening.  My daughter told me that it was gunfire and I couldn't sit down at that time.  It was at about 3.00 and it was on a Thursday.  After this gunfire my little brother came and told us that the people who were in the white van had been killed.  Then in the afternoon the police came running and they went around assaulting male children and they asked as to where Khulekane was and  the white men laughed and said, "We have killed Khulekane."  We only heard in the afternoon that Khulekane had been killed and we ran around trying to get Khulekane's body.  We went along with Senzo as well as my other relatives and we were told that the bodies had been taken by the police.  Up till to today they never came to me to tell me as to why they killed my son.  They left me suffering.  Ever since he died I have never been the same.  (Witness weeps)  I'm left with a child that is Khulekane's child who was born after Khulekane was killed.  As it is right now, I don't know what happened to their father.  I go around begging in people's houses.  I'm even begging for food and Khulekane was my breadwinner.  At times I sleep for days on end or for nights on end without having anything to eat.

PROF MAGWAZA:  We do understand your problem.  We are very touched by your story.  We also wish that the people who did this could come forward.

WITNESS:   My daughter was also violated and she bore a retarded child because they used to violate us during the time that she was expectant.  And they used to violate us so much and she used to hide herself in the wardrobe.  And at times we used to hide ourselves and they would kick the doors and get into the house and they would switch on the electricity.  They even assaulted my father, an elderly man, and when he was screaming they came to us to assault us.  They also assaulted my mother.  Today she's got a retarded child because she was so traumatised at that time because she was expectant when all this took place.

PROF MAGWAZA:  We understand that the whole family went through  this trauma, violation and torture.  Do you perhaps remember as to who the policemen were?

WITNESS:   The policemen were from KwaMbonambi so they would be known at KwaMbonambi Police Station.  All the people who used to come to our area were from KwaMbonambi Police Station.

PROF MAGWAZA:  It may be possible that we don't get enough information with regard to these police.  Can you please tell us about other families who were also violated or who went through the same ordeal.

WITNESS:   I wouldn't say because at times they would come in the evening and the house was dark and they used to paint their faces black.  I thought at some stage that they were black people and I heard them saying, "Kom, kom, kom," which means "Come, come, come," which indicated to me that they were white policemen and they were boers and they used to have torches, so they could see us and we could not see them.  They would take us and put us in a certain corner and say we must sit one side and when they were in the dining-room they were asking other black people as to what they should say when they were talking to us.  They wanted to speak to us in Zulu and we heard them asking as to what the expressions were in Zulu.  She also got a panic attack, that is my daughter who was expectant ... (Tape ends.  Subsequent tape commences mid-sentence without overlap)

PROF MAGWAZA:  ... your children or your neighbours who can give us some more information with regard to what happened or other families who were affected by this because we need to have information?

WITNESS:   My other brother who was also assaulted and they took him outside, they wanted to  /shoot

PROF MAGWAZA: shoot him.  They said he must run into the house but he refused.  And KwaMbonambi Police Station knows everything about this incident.  You can find all the information from them.

PROF MAGWAZA:  I think we will experience some difficulty as far as that matter is concerned.  You said Vusi was also arrested.  Why was he arrested?

WITNESS:   Vusi had gone to the seaside and when they came back they said they had stolen white people's things.

PROF MAGWAZA:  Now, how are you feeling today?  How did all this affect you?

WITNESS:   As I've already told you, I've got this operation.  My whole left side is very painful and at the hospital where they operated me they said I should come back but I could not go back there because I was scared that, the moment I turned my back against my house, my children would be killed.  They gave me some treatment so that I could steam, so that the wounds inside could be healed.  I could not do all this.  I could not undertake all this treatment.  It was cumbersome because my life was not stable at that time.

PROF MAGWAZA: Are you getting any treatment at the present moment.  No, I'm not getting any treatment and I don't go to any doctor because I don't have the means to visit the doctors.  I have to borrow money.

PROF MAGWAZA:  Are you getting any pension?

WITNESS:   I'm not getting any pension.  I have come as I am.  I go around begging for food so that I can give the food to my children.

PROF MAGWAZA:  Do you have any kid who's working in the house?

WITNESS:   My children, my breadwinners are the ones who were killed.  I have to beg for food to cook. Are the children attending school?   ---   The one who is attending Standard 5 is still wearing the uniform that he was wearing at the time he was in Standard 2.

PROF MAGWAZA: This is a very touching and pathetic story.  I've got all the information that I thought I need.  I'll hand over to the Chairperson.