Amnesty Hearings — Cape Town — 1998-09-09

CHAIRPERSON: Mr Arendse, are you ready to begin?

NORMAN ARENDSE: Thank you, morning Mr Chairman and Honourable members of the Committee, thank you for the indulgence.  I do believe that my colleague is going to lead the evidence of one of the victims Chairperson.

MR MAPOMA: I do confirm that Mr Chairperson.  Mr Chairperson, there is a victim, Mr Meyer, who was involved in the shooting, he was a victim at the police van.  He wants to give evidence regarding that incident.  May I call him?

CHAIRPERSON: Yes.

MR MAPOMA: Mr Meyer.

MR MEYER: (confirmed)

MR MAPOMA: Mr Meyer, is it correct that you were the occupant of the police vehicle which was shot at at NY108 Guguletu which is an incident subject to this application?

MR MEYER: That is right.

CHAIRPERSON: When was that?

MR MEYER: That was on the 12th of January 1993.

CHAIRPERSON: Where were you coming from?

MR MEYER: I was coming from the Nyanga charge office, SAP charge office.

CHAIRPERSON: SAP charge office where?

MR MEYER: Nyanga.

CHAIRPERSON: Nyanga?

MR MEYER: Nyanga.  I was travelling I think it is Eisenlieben Way, Road.

CHAIRPERSON: Pardon.

MR MEYER: Eisenlieben Road.

CHAIRPERSON: How do you spell that?

MR MEYER: It is Eisenlieben.

CHAIRPERSON: Were you travelling on that road?

MR MEYER: I was travelling on that road.

CHAIRPERSON: Where were you going to?

MR MEYER: I was travelling in the direction of Old Klipfontein Road, in the direction to the Crossroads Police station.

CHAIRPERSON: Were you accompanied by anybody?

MR MEYER: I was accompanied by black Constable, I have forgotten his name, his surname is Makwanasi.

CHAIRPERSON: What time was it?

MR MEYER: It was about ten - would I say 22H40.

MR MAPOMA: Were you injured?

MR MEYER: As we were travelling to get in Old Klipfontein Road, there was a T-junction, there was a stop and I was slowed down, almost stopped with the vehicle, when immediately shots came from the hill side.
	That was opposite the Old Klipfontein Road, in our direction.  Then I heard the bullets struck the van and the van's engine just cut out, and it stopped, it ceased.  Then Constable Makwanasi told me that he was shot.
	The people are shooting at us, he said.  I told him that I heard.  Then he said that he was shot and he said, his last words it must have been, he said Sergeant, I was a Sergeant at that time, he said Sergeant, let's duck down.  Then he ducked down and lay with his head on my lap.  The second shots came and then I was struck, that was such as a brick that had landed on my shoulder with the impact.
	I could feel on my ...

CHAIRPERSON: Did you say a brick?

MR MEYER: No, it felt like a brick.

CHAIRPERSON: I am sorry.

MR MEYER: The impact.

CHAIRPERSON: So the second shot ...

MR MEYER: That was the second shot.

CHAIRPERSON: And that crashed through the window, the windscreen?

MR MEYER: The window was open on my left.

CHAIRPERSON: On the left?

MR MEYER: I was the driver and the window on my left hand side, was open.

CHAIRPERSON: Yes, so the second shot crashed?

MR MEYER: It could have, I didn't hear any crash or windows, I could hear bullets striking the vehicle as such.  Then the second shot, I was shot through my left chest, I could feel a whole there, directly on my heart.
	Then I, I am a left hand shooter and my weapon I was carrying on my left hand side, and I could not get hold of my weapon because my arm was lamed, totally lamed.  
	That must have been of the shooting.  Now, then I saw this man was going to shoot again, he was very near to me.  I think most probably it couldn't be more than 20 metres or 30 metres.  Approximately 30 metres.
	I could see his face, I could recognise he had on a shirt with short sleeves, there was brownish in it, and his pants were I think, it could have been also brownish.  He was to me a bit short.  His face looked as the one accused I have seen here.
	The light was a bit dim, it was not totally light, so it was not so easy to recognise it fully.  What I wanted to say is that then when the third shots came, I saw then that he would strike me, because he was very near, and I could do nothing, I could just call upon my Lord to help me.  I called Jesus' name.  I believe in him like many other people also believe.  I could just call He must help me.
	That I could feel the shots as they were passing me, here by my feet and here by the seat where I was sitting, leaned and so, and so it struck everywhere around me, but no shots - I was not shot anywhere.  I was lucky not to be shot.
	Then I decided I must start the van again and then I started the van again and it took on.  As I was pulling away, I think it was in a southern direction, that is in the direction of the old SAP Crossroads, then I could hear again somebody firing, but then it felt to me as if he was firing from in front of me.
	Those bullets didn't strike the van totally, it missed so that the most of the bullets just struck the sails, the canvass at the back of the van.  Then I contacted with the radio our Radio Control and gave them the situation where I was, what I was in.  I made it to the police station, where I handed over my gun and reported the case.
	The Squad Control were very quick on the scene, and they took me to Conradie Hospital where I was stabilised.  On the way my lungs fell flat, I had a lot of pain, I was bleeding a lot.   When I came to Conradie Hospital, they put a tube straight in the wound where the bullet went in to get all the blood out.  Then my lungs started functioning again.
	All I can say shortly is that they have established that the wound didn't damage any bones.  The shooting wound didn't damage any nerves.  It made the outward, where the bullet went out, it made a hole of 12 x 8 cm.   The (indistinct) muscles had been destroyed totally, it was a big hole.
	Where the bullet went in, there was a small hole.

CHAIRPERSON: Where?

MR MEYER: It was on the left of my chest, from the side, directly on the heart, but it turned and missed the heart slightly.

CHAIRPERSON: The exit wound was at the back?

MR MEYER: The exit wound was at the same side, on the left hand side, at the rear of my back, where the (indistinct) muscles are and it just went out where the bones, just where it is open, by the shoulder blade and I think it is the humerus, the neck of the humerus.
	Between those two bones there, it went out, it took away all flesh and muscle.  That is why I couldn't lift up my arm.  Now, as a cause of that I had a lot of pain, I lost a lot of blood.  I didn't believe in taking blood, it is against my Christian principle.  I refused to take blood.
	I thank the Lord for the medical people, for what they did for me, but I believed I had this thing, that I feel I shouldn't be taking the blood, because I saw a TV programme the week before that they said that the blood is not so very safe.  I refused to take the blood.
	Then I was transferred to Panorama Hospital and there I had been treated for three weeks I think.  Then they performed a skin transplant over this opening of the hole at the rear of my back, which they said is 12 x 8 cm. 
	Then I had been taken to my home where my sister has helped me further to nurse myself.  I think I was off duty for three months.  Then I regained again my work.  That is what actually happened.

CHAIRPERSON: What hospital were you taken to?

MR MEYER: I was then lastly in the Panorama Hospital.  Panorama Clinic.

CHAIRPERSON: Immediately after you were shot?

MR MEYER: They knew all this, I took from the Groote Schuur Hospital all the reports and things that I had to take.

CHAIRPERSON: Were you taken to Groote Schuur Hospital?