Human Rights Violation Hearings — Grahamstown — 1997-04-08

MR SANDI: Thank you Ms Tonyela, thank you Mr Chairperson.

CHAIRPERSON: Let me ask Mr Mbekela a question.  You say that you were advised to leave the hospital.  Who gave you this advice.

MR MBEKELA: It was Roland White.

CHAIRPERSON: Who was he?

MR MBEKELA: He was in Rhodes University in an organisation called NUSAS at the time.

CHAIRPERSON: Why did he advise you to leave the hospital?

MR MBEKELA: Because he saw the security police in hospital.  He took their photographs and he also took Miseka's and my photographs.  After that he was chased away.

CHAIRPERSON: At the time, how were you injured, you said that Miseka had 80% burns, how were you injured?

MR MBEKELA: I was burned from my back up and down my legs.

CHAIRPERSON: Where did you get treatment?

MR MBEKELA: There were specialists who used to come and treat me but I would be treated in places where I would spend the night.  There are also other doctors whose names I won't mention now.

CHAIRPERSON: According to your knowledge, was there cooperation between the security police and the authorities in the hospital?

MR MBEKELA: I can say so because the situation at that time, you wouldn't separate between the authorities and the police, because when I told the superintendent in the hospital that I'm not going to spend the night, we fought because he wanted me to spend the night there.  I told him that it was my right not to do so if I don't want to spend the night. Other people were allowed that right, and I told him that because Roland also advised me in front of him, he told me that the security police were in the hospital, they were looking for me.
 He didn't treat me well, he didn't use cotton wool, he just put elastoplaster on my wounds but there were other people who sympathised with me especially from other places. After that I was arrested under the State of Emmergency.  I was charged with arson, murder of the police. You can not run away from the fact that after this incident people were very angry. The police who are will remember that all the police were chased away from the township.  They accused me of instigating the Sithule(?) people that the police were to be chased away.
 Some of the charges were dropped while I was arrested under the state of emmergency but I recovered when I was in prison.  All in all Mr Chairperson, I would say the Superintendent was in connection with the police.  He also played a role and if it is possible I would like him to come forward to the Commission to say if I spoke the truth or what, but I think now he is in Port Elizabeth.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you very much.  The question I just asked about the part taken by the hospitals, I asked this question because the Commission is preparing to have a hearing which is going to focus on the people who participated in health services.  The evidence we received showed clearly that there was a connection between the police and the people who were supposed to take care of peoples' health.
 As the Commission we will look at other professional bodies because they did not kill people, they did not shoot people but they played a role in oppressing people although they did not shoot them directly. Some people got injured but they were not able to go to hospitals for medical car because they saw that there was cooperation between the police and the health services.
 We thank you for clarifying this matter because we are going to have a hearing with the Health Services.  We also thank you for giving us a picture, a full picture of the struggle of the youth here in Grahamstown.  We want to sympathise with you, especially you Ms Tonyela and her family and her family because you lost your sister in this painful manner.
     I don't want to waste time talking to you because I can see that you understand that your sister  died for liberation at that time. You request you made, especially concerning the perpetrators that they must come forward, I hope that those that are here in Grahamstown, those that were involved are listening today and they would come forward. You assured them in advance that you would forgive them.  All that you need is that they should acknowledge that they are the ones responsible for this incident.  Thank you.