Human Rights Violation Hearings — Krugersdorp — 1996-11-14

CHAIRPERSON: Good morning, Zandile, can you hear me properly?

ZANDILE J MUSI: I have got a problem with my hearing.

CHAIRPERSON: Which language are you going to use, Tswana or Xhosa?

ZANDILE J MUSI: Preferably Xhosa.

CHAIRPERSON: We know that you are with your brother who has accompanied you.  We welcome both of you.  Before you tell us your story we will hand over to Dr Randera.

DR RANDERA: Zandile, good morning. Please stand to take the oath.

ZANDILE J MUSI: (Duly sworn, states).

MS SEROKE: Zandile, as we have read in your statement, you have come to tell a very painful story.  Something that happened to you in 1982 on the 15th of February.  At that time you were 19 years old.  Before you tell us your story please tell us briefly about yourself, what were you doing in 1982 and so forth. Please continue.

ZANDILE J MUSI: I am just using this opportunity to ...

MS SEROKE: Please wait a while.  I will request that if you are going to speak Xhosa, for you to remove your ear-phones because the interpretation will disturb you.

ZANDILE J MUSI: I want to request today that we commemorate Fanjana Njingo and Bimbo.  I want people to know that these
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people did not die because they were naughty, but because they were concerned about millions of South Africans. They were concerned about the millions of South Africans who have fought (indistinct).
 Before I continue with my story, I want the Gagaza people to know that these three men that I am going to talk about, died for their country.
 In 1981 I was 19 years of age, I was in junior secondary school.  At that time the Gagaza residents organisation had just been formed. The Congress of South African Students also had just been formed.  When Cosas was formed at Faith Mission I met Bimbo and Jingo. I already knew Fenjana and I was very close to him. 
 After meeting Bimbo and Jingo, we discussed a lot of things.  After discussing these issues we came to the conclusion that we would like to join a liberation movement. We would meet now and again with Bimbo, Jingo and Fenjana.   In January 1982 a chap called Ephraim Falapese - the comrades used to call him Francis.  He went into exile with my elder brother. My eldest brother's friend used to stay at home.  They all went together into exile.
 In 1982 we met with Bimbo.  We also discussed many issues.  We told him that we wanted to join the liberation movement. He discouraged us about going into exile. He said it is not necessary for us to go into exile because there should be ANC structures back home.  We would meet with him regularly when he came home.  
 We made an appointment with him for a Thursday.  He said we should meet at an industrial station on a Saturday.  We met on the Saturday.  He told us that he had prepared everything for us for training. He would train us and we 
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would carry out the operations. After that we could go int exile and then go to school.

MS SEROKE: What did he say he would train you in?

ZANDILE J MUSI: He said he would train us in the use of weapons underground.
 On the Saturday we met with him at the industrial station, together with Bimbo. At the time he had a Makarov.  He showed both Bimbo and I how it works.  Finally, we concluded that we would meet on the Monday.  We told him that Fenjane and Bimbo were interested.  Then we said we would meet on the Monday.
 We were supposed to leave Lorato Hospital and go to our meeting place.  They picked us up from Lorato.  Then we went towards West Rand.

MS SEROKE: When they say they took you, who was it?  Was it Ephraim?

ZANDILE J MUSI: Ephraim was with Joe Mamasela. He was driving.   They took us to West Rand mines.  When we got to the West Rand mines we parked the car a few metres from where we were supposed to go.  Joe Mamasela was driving.  I recognised him because he had a scar.  I remembered his scar.  Even with the police, what I said to them is that the man who was driving the car had a scar on his face.

MS SEROKE: At the time you did not know his name.

ZANDILE J MUSI: No, I did not know his name, I just recognised the scar.  Then a SAP member told me who it was.
 When we got the West Rand mines they put us in a shaft.  Falapesa was walking ahead.

MS SEROKE: Which mine was this?

ZANDILE J MUSI: It is a mine in West Rand, West Rand mines.
 WE got there.  Falapesa opened and we entered. It was
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at about half past eight, because we left Lorato at eight o'clock. We got into the shaft and he took out a grenade.  He said it is an F1 grenade.  Then he took out a Makorov as well. He said he would show and train us in these.  He showed us how to operate the machinery. He said we must be careful because it is deadly. What happened is that there was a box in the corner of the room.  That box looked very suspicious.   When I looked at the box I just heard an explosion.  I thought it was our mistake, because the last person with the grenade was Njinga.  When I heard the explosion I cried out to Njinga because I thought he was the one who had made a mistake.  We were injured.  Even the building fell down.  The people who died immediately are Bimbo and Njinga.  
 Fanela was next to me. We could not see each other, but we could speak to each other. He could not see or walk. I was bleeding.  Fanela was lying down on my left side.
 What is very painful to remember is that he had a hole in his body, because my hand went into his body as I was trying to communicate with him. 
 After a while I got up.  As I got up I called Fanela and he responded.  He was still alive at the time.  I tried to scream, but nobody heard.
 At the morning about six o'clock I fainted.  In the morning it was very cold when I woke up. I called out to Fanela, Fanele did not respond.  I realised that he had passed away.
 At about nine o'clock in the morning the police came.  Mr Nkosi was one of the policemen.  They asked for my identity.  They asked what I was doing there.  I told them we had gone to see a Milly Jackson show and some people 
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picked us up.  They then said I was being deceptive.  They took me to Lorato Hospital. They put plasters on my leg and they treated me.  Then they took me to prison.  Before they took me to jail I could not see.  They took me to a field, I could sense that I was walking on grass.  There was one man who took out a gun and put it into my mouth. He said I must tell them who I was with and what we were doing.  I told them that two men took us, a black man and a white man, they said they are taking us to a stadium.
 The reason why I said there was a white man, I thought that they would assume that this white man wanted to kill us.  They put me in jail.  They tortured me, kicking me in jail.  They wanted to know who I was with.  I tried to deny everything. I told them that we were going to the Colloseum.   Slowly I recovered, my eyes opened, I went back to hospital.  After four weeks I got a visitor.  My grandmother who passed away in 1985.  
 I was charged in the sixth week of my detention. I appeared in court.  They said I was in possession of explosives.  I got R500,00 bail.  I came back to Lorato Hospital because my leg was still injured. I was admitted to hospital. They put a plaster of paris on my leg and on my right arm.  I regularly went to court and I was acquitted.  Because a major from Krugersdorp prison testified that the police were torturing me. He would hear me when I screamed. He helped me.  That is why I was acquitted.  That was that.
 In 1985 I was arrested once more, under the state of emergency.  I was sentenced in 1987, October, under the Explosives Act. I went to Robben Island and I was released on the 15th of December 1990.