Human Rights Violation Hearings — Newcastle — 1996-09-11

COMMISSIONER: organised by the UDF which was in Cape Town, and I had to take some of the activists with to attend this meeting.  There was a youth meeting that was organised in that residential area.  I was phoned and told that it was very important that I should get there to attend that meeting and address the meeting.  We went to that meeting and I came back.  We organised a programme of action in which we wanted to implement some clean-up operation as the youth of that residential area, and we wanted to clean that residential area to show the councillors that they had failed in their jobs to keep the area clean.  As we were starting to plant the trees, as well as planting grass, a state of emergency was declared, and I think it was about in May on the 20 - on the 20th of May, somewhere thereabouts.  Just as we were still cleaning and doing the job a state of emergency was declared.  And then in June 11, 1986 we could not sleep at our places because we were wanted by the police.  We were sleeping at certain houses within the township.  Then at about half past 11 the Flying Squad would come, and they got to the house where we were hiding.  We were arrested and put in the back of the van.  It was winter and it was very cold.  They drove around the residential area for the whole night in that cold, and then at half past five in the morning they drove us from Dundee to Newcastle Police Station.  And when we got to Newcastle Police Station we were put in a certain cell and we were interrogated.  When we were asked these questions we were interrogated for about seven days, and they started giving us porridge every day in the morning.   /And we

COMMISSIONER: And we told them that we never used to eat this type of food, and they would give us phuthu and black tea during

COMMISSIONER: the day or for lunch.  And we wanted to be charged.  We wanted them to tell us why they had arrested us.  We asked whether we were being arrested for speaking the truth.  We decided to go on a hunger strike for about seven days, and they sent the district surgeon.  They sent the district surgeon, whose name was Waite, to come and beg us and reason with us to start eating.  We told him that the food was not healthy for us to eat.  Some of the things that happened was that they separated us.  Some were left at the police cells in Newcastle, and we were taken to Waterval.  When we got to Waterval we came across others who were involved in the struggle.  In Waterval that's where the police started interrogating us, and what happened there, that's where we realised that there were certain things that we were supposed to say and reveal, but there were certain things that we could not say.  We warned each other.  And most unfortunately there were certain people who were now informers, and they went to tell the police what we had discussed earlier on, and the police realised as to who was actually the source.  They further separated us.  I was taken to Hlobane Police Station, which was called Draaifontein, Matthew Simathi was taken to Dannhauser, Professor Sibonkhulu was taken to Paulpietersburg, and Dumi was taken to Waterval.  When I was transferred from Waterval Geldenhuys said to me I should be happy because I am inside in prison.  If I was outside he was going to send Inkatha to finish us off, so we should be happy that we were inside.  These words were further reiterated by a certain policeman who was  interrogating us.  His name was Olivier.  He repeated the very same thing that was said by Geldenhuys earlier on.

COMMISSIONER: These words started making us aware of the situation that was prevailing outside.  What happened thereafter was that we remained in prison.  And luckily I had appeared before Court because they were - they had charged me after a year and a half of staying in prison.  They were charging me with possession of prohibited publications, and thereafter I was released.  And I still continued with the struggle even thereafter.  But the most disturbing thing is that when we looked at the violence that took place in this province of KwaZulu-Natal, when we tried to scrutinise and see as to how this was planned, we realised that the people who planned this were people from the then government.  They were using all positions - or people from different positions to try and sow seeds of hatred and violence.  When I start from school I see the role that was played by the headmasters, as well as the inspectors of the schools.  Going further to Ongoye(?), some of the people who were involved are now in parliament.  When I look at some of the institutions, and look at the leaders or the people who were in power at that time, what role were they playing?  And when you look at the bosses at workplaces, what role were they playing in oppressing people so that they may not voice themselves out?  I'll take the case of the MC ... (inaudible) ... as well as Hlobane, and all other places.  Then we come to the councillors themselves.  The councillors - in order to oppress people they wanted to make sure that the councillors were using every method possible to oppress the people.  We've got cases of people who have come  before this Commission to testify about the councillors who were involved in the killing of people, because they

COMMISSIONER: were given guns.  When we proceed to the rural areas, the roles that were played by the chiefs, the chiefs were armed, they were given guns so that the change may not be implemented in KwaZulu-Natal.  And what makes us even more disturbed about the past is that this is still continuing.  When we were coming from the Local Government elections we were asking ourselves as to whether our people had voted properly.  It is very apparent that it was not done procedurally.  But what is the solution?  What I would like to request this Honourable Commission is that when I look at the background of whatever was happening, is that human rights were not respected, and human life was not sacred.  I am asking that whoever is in a position or a certain position should respect human rights as the Constitution which came out in May, which further goes on in chapter two talking about human rights.  That is our shield, and that is what should be implemented as well as respected, because everybody has got a right to voice himself or herself out.  Everybody has got a right of association.  Everybody has got a right of doing what he or she wants to do.

COMMISSIONER: Thank you very much for that very articulate and, if I may say so, very moving overview of your life as an activist over the last 14 years from 1982.  Many of the people who have come to this Commission have talked about a specific traumatic incident which has affected them, such as the death of their child or the burning of their house, and you have given us the social context in which these things happened.  You have given us an overview of   /what took

COMMISSIONER: what took place over a period of 14 years from your days as a school activist, where, as you say, every element of

COMMISSIONER: society worked to suppress what activists were doing in those times, whether it was the school principal, whether it was the police, whether it was vigilantes who were drafted in to assist them.  And it provides us with a valuable insight into the lives of people during that turbulent period in our country's history.  I am just going to ask my colleagues if there's anything that they wish to ask you arising out of your evidence.

MR LAX: Mr Sithebe, apart from that one being brought to court on that pamphlet, were you ever charged with any other offences or anything like that?

WITNESS:   I was never accused of anything thereafter after I had appeared in court.

MR LAX: Thank you.