Human Rights Violation Hearings — Lusikisiki — 1997-03-25

MVELO NONKONYANE: Yes.
 First of all I would like to thank this Commission for having written to the Chief such that if there is any thing affecting him that he should have this opportunity and also this respect to be in the programme as we had requested.
 First of all Mr Chairperson, the witnesses in Balasgayini, we have heard him already.   The statement that was sent to us was Mr Elliot Skhosana's statement.   We do not have the other copies.
 He referred to the gentleman next to  me and the lady on my right. Bala is not here, perhaps if he could come.  Maybe he can speak on his behalf.
 Mr Chairperson truly, all our people stayed in Zalogats Umtimdi.   The truth that has been put before is that Elliot has just arrived in that village.  It is his son that stayed in that village.  His son was from Natal.   We did not ask what organisation he belonged to or why he had ran away from Natal and came to stay here.  We allowed him to stay here with his son.  
 Truly, when the organisation started in this country, as Chief Holomisa was still leading we informed our people that the organisation had been unbanned and the ANC started spreading freely.
 This gentleman next to me ..... (end of tape).
 The ANC and other organisations really started spreading freely.
 The Logane incident, it is true that Elliot's house was burnt down.   That is not true, his house was not burnt down, it is his son's house that was burnt down.  
 As it is customary for us when there has been damage in the village the people go to the Chief to report.  They did go.  The women and men that were there they went and examined the damage.   What is even more important is to look at the cause and investigate the cause of the arson.
 The Chief went and they investigated the matter.  The truth is the children left the grass that was alight in the kitchen.   This caught fire and the house burnt down.
This is what happened and then a report was given.   
 He then said he has got no money he is not going to go there.  There was conflict at the time with him and a few people that have been mentioned.   They were saying that they governed themselves.     
 Ghosi then requested that they should go together.  They said they had no money.   This is after the truth had been revealed.  First they thought that it is the Chief or people from the village who had burnt their house down.
 It was then later revealed that it was a mistake, the children's mistake.
 It was then surprising for him that the next day when he arrived the Chief had sent some people.  
 The truth is that these three men did not want to work together with the Chief.   When they got to town they gave in their report.  Their was an investigation.  The truth is that no one from Timde, except the family made a mistake on who burnt down the house.
 We cannot pay for such damage when it is his own children who caused the fire.   We have no money to do that because we are starving.  
 Then Mancanceni, he as well. It is true that his house was burnt down.  The Chief went to Skadeni together 
with his people.   He says that Chief did not go there.  The Chief is disputing that.  He did go.   
 The truth here is that there was never a finding as to who is guilty of the arson.  The matter was taken to the police for investigation.   We assume that the process was completed.
 The fact that a Chief of Royal blood brought people to burn Mancanceni's house down, well, that is very sad.   How can they be so deceptive?  How can they blatantly lie as elderly people.
 If it is that the Chief threatened people's lives, if it is so, they would not be alive today.   The truth is the Chief when he had a problem he called me and said that I must go and help because there is conflict.
 Let me clarify something.  There is no conflict between the ANC and the villagers.  The conflict came later when Sanco was started in our village.
 I went there.   We met with the Youth League and the Women's League.  These are the things that happened, Mr Commissioner.
 First of all, when Sanco started in our village...  Sanco did not work together with the Chiefs, that is educating people about politics.   It therefore worked against the ANC.  People had to be politically orientated and enlightened.
 Therefore what would happen when Sanco started, it 
had its Chairperson.   The forests were burnt down.  There is no forestry now.   These forests were destroyed.  And the forest would help the people.   The grass which was used in building huts, the grass destroyed by Sanco.  
 They would sell these nature resources.   The money 
did not go to the Government.  The wealth of the land did not go to the Government.   They used it.  Perhaps they should come before the Commission and account for that money.   
 There were projects in the area, there was a dairy, because there was a self-help scheme.  That is no longer existent.  There were communal gardens to help people.  They are non-existent.   There were fruit gardens as well.  They were all good healthy gardens, but they are no longer there.   The cause for all this is not the ANC, the cause was Sanco.   They just had an ANC banner.
 This damage was also caused by the people who were speaking here previously.
 Penton Simabele Thlangu, this house was over eight bedrooms, it was well-furnished, this house was burnt down.  He was just guilty of one vice and it was that the ANC was not working together with the Chiefs.  We did not see who burnt the house down, but there were suspicions that Sanco people are guilty.   
 We left that to the court of law.   The police was supposed to investigate the issue.  If someone was arrested they must speak up for themselves according to the law of the country.    
 There is a policeman, Mavatha, who stayed in Bala.  We do not know what happened there, but what I would like to clarify.   The Mavatha is no longer.  Mavatha was 
killed.  He was murdered.   Mavatha was shot.  Mquti was a suspect.   He was arrested Umzamba, because he was guilty in attempting Mavatha.   Later Mavatha was murdered.  He is no longer.
 These are some of the things that I thought I would 
clarify, before the Commission would ask questions.
 In conclusion where the Commission speaks about Nonkonyane I would like to pardon myself.   Am I going to be given an opportunity to ask Chief Nonkonyane to come? But that would be nonsensical.  I can answer that as I sit here.
 There is only one thing I would like to say to this Commission.  The ANC in Pondoland was brought by no one but myself.   The people that you saw here are just disciplined and dedicated members of the ANC.
 In 1994 I was on the list of the ANC as a dedicated member of the ANC.   In 1993 I realised that these people were causing conflict in the village.  If the Commission wants me to clarify this on another day and give other statements I can do that, but I dismissing all this with contempt.  There is none such.  
 Even so Mr Commissioner, I would like to talk to the Pondo people.  The people who are going to come here and lie about the Chiefs, we forgive them.  We are not going to bear a grudge against them.  We have been brought up to lead people who stab us in the back.  
 The people that we protected come here and lie about us, even so, we pray that the Lord does not revenge them.
 The Pondo people, especially Amabala, they can go after him, the Chief.   But we have informed our people that this is just political enlightenment.   We just need to alleviate the standards of our peoples's lives.
 I want to clarify something.   That people who came to Pondoland and caused conflict are not originally from here.  They are mere visitors.   No one from the Bala clan will cause any bloodshed in our land.  
 Peace to the Pondo people!     
 Thank you.