Human Rights Violation Hearings — Tembisa — 1996-11-27

MS SEROKE: Elsie, you said you live nearby the ground, you also said that when you woke up in the morning you saw many people lying at the ground, does it mean that this incident started at the ground?

UNKNOWN: I would say in my opinion, that things might have started at the ground.  I wasn't aware that this incident also occurred at the 15th houses because it's next to a river.  I just saw the hippo standing on the open ground.
TEMBISA  HEARING TRC/GAUTENG
 
12 MANGANYE

MS SEROKE: When you were asleep at home, did you hear some noise outside at the open field?

UNKNOWN: No I didn't hear anything, I just heard the gunshots at about 3 o'clock in the morning.

CHAIRPERSON: We will try to request the audience to assist us. If there are any people amongst you who know about such incidences, to come forward and give us any information and if they were affected in any manner to give statements and to give any information relating to these incidences.  As you can see, these women will never be comforted and live happily in the community unless they know what led to this incident. All of us today are struggling for a better future.  These people came forward today because they wish to know why this happened and how did this happen.  Everybody who is listening, including the policemen who were in charge at that time, everybody should come forward to the Commission to reveal whatever they know relating to that specific day.
 We'd like to thank you ladies with your testimony.  We put all of you here at the same time, not that we don't realise that you all suffer from pains differently, but we just brought you together seeing that you are coming to talk about one incident.  But we will try as the Commission to investigate as to what led to the events o f that specific night.  We trust that the community and the policemen will assist us in trying to solve and to reveal the truth as to what led to this incident.  We thank you very much and we know that such incidents were happening all over in all communities, they were just meant to scare people, so that even people who intended to be politically inclined, should be scared.  We thank you very much.
TEMBISA  HEARING TRC/GAUTENG
 
13 NONDLALA
 We welcome you Mrs Nondlala, we will request you just before your testimony to stand up to take your oath.

UNKNOWN: (sworn states)

CHAIRPERSON: Can you introduce the person who's accompanying you?

UNKNOWN: It's my neighbour.

CHAIRPERSON: We thank you very much and we welcome your neighbour as well.  It is wonderful to see that you support each other in such painful incidents.  As it is a tradition we will ask one of our Commissioners to help you to give your evidence.  Your issue, it's one of the things that were much in question regarding the fight between ANC and IFP. We'll ask the Commissioner to help you.

MR LEWIN: Thank you madam Chair, Mrs Nondlala, please comfortable, you are amongst friends. You are going to tell us about an incident that took place a year before the incident in 1991 involving your son.  If you could in you own time please and in your own words, tell us please what happened, thank you?

UNKNOWN: It was on a Monday, whilst I was at home.  My son came, who was staying in Vusumuzi, he needed food, he told me that he's very hungry.  I wanted he didn't go to work.  He told me that they had been called to the
field.  I asked him what's happening, he said, there's a
fight there and he didn't know what the fight was all about.  I asked him who fighting.  He said its us Xhosas, the Zulus and the police. Our weapons are being taken from us but the Zulus' weapons are not being taken. I said to him, if so, go back home then.  He agreed to go back home.
 In the afternoon on the Tuesday two young men came to tell me that Lennox has passed away. I wanted where this TEMBISA  HEARING TRC/GAUTENG
14 NONDLALA
happened.  He said at Vusumuzi. I wanted to know what happened?  They said they had gone to collect their clothes, being accompanied by policemen.  I wanted to know how this happened?  They said that he stayed in an upper area and he was going to collect his clothes but he never managed to leave, but the police found him there and they shot him there on that spot.
 Thereafter we went to the police station to try and see if they were there because they were taken by this huge van.  When we got there at the police station we learned that they were taken the very same night to Boksburg.  From the police station we went to the hospital.  When we got to the hospital they told us that they were not there.  We left again for Boksburg Mortuary. When we looked around he was not there.  They told us that there are several mortuaries that we can check.  We went to Kempton Park, he was not there either. 
 We proceeded then to other mortuaries. I don't remember them well and we didn't find him.  And then we went to Soweto, they told us a few corpses were taken to Soweto but they refused that we should go to Soweto so we came back home.  I've finished.

MR LEWIN: Mama, could I just ask some questions, if you
could tell us a little bit more because we weren't there and it's difficult to understand how such terrible things could happen? If you could explain, or if you could tell us a little bit about your son. How old was he, what was he doing and why was he actually in the hostel?

UNKNOWN: He was born in 1949.

MR LEWIN: Then he was staying in the hostel, what was he doing there.
TEMBISA  HEARING TRC/GAUTENG
15 NONDLALA

UNKNOWN: He was staying at Vusumuzi Hostel.

MR LEWIN: So he wasn't staying at home or in his own home?

UNKNOWN: He used to visit during weekends. He was staying on his own.

MR LEWIN: Did he have a job, did he have some employment?

UNKNOWN: Yes he was working.

MR LEWIN: Where was he working, can you tell us?

UNKNOWN: He was working for the municipality.

MR LEWIN: Doing what?

UNKNOWN: He was working in the dumping area.

MR LEWIN: So was that common for people who worked for the municipality to stay in the hostel?

UNKNOWN: I do not know.

MR LEWIN: Was he staying there free?

UNKNOWN: They were paying rent.

MR LEWIN: Paying rent, okay. But was it usual for there to be Xhosa and Zulu speaking people to be together in one hostel?

UNKNOWN: Yes Sir.

MR LEWIN: Because this then seemed to have been the cause of, or particularly the cause of his death. Do you
think that that is the main reason?

UNKNOWN: I do not know the reason for his death.

MR LEWIN: But when he came to you on the Monday and told you that the police had disarmed the Xhosa speaking people.  Does this mean that they were normally armed?

UNKNOWN: They were not armed all the time, they were armed simply because they were called to go to this open field.

MR LEWIN: And why were they being armed for that event?

UNKNOWN: They were armed because the Zulus were armed TEMBISA  HEARING TRC/GAUTENG
16 NONDLALA
as well, there at the field.

MR LEWIN: So everyone was anticipating that there would be a fight?

UNKNOWN: Yes Sir.

MR LEWIN: When the fights tool place, what did the police do, were there police there and what did they do?

UNKNOWN: You mean the police?  They were fighting as well.  They were helping the Zulus.

MR LEWIN: So they were actually taking part in the fight?

UNKNOWN: Yes they were helping.

MR LEWIN: And where were these police from, do you know that?

UNKNOWN: I don't know where they were from, but we would see those big things that they drive in.

MR LEWIN: And were there other people that were injured or killed at the same time as your son?

UNKNOWN: Many people were injured on that day.

MR LEWIN: How many people were killed?

UNKNOWN: I cannot tell you.

MR LEWIN: And then you tell us this horrible story about looking for your son's body and how you couldn't find it.  Was there ever a report made about the incident, or were you ever asked about it by the police or by anybody else?