Amnesty Hearings — Bloemfontein — 1988-01-19

INTERPRETERS: The interpreters don't have any documents in front of them in anycase.

MR STANDER: M-z-u-z-w-a-n-a.   The witness is in the stand Mr Chairman.

MATTHEWS MZUZWANA: (sworn states)

MR STANDER: Mr Mzuzwana, there are two bundles, affidavits before you, could you please refer to bundle number two?  Can you please look at page 15 and 16, is that your affidavit?

MATTHEWS MZUZWANA: That's correct.

MR STANDER: Would you please read it into the record?

MATTHEWS MZUZWANA: Should I read it in English or in the language it is written?

ADV DE JAGER: Can't he just attest to it and confirm it?

MR STANDER: Is that your signature which appears under there?

MATTHEWS MZUZWANA: That's my signature.

MR STANDER: Tell me, in this affidavit you say that you were prejudiced by the actions and acts of Motsamai and Ngo.  Can you please briefly explain to us on what grounds you say that Ngo and Motsamai assaulted or tortured you?

MATTHEWS MZUZWANA: I would like to know from you Sir, are you referring to the events - before the event of being shot at or after the event of being shot at?

MR STANDER: You must testify about the incidents in which you were involved and in which Ngo and Motsamai were also involved. Let's start with a certain incident, the first incident.

MATTHEWS MZUZWANA: I was a student with regards to the first incident and I was a member of COSAS and I was a member of the UDF.  In many of our activities fighting against apartheid, Ngo and Motsamai took part in the assault and the torture.

MR STANDER: Please refer to a specific incident.

MATTHEWS MZUZWANA: The first time was when I was arrested by Motsamai and them.  Erasmus fetched me from home and they took me to the veld and that is where they assaulted me, Ngo and Motsamai and them were present.  I was then taken to Fountain, they wanted me to confirm that White Mohapi was one of the leadership people and the rest of them who were the leadership of COSAS.

MR STANDER: Who assaulted you?  The question was how were you assaulted?

MATTHEWS MZUZWANA: We arrived at Fountain and I was taken into a separate room, two tables were put before me and they took a stick and my hands were put behind my thighs and this stick was put between my knees and my hands.  Mr Motsamai referred to this method as: "Chicken Jive".
	Thereafter I was electrocuted but still I refused to tell them the leadership of COSAS.  I was then left thereafter.  They wanted me to be their spy, I still refused.

MR STANDER: Were you later on released?

MATTHEWS MZUZWANA: I was released after two days.

MR STANDER: Were you arrested later on again?

MATTHEWS MZUZWANA: Yes, I've been arrested on several occasions.

MR STANDER: Were you tortured every time?

MATTHEWS MZUZWANA: Yes, every time they tortured me.

MR STANDER: Were Motsamai and Ngo each and every time present when you were assaulted?

MATTHEWS MZUZWANA: Yes, they were present/

MR STANDER: I am now going to move on to the incident ...[intervention]

CHAIRPERSON: Before you go on, when was this?

MATTHEWS MZUZWANA: I do not remember very well Sir, this took place a long time ago.

CHAIRPERSON: Can you remember what year?

MATTHEWS MZUZWANA: It was in 1985.

MR STANDER: At that stage, were you still at school?

MATTHEWS MZUZWANA: Yes.

MR STANDER: Which school did you attend?

MATTHEWS MZUZWANA: I was at Vulamasango, V-u-l-a-m-a-s-a-n-g-o.

MR STANDER: We will now move on to the incident in which you were shot. Can you remember when that took place?

MATTHEWS MZUZWANA: Yes, I still remember.

MR STANDER: Can you give the date to the Committee please?

MATTHEWS MZUZWANA: It was on the 18th of April in 1985.

MR STANDER: What happened then?

MATTHEWS MZUZWANA: On that day we had arranged to hold a memorial service with regards to the Utenhage issue.  As COSAS we organised that gathered for midday at ...[indistinct] High School and our parents would hold the same memorial service in the afternoon of that same day at church, it was at the AME church.
	As I explained earlier on we were going to commemorate during the day and at night it would be our parents.  Then we elected people among ourselves to go and mobilise, to go and inform other students to come to this meeting at 2 o'clock.  To us as students this prayer meeting did not materialise because the policemen chased us and we could not meet together as planned. 
	But the same day late at night we gathered at Vulamasango to meet with the parents as they carry on with the prayer which was at the AME church.  The meeting went on that evening and after that prayer the elderly people requested the youth to go carefully and not pester the police at all.  Even if we sing, we shouldn't sing any song that will lead the policemen to beat us.  We then went out of the meeting, there were people who were singing but I was not amongst the group who were singing. 
	We took a road leading to Botshabelo, I forgot the name of the street.  Before we could enter Botshabelo - we were between the two locations, Bato and Botshabelo, there was a police van called a "Mellow-Yellow" which came to us driving very slowly.  I was together with my sister-in-law and I was telling her the events of my arrest.  
	As we were talking the police van drove very slowly and one person from inside called my name, he said: "Yes Matthews, you are a springbuck" and my sister-in-law said: "Please don't get into an argument with these people, they're trying to provoke you, just ignore them".  I did ignore them, I did not even see this person who was shouting my name.  
	We got right into Botshabelo until at St Peter's church in Pahaleng.  Just when we approached the church this "Mellow-Yellow" that I've referred to, blocked the road.  People were still singing but singing peacefully.  The road was blocked, so we had to walk on the tarred road.  There's a street - I just happen to forget the name of the street but it was close to the tavern, when we were approaching that street the police came with their van, they got out of the car and people ran into different directions.  I was left alone.  
	One policeman who came to arrest me was Nkosi - I do not remember his first name but there were two, it was Nkosi and the other one.  Now Nonsololo my sister-in-law was asking them where they were taking me to, now there was no reply.  They chased her away.  
	I see a name of a policeman here: Ramulefi, this is the policeman who came out.  Lukani whom I referred to earlier on and the other policeman took me to the van and he said to them: "Leave this child, we are not going to be troubled by such a small boy".  While trying to listen to what this person was going to say further, a shot went off and I do not remember what happened thereafter.  I was shot at the ear.

MR STANDER: Can you please turn your head so that the people can see what your ear looks like?  Why is your face so skew?

MATTHEWS MZUZWANA: These are the effects of that shooting.

MR STANDER: Tell me, were Motsamai and Ngo involved in this last incident?

MATTHEWS MZUZWANA: I do not know because I did not see them but as they gave evidence here, it appeared that they were there.  They said they were there but I did not see them.

MR STANDER: Were you hospitalised due to this shooting
incident?

MATTHEWS MZUZWANA: Yes, I stayed three months in the hospital.

MR STANDER: Are you still suffering the consequences of this injury that you have sustained?

MATTHEWS MZUZWANA: People laugh at me when they meet me in the street, nobody would just pass me, they always pass and look back at me.

ADV DE JAGER: Mr Stander, can you please clear this up for me? He said that he did not see Motsamai and Ngo, am I correct in saying that he said they didn't do anything to him?

MR STANDER: That is correct Mr Chair.

ADV DE JAGER: [inaudible]

INTERPRETER: The speaker's mike is not on.