Human Rights Violation Hearings — George — 1996-06-18

RUSSELL ALLY: Your case is your are saying that you were severally tortured and you mentioned two incidents actually you say the first was in February of  1988 is that correct, the first time that you were taken in and tortured.   Did you....[intervention]

MR VENA: Can you repeat the question please - do you want to understand whether that was the first time - what are you trying to ask him?

RUSSELL ALLY: You  mention now in your testimony - it seems as if you are speaking about two separate incidences, the first happened in February of 1988 and the second later that same year, September 1988, is that correct?

MR VENA: That's correct ja.

RUSSELL ALLY: And in February 1988 you said they took you to the Geelhuis.

MR VENA: That's correct.

RUSSELL ALLY: Yes.

MR VENA: Sort of a mobile station, mobile police station.  It's a very small house where the boers and the kitskonstabels use to take people for torturing and assaulting, they will take a person and - and that is where they were killing people and assaulting people.  It's a very small house what has painted yellow and made of iron sheets.

RUSSELL ALLY: [indistinct] when they took you in February did they use electric shock as well?

MR VENA: No they didn't apply electric shock in February, what they did - the doctor can even do - there was a mark around my  neck, I think  I was being strangled with a rope, because I had a mark around my neck and the doctor saw that my - that the mark was never mentioned.
 And the other thing I forgot to mention, I was sentenced in the case, sentenced - I think I  was just being sentenced, because the Magistrate didn't want us to lay a case against the police, because the magistrate just decided I think he just decided he gave me 80 days or R80-00 and the other time he found me not guilty.

RUSSELL ALLY: [indistinct] for the charge.

MR VENA: It was interfering with the police in carrying out their work, the other one was  - it was alleged that I escaped - the other one to refuse arrest.

RUSSELL ALLY: [indistinct] incident in February you say they next picked you up in September again, did anything happen between February and September did - did any contact between you and the police, or  Security Police, did they  harass you, what happened between February  and September if you can tell us quite briefly.

MR VENA: You know that time in '85 - '88 thereafter - after '88 after I had been assaulted in September or from - between February and September I have led a very difficult life because I was busy with the substructures of  the youth and I was also involved in the -  unemployment -  unemployment association.  So the boers would hear this  from their informers, they never gave me a chance, I wasn't staying at home, I would sleep under cars or in someone else's yard or just take a blanket from my place and then sleep.  Sometimes I would sleep on the roof of the house and watch them as they are passing, look for me.

RUSSELL ALLY: [indistinct] took you in September, what was the reason this time, what dit they say?

MR VENA: They never gave any reason, they never said we are taking you because of this, they just said come let's go.  And it was difficult then to ask from them, why they  were taking me because they were very many of them and they were very aggressive, I don't know what was happening, but they  were very aggressive and viscous and the way they kicked the doors, I was very  scared.  That's why I didn't open before I put on my dress, because I  decided whatever they did, they must do it on me having my -  all my clothes on.

RUSSELL ALLY: [indistinct] take you to Volmoed farm, is that right in September they took you to a different place - in September.

MR VENA: In September I was taken about 29 - 30  kilometres from Oudtshoorn to a place called Volmoed, that was in September, on the  14th of September - Wednesday it was Wednesday.

RUSSELL ALLY: And  [indistinct] where the electrocution took place, where they - where they shocked you.

MR VENA: Yes that's where I was - I was electrocuted and that's where I  was assaulted.

RUSSELL ALLY: [indistinct] any medical records - any doctor certificates, anything relating to what - what happened to you?

MR VENA: Dr Hendricks  and the Dr Combrinck are the ones who  can - who  can help you there, they may have record, even the lawyers demanded those reports, I  went their several times and all in vain.  But the lawyer would ask me not to worry, because the case was being handled.  
 Eventually the letter wrote was saying that he was closing the case because their was no evidence, so I went personally to check, to find out what was happening and he explained to me that he didn't  get a report from the doctor.
 I went to the doctor and the doctor said he would look for it, he didn't know  where it was - I am talking about Dr Combrinck now in Athlone.

RUSSELL ALLY: Okay, thank you very much.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you - any questions  - Joyce Seroke.

MS SEROKE: Mr Vena when you say when you  were arrested you escaped from the police station, and then went to - how did you escape when you went to the  [indistinct]

MR VENA: I went to ask for  matches from the kitskonstabel then I went to another one, I forget his name, he said he didn't smoke - or he didn't have it.   I decided to go and to buy matches, he said are they finished with you the detectives, I said yes, I could see that he was just asking absent mindedly and this was my only chance.  I said yes I am just going to the shop to buy matches for myself.

MS SEROKE: And that's and you went forever.

MR VENA: Yes I did.

MS SEROKE: Did they never chase you.

MR VENA: No they - yes there were some cars that were driving past my place, they didn't stop, a white Skyline  [indistinct] a beige  [indistinct] of the Security Branch.  That's why I was scared to stay at my home.

MS SEROKE: Now what do you do now, do you work.

MR VENA: Yes I can say so ja, but I am in the - I am in the Citizen Force, I am in a part time, I would call from time to time - our force is called the Citizen Force, I have done basic training, I am busy with other courses, there is another course, the - maybe I'll go in July or  August to  this course.
 But it's not a permanent job, you  get money when you called say for two weeks and then you paid for those two weeks, you only paid for those periods that you are called into work and that's after you finished your  [indistinct] and you wait for the work before you actually get the money.

MS SEROKE: [indistinct] injuries, as a result of this torture.

MR VENA: Yes first of all I'll talk about electric shocks, those electric shocks  caused me a lot of pain resulted in me being very  sick and the doctors medicines didn't work and then I went to traditional healers to -  for four months I  was using this, I was just staying like a dead person, like a zombie.
 And my head, I  was assaulted on my head very much, and my doctor said I would from time to time loose memory, I would loose memory from time to time because my head was very  severally damaged and that still happens indeed.  I am very forgetful and I  can give - I can lend you something and then the next time, I don't know where it has gone to, I loose memory.

MS SEROKE: And what is it exactly that you would like the Commission to help you with.