Human Rights Violation Hearings — Karoo — 1996-10-08

MR NKUMBI: It was a teacher's post.  The school were closing on Friday, my brother was working in Secunda together with Mr Mslaba's sons and at that time Mr Mslaba he was known as an informer  here in Hanover.  I didn't know the reason for that, I didn't know what he did, even if you ask someone, people could not tell you - but he was known as an informer.
 What happened on that Friday night I was at home, Mr Mslaba was staying with his wife and his children.  I was called at home and I was told that my brother's clothes and my brother's belongings  burnt down.  I asked why, they told me that my brother was involved in a fight with [indistinct]   I asked why are they burning my brother's belongings, they told me that since there was this unrest here in Hanover my brother took part in this fight and that is why they were burning his clothes.
 They went to my brother's wife to demand his clothes from her and my brother's wife gave the clothes to them because she was afraid.  I went there to ask what was happening - I found [indistinct] Joka who is our cousin brother he was there at that time and there were others but I don't remember their names.  I asked they were burning Tozamele's clothes.  They still wanted for - for the other clothes to be burnt but the wife told them that is all he brought about - he brought with.
 At that night Tozamele went to sleep over Mr Mslaba's house.  It was difficult for me to go there because I was told that a person who went there was going to be burn.  I couldn't see my brother that night and I went on Sunday together with Mslaba's son who is working in  Cape Town because I couldn't stay here.
 At the end of November Mr Mslaba's sons came back together with my brother and my brother decided he will not stay in his house, he went to stay in the tents together with Mr Mslaba's sons.  Even when I came back from Cape Town Tozamele was staying in the tents and I was staying here at home at [indistinct].  
 His wife said that he wanted Tozamele to come back to stay with her and I told her that Tozamele couldn't come in the township.  And this wife told me that she confronted the reverend who was the leader of the UDF at that time, so that Tozamele can come back and stay in the township.  I went to fetch Tozamele in the township that day and we tried to convince him to come back to the township.  And he said that he is not going to go back to the township, if his wife wants him back she has to go to him in Secunda.
 That was the last time I heard about Tozamele - and his wife was meeting with this reverend - this reverend promised that he will secure - he will give security to Tozamele and he can come back to the township.  Our house was extended at that time, it was  initially four roomed house - it was extended to be an eight roomed house.  Tozamele's daughter came to my house to inform me that they were moving and that there is a group of comrades standing outside their house.
 I said that - I told this daughter that Tozamele said that he is not going to come back to the township so I don't understand what was happening.  When I got there, this group of people was still there - we were all standing outside the house and we heard a petrol bomb being thrown in the house.  I met him in his house with a knife in his hand, I asked him what are you doing here, he said he I came with the police and their was a landrover standing there, the Sergeant Mr [indistinct] was there, I saw the bakkie coming out of this house, they were moving clothes from Tozamele's house and this took a long time because this bakkie  was too small.
 I told him that he was taking a chance - because he was not suppose to be there, there were comrades all over and I told him that we must leave that place.  We came through that Jupiter Street - we left that place, the comrades were there and they chased us.  When we approached the church - the street which was near the church we were running through that street.  There was [indistinct] Jack together with these people together with another one, they had petrol bombs in their hands.  And others were following us - there is an open field near the church - near the hall and there were no houses at that time.
 Sampson Booysen came and he threw a stone and hit Albert in his left ankle - he collapsed, I tried to help him up but I was unable to do so.  Comrades were coming but he could not - he could not stand up because his ankle was painful.   [indistinct] Joka came and he told me that I was stabbed in the back, but at that stage I could not feel that.  I then decided to run, I made a mistake by running and that was the end of Tozamele because they did what they wanted to do with him.
 I went to the house and my sister was also stabbed, I went to Mr Jantjies who is a policeman now - he was also afraid and he chased me away from his home.  I went through the street and I went to my home.  I found my brother there and he was taking [indistinct] to the doctor and he also took me together with them to the doctor.  Luckily we found a doctor that day.
 When we got to the hospital Albert was also there, the van took him to the hospital, they were trying to burn my brother because we could smell the paraffin on his body.   And [indistinct] tried to - he took Albert to the hospital but I think 20 - 30 kilometres outside Richmond my brother passed away.  We were following with my car but the ambulance came and he took us to the hospital.
 When we arrived at the hospital we were taken to the mortuary and my brother has passed away.  What is painful in all this, is that we didn't go back to the township - we went back straight to the tents where everybody was known to be an informer was residing.  Early on the Christmas day my brother Zatu came there and he told us that we had to go to the township.  
 We told him that no we cannot go there -  on that Christmas afternoon  in our church we went to church and there was a [indistinct] people were making fun of this in church.  And they were asking us which part we played in the death of our brother - others all - they all answered and I was the only one who did not answer them.  And then I said to them if Tozamele was  not killed by you - members of the UDF why are you asking this.
 Our reverend and I am not sorry to say this - I am not sorry to say this things about him - he was not behaving like a leader -  he was not behaving like a reverent or a pastor.  I said to him this is none of your business if you know that you haven't done anything - you did not have to call us here in this meeting.  
 On the Christmas on that same day the reverend sent the UDF youth to our home - they were making allegations to us and I wanted to know from them my brother was working in Secunda he didn't know what was happening around here, why did they kill him.  And I told him that I had to go and stay in the tents until the case was open in Grahamstown in 1987.
 The accused in the case - the cause of all this was the person who threw this and if he didn't throw that stone my brother would still be alive.  All the accused they were sentenced to 18 - 17 years but today they are outside and only God will answer but I just want to know why did they kill my brother.