Human Rights Violation Hearings — Soweto — 1996-07-23

CHAIRPERSON: We will take one more witness before we break for lunch.  We will ask Johannes Dube to come forward.  Johannes, we thank you very much for coming to appear in front of this Commission to tell us what you went through.  I will ask for you to stand up.  I would like you to take the oath.

JOHANNES DUBE: (Duly sworn in, states).

CHAIRPERSON: You may be seated.  Commissioner Sooka has just reminded me that please (not translated).  Joyce Seroke is going to help you.  I am sorry, I am very sorry.  It is Piet Meiring.

PROF MEIRING: Mr Dube, it is my privilege to help you with your testimony.  I hope you feel relaxed and welcome and we would love to hear you speak.  Before we start talking about that very dark day of the 26th of August when you were shot, please tell us a little bit about your circumstance, about your life now, about what is happening to you and then I will ask you to talk about what happened to you on that day in August.

JOHANNES DUBE: In 1976, it was in August, what happened was we were coming back from Mofolo with my friend Thomas Malaza.  When we were coming back we were about to take a taxi to Zola and then when we were approaching the main road the taxi rank, a car came by, approached us and there were
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policemen in the car.  This car was just in front of us.  Inside were policemen.  They were in camouflage uniform.  All of them were police, white policemen.  One of those police took out the gun and pointed the gun at us.  As we were still wondering what is happening he told us to stand still.  He started shooting and he shot my friend.  Yes, I was still wondering what is happening.  Suddenly, I was also shot.  Just soon after that I could not see thereafter.  I was bleeding.  
 After that with the assistance of some people that we did not know, they took us.  They put us in their car and they took us to Baragwaneth Hospital.  The police, at that time, had already left.  Soon after shooting us they left.  Now, from my opinion that car was patrolling because each time they come around, when they appeared to us, I think they told themselves that these are students and we will shoot every student.  They were aiming at shooting students.  Now we were taken to Baragwaneth Hospital.  As I was in the hospital at Baragwaneth I was taken to St Johns.  That is an eye hospital because I could not see.  I was blind then.  I was there for quite some time.  The doctor who was in charge of me there was Dr Peiffel.  As he was diagnosing and treating me he mentioned to me that I was brutally injured and there is some nerve, optic nerve.  Those bullets actually cut the nerves.  He declared that I would never see again.  I was there for some time and I was taken to occupational for rehabilitation.  I was taught braiding, I was taught also cane skills.  It is called mobility.  
 After that I left and the lady who taught us therapy was Glynnis Hughin.  After leaving the hospital she recommended I should go back to school and I also wanted to 
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go back to school because I was young.  One other thing my father was concerned that what happened to me was not fair at all because we were shot having done nothing.  Just walking by on the street.  He felt and said it is probably better to take this matter further so that I could claim to be compensated.  Soon after that we approached and went to the lawyers, attorneys at Eloff Extension.  I do not remember the name of the building quite well.  My father and Thomas, who was a friend, and we gave statements to the attorneys there.  After that we were just at home.  
 Well, I have left some other things like I was at hospital.  The police also came to take a statement from me and the newspaper, it was World then, they also came to take the statement from me and I presented the same statement to the Truth Commission.  The compensation that was given to me and I still think it is unfair.  That is the very reason why I am here appearing to the Truth Commission.  The money was on R15 000.00 and I feel very little ... the Government for the favour they compensated, they could see that what happened to me was not fair.  
 Another thing that I want to explain, my case was never taken to the Court of Law.  After I received the cheque for R15 000.00 and at the time I was still so young.  I could not do anything.  I could not stand for my rights or whatever, but now that I am a grown-up and I know my rights I can tell now that that money is little.  I have a family and I have got two kids and I think my children would be leading a better life if I was not injured.  Even the lifestyle that I lead now, my ambitions in life were together with my friends before we were injured, just before we, you know, we had hoped that just before we passed 
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standard eight we should actually further our studies to standard ten and we had aimed to do a teachers course.  We were interested in being teachers.  At this point in time I would be a teacher had not that happened to me.  I could be leading a better life now than what I am doing now.  It is why I came forward to the Truth Commission because I still do not believe that for what happened to me I should be given only R15 000.00.  I do wish that the Truth Commission should investigate the matter further and also see that I get compensated much better than what I received.

PROF MEIRING: Mr Dube, thank you very much for your story that you told to us.  We do sympathise with you.  I want to ask you a number of questions just to clarify a few of the things you have told us.  You told us that on that fateful day on the 26th of August you were shot by the police without any provocation.  Were you politically active?  Did the police know that you and your friend were activists?  Was that perhaps the reason why they shot you or were you just shot at random by the police?

JOHANNES DUBE: What I can say here is that we were not in a march, we were just walking.  We were from our friends, we were just about to board taxis.  We were not doing anything, not even performing any activity at the time we got injured.  We just got injured while we were walking.  They just saw a school child and just shot.

PROF MEIRING: And you do not think that you were known to the police as somebody that they were looking for, somebody that was active in politics?

JOHANNES DUBE: They did not know me.

PROF MEIRING: Thank you very much.  The second question.  You told us that your friend was shot first and then you
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were shot.  What happened to your friend, Thomas Malaza?

JOHANNES DUBE: Just repeat the question.

PROF MEIRING: I was wondering what happened to your friend, Thomas Malaza.  Was he also very seriously injured or not that injured?

JOHANNES DUBE: Could you repeat?

PROF MEIRING: Yes, I will repeat the question.  Your friend, Thomas Malaza, was he very seriously injured too or not that very much injured.

JOHANNES DUBE: He was hurt on his leg.  Fortunately he was not disabled, but he was injured.  He also went to hospital.  They took both of us together to Baragwaneth, but he was released the following day.

PROF MEIRING: Thank you very much.  Another question.  In what school standard were you when you were injured?  Was that standard eight?

JOHANNES DUBE: I was doing standard eight.

PROF MEIRING: And after that were you able to further your studies or did you not study anymore after that?