Amnesty Hearings — Cape Town — 1999-10-20

CHAIRPERSON: Yes, Mr Grootboom thank you.  You are excused from giving further evidence.
WITNESS EXCUSED

CHAIRPERSON: Ms Patel, is there any other evidence which you wish to tender?

MS PATEL: Thank you honourable Chairperson, not on the merits of the case, however Mr Tarentaal would like to place something on record.  He is Afrikaans speaking.

CHAIRPERSON: Yes.

MS PATEL: (Microphone not on)

CHAIRPERSON: Yes, you will have to.  I will administer the oath to him in any event.  We will see what his statement entails.

MS PATEL: Okay.

CHAIRPERSON: Mr Tarentaal, just switch on your microphone.  Would you stand please.  Give your full names for the record.

HEINRICH MARTIN TARENTAAL: Heinrich Martin Tarentaal.

HEINRICH MARTIN TARENTAAL: (sworn states)

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you, please be seated.  All right, you want to deal with it?

MS PATEL: Thank you honourable Chairperson.  Mr Tarentaal, you may proceed with what you have to say.

HEINRICH MARTIN TARENTAAL: Chairperson and members, thank you for this opportunity where we can talk and get rid of some issues of the past and can build and try and shape a new vision for a new society.   I would like to make use of this opportunity to just sketch what the consequences of this incident on me personally were and to mention this to the Amnesty Committee.   The applicant in this matter, I share his sentiments and I have some sympathy with it and he succeeded in what he tried to achieve.  The incident at the police station in which I was directly involved, effected me as follows - at the time that I was left alone in the police station without any of my colleagues being with me and with only the members occupying the police station present, I was afraid.  I felt threatened, I had been threatened by members of the crowd and I was more afraid at the stage where I was asked to hand over my firearm.  I did it because I was afraid of attacks and further trouble.   I was also requested to hand over the keys for the safe, the firearm safe, but I avoided handing over the keys, I said I did not possess the key.  At that stage my fear was exacerbated because I was actually in possession of the keys, but I subtly hid the keys on my person, I hid them in my boots.   I was very emotional during this period, it took about five hours.  It lasted for five hours, but it felt like eternity at that stage.   After this incident, I was very depressed and I had no powers of concentration for some time.  I experienced some psychological emotions, but I did not receive any psychological treatment and I was never assisted by my employer, the South African Police, in this regard at all.   As a result of my poor powers of concentration, I couldn't perform my police tasks fully and I was regarded as a problem for the Police Service and specifically for the Oudtshoorn Commissioner's office, Col Maree of that office.  He regarded me as a problem and transferred me to Bellville South.  My representations against my transfer were ignored, even Col Barkhuizen victimised me and he mentioned to me that I had been with this group who had occupied the police station and that was the reason why I came off virtually scott-free and did not suffer any physical assault at the hands of the attackers.  My relationship with the community also caused further questions to be raised by my employers, because they were all white people, my superiors.   Because the area in which I worked, in Bellville, was larger than in Oudtshoorn and there was a lot more criminal activity, I often had to deal with gang related activities and I applied to be retransferred back to Dysselsdorp.   Once again this was refused.   The police forced me to ask for a discharge or to take discharge from the Police Force and I had to do that in November of 1993.   At times I still experience these emotions, especially when I drive passed the police station or when I have any contact with the police station.  I am trying to involve myself in community police activities to try and come to terms with these memories and emotions, because I never received any psychological assistance and I was never placed on any psychological programme, I tried to motivate myself, to try and persuade myself to rehabilitee myself.   This I did by becoming more involved in the community of Dysselsdorp and the first step I took in that direction, was when myself and the applicant, Mr Grootboom served on the same committee, the Management Committee of the Dysselsdorp Community Action Group.  Currently I am the Chairperson of the Taxi Association and of the Women's Project Committee of Dysselsdorp, I am also a Sunday School teacher, I am the Deputy Chairperson of the Land Claims Committee of the Dysselsdorp area and by moving in this direction, and taking all these steps, I have rehabilitated myself and I believe that after today we will be able to close the book on the past, to erase it.  Vague recollections will obviously still be carried in our hearts, but I believe that ultimately these memories will be erased completely.   Because I believe in forgive and forget, and to carry on and to do something new, a new future, then I believe if you have made a mistake in the past, you have to acknowledge it and ask for forgiveness and then start afresh and not constantly hark back to the past and to be confronted by mistakes in the past, and it is as a result of this, and this attitude of mine, that I never even considered to oppose the applicant's application.  Thank you Chairperson.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you Mr Tarentaal.

MS PATEL: Thank you honourable Chairperson, that is all.
NO FURTHER QUESTIONS BY MS PATEL

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you Ms Patel.  Mr Williams, do you have any questions?

MR WILLIAMS: I have no questions.
NO CROSS-EXAMINATION BY MR WILLIAMS

CHAIRPERSON: Does the Panel have anything?  Thank you very much.  Thank you Mr Tarentaal.  You are excused.
WITNESS EXCUSED

CHAIRPERSON: Does that conclude the further testimony?

MS PATEL: It indeed does, thank you honourable Chairperson.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you very much.  Mr Williams, do you have any submissions on the merits of your client's application?