Human Rights Violation Hearings — Tembisa — 1996-11-26

HENRY RAMAHUTA: I was a student at the high school, then it so happened that some of the students were abducted from their homes.  It was in 1982.  Their disappearance caused that there be no one to establish the SRC at school.  So because I was present at that time at school it so happened that I was one of them who were there to establish the SRC.  I was not that active in politics.
 As time passed by it happened that some of us who helped the SRC got arrested.  Then they could not come to school.  We didn't write our exams at school.  Some did go to school to write their exams.  The policemen got into the school yard accusing us that we prevented others from writing their exams.  It didn't just end there.  
 It happened that we have a cooperation with the teachers at school because they could see there was no way we could find help or assistance.  I chose to be a class representative and to be elected to the SRC.  We could not manage to have cooperation with the students.  Then the policemen arrested us.  They didn't shoot at us when they arrested us.  
 The next year we attended school well and wrote exams.  Those who were arrested were excused for not causing riots or violence at the schools.  In 1984 this was when they got arrested.  They were arrested together with those who were arrested the following year.  When I was arrested and taken 
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to Olifants they could not jail us, even the cells at that prison were for one prisoner in a cell.  So those who worked there were in collaboration with the policemen then the senior policeman who had the jurisdiction within Tembisa were from Kempton Park.  From there we established a school organisation within the location together with those who didn't attend school.  Unfortunately there were those who collaborated with the policemen, then we got arrested.  However, we were released after some time thereafter.
 We left for Botswana.  In Botswana there was one who was driving a horse truck saying that he has seen people along the route to Botswana.  Then they found that some of us have already hidden themselves.  One of us didn't attend school and then pointed us out and told the police where we were going, then they had to bring out evidence.  They said I would be the State witness.  
 We did spend three days in Botswana, three days and three nights.  We were interrogated.  We were given papers to write down facts that they wanted.  There were about a pile of papers where we were requested to write everything.  After having read those statements they said we wrote what they didn't want.  They gave us another pile of papers to write everything that we knew.  They told us to give the names of those we have met and those who have given us money to join the ANC.  The person who was in our company didn't have the evidence why, or rather good facts why he joined the ANC, so they took him so that he could be their informer.  When we arrived at this prison there were already others who were arrested, so we knew them.  We were taken altogether and arrested, but we refused to go along with them.  When we refused they talked to the villagers saying 
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that we are from other places and we are infiltrating their villages.  When they were arrested they accepted to be the police informers.
 During interrogation we were taken to the magistrates.  We didn't write statements, however they took us to the magistrates.  They wanted us to write down everything we knew or take the oath.  It was during the night now we got amazed if these people who work with the government or the police why do they work during the night, but it was necessary that with whom did we have discussions and what happened until we were arrested, because one of us said that he came to Tembisa and he met me and I introduced him to some of the people.  What he said I didn't accept it.  So ultimately I accepted that I know this person.  They never tortured him, they didn't interrogate him like they did to us.  We were more equal in age so this policeman who came in to interrogate us they just said to me I must just speak the truth and tell them why I did such acts and who sent me there.  When I came there I didn't respond to their questions.  Now since I didn't respond to their questions I said to them my parents are not here so I must just cooperate with them.  When we arrived at the maximum prison actually from court they sent me for detention saying that they haven't finished dealing with me.  I must just spill all the facts to them so that they can deal with the comrades.  
 Meanwhile UDF had just been established so we didn't know now that we are arrested how we are going to deal with the UDF what they must not do and what they must do.  Because those people who were in our company at that time knew nothing.  They separated us and took us to different 
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places.  They moved us from Messina asking us what our requests were.  I said to them because I was still at school I wanted to complete my studies, that was my request.  Then they said I am a hard nut.  Now they handcuffed me and my legs were cuffed.  They handed me over to a group of security policemen.  There they assaulted me doing whatever they liked saying to me I must just spill the beans, accept that the person who was in my company we had intention to join the ANC with him.  When we arrived at this policeman  they took me alone and interrogated me, but my friend they didn't take with.  They handed me over then to one senior policeman and he said he would take me to the district surgeon.  
 Whilst in that office being there alone they came back in a group.  They used a chain to fasten my hands and saying that I didn't want to speak the truth.  They came one by one and then it transpired that one of them didn't know me, he just knew me at face value. He just knew from school and he just knew my name, that was all.  When they arrived at the security police the police said they will take over now, they will deal with us.  They sent us here to Tembisa.
 Here in Tembisa they know us quite well.  It transpired that they had small card photos.  Then they discovered that one of us is not resident here.  I don't know how my photo cropped up amongst those.  Where did they take the photo from.  They said here in Rabasoto Police Station in Tembisa they can identify these people.  However, we will be released quite soon.  When we arrived here we found that we were not protected, every time when they come they another group and then they would come to ask about these people from us after they have released them.  We didn't know them 
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because they were from other locations.  It so happened that I went to school with one of them who was arrested at one time.  Then after a week when we arrived there they showed us their offices and said we must visit these offices regularly.  We got arrested then.  Whilst they were assaulting us they could see that we were not protected and the security police, who were Black men, asked from us if we are the ones who bring violence in the location and we burn people with fire around the locations here. These White policemen upon hearing this said these Black policemen cannot speak in such a manner about us if they didn't know us and our activities.  That is when we got tortured.
 We were brought here during the night and tortured.  They would take us home and the next time bring us back to Kempton Park where we were tortured again.  It happened that at Kempton Park the policemen there didn't have our names.  They took us from Olifants, even at Olifants Prison the cells there are very small or few in numbers. They don't have the same working procedures like those in Kempton Park.  Whilst asking us questions we had to sign some documents so that we appear before the court.  We were told that if you do not sign these documents we would be jailed where Mandela was jailed for the rest of our lives.  They used a chain to fasten my hands behind my back. This chain had some padlocks. Then they started cutting our fingernails with a pair of pliers, telling us we must speak the truth or our parents will never see us.  
 En route from this prison, because I was a student, they thought that I must be exemplary to the others who were arrested with me so that they could see how they deal with people like myself.  Because I could no longer handle what 
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they were doing to me I asked them for what reasons are we jailed, because they don't even lay charges against us.  They said now I begin to ask a lot of questions.  They didn't stop there.  
 The following week there was a state of emergency around.  They arrested others, asked them about their colleagues.  A lot of people when they got arrested would be asked about their leaders and people who assisted them with motor vehicles for transportation during the night so that those who don't know what happened must just spill the beans, say all activities that they are involved in.  Because I was a student I knew nothing about these things.  When this comrade thing was established those who were chosen had lists of people who were activists then when they got arrested they would be arrested for a week and be released afterwards.  What happened in this case that this one who was with us told them names of people who assisted us, however he was not elected to be in the committee.  Then he told them about committees within the township.
 Whilst torturing us they found out that there is nothing important I could tell them about people they were asking me of.  It was therefore difficult for them to find out others who were comrades.  When they released us from this place I didn't know even about students who were taken to Modderbee.  They released us and said they must find the truth about us first.  
 When we arrived at this place where they sent us we met senior security policemen.  The same day they took one of us to point out what we did and what happened along the route to Botswana, but it happened that we didn't meet each other.  We were brought in at different intervals.  Some of the 
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comrades didn't accept the task that was given to them by the comrades who were arrested with them so they didn't mention such important facts, they were taken to Modderbee.