Human Rights Violation Hearings — Durban — 1996-08-29

WITNESS:   When I was still working as a domestic we got rumour that there were certain open stands which we could buy for building.  I went and got the stand.  I stayed with my children in the shack.  It was a small tent.  Then thereafter there was a development of the Urban Foundation which built us houses.  I went to the Urban Foundation to put my name that I wanted a house, and I ultimately got the house.  And at a certain time we were told that they wanted to establish a certain residents' committee, and I was also chosen to be a member of the committee for that particular place.  Throughout that time I was working.  I would wake up in the morning at six, leave my home, and come back at six in the evening, and I was always commuting to and from work.  And on a certain day we were called to a meeting of the committee.  It was at night, and I went to that meeting.  When I got to the meeting I was told that there was a certain ground where certain youths, UDF youths, were conducting meetings.

MRS GCABASHE: What was the name of the ground?

WITNESS:   Just at the end of that area where the shacks are, where they call it "mshayi aziyaphe"(?).  They told us that we should accost these children who were conducting meetings, and that was the resolution that was taken at the meeting.  Thereafter I continued going to work.  One day at night whilst I was sleeping already I heard a knock from one of the neighbours.  It was Mr Masikhane.  He was co-parishioner.  We attended church with him.  When he got in he told me that he saw my son amongst the UDF youths who were conducting a meeting, and he told us that if I wanted my child I should go and look because they had been assaulted.  And he warned me not to tell anybody that he had told me that.  I stayed for quite a few days and my son was not coming back home, and I was somehow scared to go and look for him, but I went away and I looked for him but could not get him.  I came back home, and I had to go back to work.  I would go to work at six in the morning, come back at six in the evening. How many days did you spend looking for your son?   ---   That was two days.  Then on a certain day I just saw him coming.  He had been assaulted severely.  I took him to doctors for treatment.

MRS GCABASHE: Which doctor did you take him to?

WITNESS:   I took him to my employer's doctor.  I was working for Mrs van Beuke.  He got better with time.  Then on a certain night whilst we were sleeping, it was in the middle of the night, I heard some stones being thrown on the roof.

MRS GCABASHE: Which year was that?

WITNESS:   That was in 1985.  I heard some noise, and the roof was being pelted with stones.  As that was still happening I saw something hitting the window, and my bed was just next to the window, and something was poured.  It looked like water.  It was poured inside the bedroom, and it started taking fire.  My house now was on fired, and we ran into the dining-room.  As we were still standing there my house was installed with burglar guards.  We just saw some fire coming from beneath the door, and I managed to extinguish that fire.  When we peeped through the window I saw a group of people outside, and they were yelling at me to come out of the house.  They were screaming at me to come out.

MRS GCABASHE: Was Xolani there?

WITNESS:   Yes, Xolani was inside the house.  And Xolani told me to open the door because they wanted him.  I opened the door, but I did not open the burglar door, and when I peeped through I saw a group of people who were standing outside.  And he directed me to open the burglar door so that he could go out, because he knew they wanted him.  I opened and he skipped and he went out.  Just as he went out they surrounded him, and I was able to go out, and I was wearing only a nightdress.  There was a five-year-old child in the house.  I don't know how that child escaped.  The name of the child is Sithembiso.

MRS GCABASHE: So in the house it was yourself, Sithembiso and Xolani.

WITNESS:   Yes, that is correct.  I got a chance to escape.  I fell, and I picked myself out and started running.  As I was running in the road I saw this car moving slowly, and to me it seemed as if this person was looking at this burning house, and he called out to me and asked me who I was, and he asked me whether this was my house that was burning.  I confirmed that, and he said that he should take me to the police station.  He took me to Entabeni Police Station.  I was still wearing my nightdress.  I went to report the matter to the police.  The policeman who spoke to me told me that my house had been burnt down because my son was a member of the UDF, and I was being told by this policeman.  I don't know who this policeman was.  I don't know his name.

MRS GCABASHE: Do you remember who took you to the police station?

WITNESS:   No, I do not know the person who took me to the police station.  He just picked me up and left me there.  The policeman told me that my house had been burnt down because my son was a member of the UDF, and I told the policeman to accompany me so that we could go and see whether there wasn't anything we could salvage.  He pulled out a sheet that had a list of names, male names, and when I looked through this paper I saw my child's name.  It was third on the list.

MRS GCABASHE: Were there any other names that you recognised?

WITNESS:   No.  I think they were his friends, but at that time I was still very shattered so I did not take notice of any.  The police refused to take me back to my place up until morning.  I was wearing a nightdress only, and I was naked until the policemen for the morning shift came in.  When the morning shift came they asked, "What is this naked woman doing here in the police station?"  The morning shift police took me home, and when I got home there was only debris of the house that was burnt down.  There was absolutely nothing at that time, no doors, no windows, just the naked walls.  When I looked outside I saw my little suitcase which was on top of the wardrobe in my bedroom.  I saw certain letters that indicated that the suitcase was opened, and my reference book was in there.

MRS GCABASHE: Did you house burn down completely?

WITNESS:   Yes, it burnt down completely.  When I looked at the suitcase apparently they wanted to use the suitcase to take some of my possessions, because the suitcase was not burnt.

MRS GCABASHE: What about Xolani and Sithembiso?

WITNESS:   I don't know where Xolani and Sithembiso went to.  When we came back they asked me as to where they should drop me off.  I was scared.  I did not know where I should go.  I said they must leave me along the road to Ntuzuma.  They put me - dropped me off along the road to Ntuzuma.

MRS GCABASHE: Then you met Makhiya.  As I was still sitting on the stone there I could not walk because I was almost naked, only wearing my nightdress, and there's a certain woman who came to me and asked me as to what the matter was.  Then she went away back to her home to get me something to wear.  She brought me a skirt and she took me to her place.

MRS GCABASHE: What I Makhiya's surname?

WITNESS:   Makhiya is the  surname.

MRS GCABASHE: Do you still remember the house number?

WITNESS:   No, she was staying in a shack.

MRS GCABASHE: Is she still alive even today?