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

CHAIRPERSON: Okay, that will also be followed up because you have said that you applied for the disability grant and it was refused.  We shall also follow that and see how far can we go.  Professor Magwaza?

PROF MAGWAZA: Mr Nqoi, I have just a few questions to as.  Firstly, relating to the event, who else was assaulted and died at that day?  Was it just your son? Just only your son?

WITNESS:   Unfortunately I would say to you if you're a parent after you've heard what had happened, it's very difficult to look around.  You only concentrate to what affects you in particular.  You only look - you only concentrate to your child and I would not tell about other people who were assaulted or killed on that day.  I can only testify about my child.

PROF MAGWAZA: What I'm trying to say is what was happening in  that particular day?  What was happening because some times if there's a happening, there are many people at one time and many people can be assaulted at one particular day in that particular event.

WITNESS:   What I can explain is that during at that time it's true that there are many incidences, there are many things which are happening in the township but when you get a message that your own child is affected in a negative way, it is difficult to try to look around and who is affected again.

PROF MAGWAZA: Okay, thank you.  The second question is I think while interested to give as much help as we can to your sone, can you just give us a more detailed information about his condition.  I will ask the question.  How many attacks does he have per week.  Say, per week, are the daily, are they weekly, are they monthly?

WITNESS:   I think he is attacked three times per month by this epilepsy but I would not be sure how many times per week.  But three times per month he's affected by this epilepsy.

PROF MAGWAZA: Then you said he gets treatment from hospital.  When he gets these tablets from hospital do they help to prevent the attacks?

WITNESS:   The way I discussed this thing with this specialist in Bloemfontein he changed his prescription after I told him that the tablets are not helping him.  Then the thing is he must eat first and then thereafter he must take the tablets.  Then if I'm not working what would my son eat.  We only wait for my children that at month end they should send something because any time when he's supposed to take tablets he must have food first. So you are saying that sometimes he doesn't take tablets because there is no food?   ---   What I'm saying is that the thrust of these tablets is that they should be supported by the food.  In our discussions is that they should give him this disability grant so that he should food all the time before he takes his prescription.  But I like that he should get nutritious food so that this would help the tablets to prevent these fits.

PROF MAGWAZA: You also mentioned that sometimes he does some work.  What type of work does he do, or what type of work can he do?

WITNESS:   The kind of work he's able to do is he would only push the wheelbarrow from one place to the other and try to clean the garden and then all the time I'm always supervising him because I feel that all the time he might be affected.  He may fall any time and then I should always be there to help him.

PROF MAGWAZA: If your son had enough food and he was on treatment and he was getting a disability grant, do you think he could work in a way where is protected, the work - some work that was not dangerous?

WITNESS:   The problem is - the way I want to supervise is that no way he would try to do a risky work.  He won't be able to do a normal work like any other person.  He won't be able to board the truck.  Let me put is in this way.  In the Coke company or in the beer company he won't be able to carry heavy things because he might be affected, you know, by the epilepsy in that risky work.  So I don't trust that he would be able to work any more in his life.

PROF MAGWAZA: The other thing I wanted to ask is you also said he's mentally disturbed.  What do you mean when you say  - when you said he was mentally disturbed did you mean epilepsy or do you mean something else?  In your statement you said he was mentally disturbed.

WITNESS:   When I say he's mentally disturbed is when you ask him a question you would find him that he's lost his memory.  He would find himself nowhere then you could see that this person has a problem.  He takes more time before he can answer your question.

PROF MAGWAZA: Thank you very much, Mr Nqoi.  This is a very difficult situation for you.  We as the Commission, we appreciate your strength.  You are a very strong person having come forward and to relate to us such a painful story.  At the same time we also appreciate that your son is very young.  I'm asking these questions because I'm trying to find out if there's any other way we can help your son for the forthcoming years, so many of them, to be able to do something that will be meaningful to him, even if he was getting a grant.  How else can we help him to lead a life that is better than what he's living now?  Whatever you've said to us we're going to have noted it and we're also going to try and see how we can help with regard to treatment and payment of the treatment.  Brother, at this point I would like to ask you one question.  How much money are you spending on treatment for your son?  Are you paying every time you go to the doctor?

WITNESS:   What I would say my problem is, my child - they have talked that we should not pay a cent because they say there's no way he can pay under those conditions where he finds himself.  He goes freely to collect the tablets all the time.  Then he drinks them according to the directions.  Then after eating he  will take those tablets.  But I don't know how to put this.  It's so difficult to explain the conditions of my child that how long is he going to keep on taking these tablets?  But this  ... (inaudible) ... at this age.  He takes more tablets and this creates a problem to me.  That is why I'm here to find out as whether is there any way he can be helped to stop taking these pills.

PROF MAGWAZA: Okay, thank you very much, Mr Nqoi.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you, Regina Gcabashe?

MRS GCABASHE: Mr Nqoi, I have just one question.  I don't know if I did understand you well when you say it's a doctor who said he won't be able to get this grant because he was not injured.  Do you know the name of the doctor?

WITNESS:   What I would say is I don't know the hospital's conditions by it's the specialist who comes right from Bloemfontein.  It's a woman doctor is the one who said that I should make some investigations as to whether how can he get this disability.  But this paper which has come from Pretoria shows that this thing is disapproved.  So if it comes back, then I said who is going to process this application.

MRS GCABASHE: Did you try to take this case to the Welfare Department?

WITNESS:   No, I didn't go to the Welfare Department.

MRS GCABASHE: Maybe that would help if you may go and negotiate with the Welfare people.  I thank you, Sir.

CHAIRPERSON: Mdu Dlamini?

MR DLAMINI: Mr Nqoi, just for record purposes according to your statement you did not report the matter to the police nor lay a charge.  Is that right?