Human Rights Violation Hearings — Cradock — 1997-02-17

XOLILE DANIEL NTOZINI: They had not recognised me yet.  They just asked the ones that were walking ahead what was going on. They then opened all the car doors, I realised that they wanted to put me into the car but I wanted to run away.  I ran but I did not get home.  Another police van was chasing me and as I was going towards the township I had to change my direction and go towards the bottom of the township and I could not see the yellow car anymore.  What had happened was that this car had gone to wait for me. They put me into the van, these boers are silly, I can't remember his name well but this white policeman got into the back of the bakkie with me, he had boots on and he was stamping on my face the whole time.

MR SANDI: His name is Kitchen?

XOLILE DANIEL NTOZINI: Yes, the traffic cop took me, we were driving back to the place where they had picked me up from where the car was previously but then there were two cars and three police vans.  They told me to get off, the two other comrades were in the van, they formed a guard of honour as I was going to get off and said that I must get on a car but they didn't specify which car.  I thought that we were going to go into the detective's car but they started beating me up saying that I'm not supposed to go to where it went, they were beating me up.

MR SANDI: What were they beating you up with?

XOLILE DANIEL NTOZINI: With sjamboks, all these things that they had in their hands.

MR SANDI: Do you remember anyone amongst the people that were beating you up?

XOLILE DANIEL NTOZINI: It is the police that came with me, those are the ones that I remember.  I could not recognise the ones that were there already.

MR SANDI: So they beat you up until when?

XOLILE DANIEL NTOZINI: Until they directed me to a particular van because they could see that now I was very confused.  By the time I got into the van my upper lip was torn into two, my left eye was closed and swollen, I was bleeding in the back of the van.

MR SANDI: Where did they take you?

XOLILE DANIEL NTOZINI: They took me to the police station. I said to the other comrades that these men are not through with me, I knew that.

MR SANDI: Were you detained already?

XOLILE DANIEL NTOZINI: No they had not put us in cells yet. Then one policeman came to peep and asked why I was not taken to hospital and then they said, "Fuck him!" A detective came, he had his one hand behind him, he pretend to be saying something, meanwhile he had a sack that he put over my head.  I was bleeding.  He tied it up and then my hands were tied behind my back.  I could not see where they were taking me because I was practically blindfolded.

MR SANDI: Where were you taken to?

XOLILE DANIEL NTOZINI: I can't tell you because I could not see.

MR SANDI: So what happened where they took you?

XOLILE DANIEL NTOZINI: I was told to get off the vehicle, still being tied up, there was a dam, I think it was on a farm.  The turned me upside down and put my head in the water, an hour elapsed, I was bleeding and they were trying to drown me.  They told me to tell the truth, I tried to protect myself, trying to breath, even trying to talk but they would not take out the sack that was over my head.  They would momentarily take the sack off my head and I would breath then they would put it back and they would try to drown me yet again.  Eventually they lifted me up, I could just feel water, they put me in neck deep and started hitting me with a gun on my forehead.  I remember their voices and I could identify them, I knew which voice belonged to whom.

MR SANDI: Who do you think they were?

XOLILE DANIEL NTOZINI: Lemon was there, Tictic was there, Mr Botha was there.

MR SANDI: What happened eventually?

XOLILE DANIEL NTOZINI: They took me back to the cell. You must listen well to my statement, I had not gone home, they arrested me whilst I was walking home from court, they threw me into the cell, I was dripping wet.

MR SANDI: Had they taken off the sack?

XOLILE DANIEL NTOZINI: Yes they had taken it off.

MR SANDI: Until when were you in the cell?

XOLILE DANIEL NTOZINI: For about four to five hours.  They then told me to go home.

MR SANDI: Did you go to a doctor or a hospital?

XOLILE DANIEL NTOZINI: I tried, the doctors gave me a bit of medication and bandages.

MR SANDI: When were you going to go to court again?

XOLILE DANIEL NTOZINI: The following month.

MR SANDI: When you went back to court did you tell them what had happened to you?

XOLILE DANIEL NTOZINI: No I did not.  What would happen is that we'd go to court, we'd go on the stage, we'd talk and then we'd be taken out,  The authorities would just say we should be thrown out.

MR SANDI: Did you have an attorney?

XOLILE DANIEL NTOZINI: Our attorneys at the time were very busy, they would listen to us but then they'd say that they've got plenty cases to handle.  Our cases then had to wait.  Incidents continuously would happen, therefore our attorneys had too much work to do.

MR SANDI: Therefore you're saying that nothing was done about your case?

XOLILE DANIEL NTOZINI: No.

MR SANDI: What happened to it?

XOLILE DANIEL NTOZINI: It just stopped.

MR SANDI: So when did they stop torturing you?

XOLILE DANIEL NTOZINI: I left home, my elder brother came to fetch me because he was scared that they were just going to kill me.

MR SANDI: When was that?

XOLILE DANIEL NTOZINI: It was in 1986.

MR SANDI: Did you go back to Middelburg?

XOLILE DANIEL NTOZINI: I stayed away from home for four years.

MR SANDI: How was it when you got back?

XOLILE DANIEL NTOZINI: Things had subsided.

MR SANDI: I am sure that all this torture affected your health, as you said previously. Could you tell us please?

XOLILE DANIEL NTOZINI: I am not an epileptic person but I started suffering from epileptic fits twice.

MR SANDI: When was that?

XOLILE DANIEL NTOZINI: During 1984 and 1985.  I was working but what would happen is that these boers would go to my place of work, they would misinform my boss saying that I am very dangerous and I would lose the job, get another one and they would the same thing continuously.

MR SANDI: Until what happened?

XOLILE DANIEL NTOZINI: My boss would continuously call me asking why I'm involved with detectives and dangerous stuff and I would lose the job.

MR SANDI: Are you able to get a job now?

XOLILE DANIEL NTOZINI: I don't have a job.  I cannot get a job in Middelburg, if I am to get a job I must leave my parents and leave Middelburg.

MR SANDI: What requests do you have of the Commission?

XOLILE DANIEL NTOZINI: My first request is that the perpetrators should come with a full report to the Commission.  They think that I have not disclosed before the Commission, I want them to come here and disclose that information.
 If I could get some form of compensation as well.

MR SANDI: Otherwise you are well health wise?

XOLILE DANIEL NTOZINI: Yes overall I'm alright.

MR SANDI: Is that all you have to say?  Thank you Sir I'll hand you over to Mr Chairperson.