Human Rights Violation Hearings — Empangeni — 1996-11-06

KHOZA MGOJO: Even if we can approach the Truth Commission and do everything in our power, there's a lot more we still have to do.  There is the cleansing of the nation.  Those of you who are quite of age they know that once you kill one person there is always that desire to kill more.  Well, you have to be cured, because if you don't get cured you can finish the nation.  I think after the Truth Commission has run its course they must set some committees whereby there will be the cleansing of the nation.  These people need to be cleansed so that that animosity, as well as that hatred that exists in people's minds as well as people's hearts will make them continue killing more and more people.  People are behaving in a mad fashion.  They have not yet been cleansed, because they have not yet come forward to relate their stories as perpetrators and as to why the committed these evil crimes.
 Secondly, I want you to know that our enemy is the third force.  It is usually denied, but I shall continue saying that our enemy is the third force.  The third force is using our people.  They are the oppressed people.  They are unemployed and most of them can be bought off or bribed with money so that they can commit these evil deeds.  So I wish that those who are present have taken cognisance of the fact that the violence has not solved anything.  Instead it has caused so much anguish amongst a lot of families because many family members have died and there is absolutely no explanation or reason for such behaviour.  We are all suffering but we are killing each other.  Other nations are at peace with themselves and with each other and now we ask ourselves questions as to why are we killing each other.  The most pathetic part of this violent situation is that the youth or most of the youth were involved in the struggle and now Steve Biko's philosophy of black consciousness was lost in the midst of this violence.  We need to revisit, as well as recapture that because, as a suffering and repressed nation, we should be hardly closer together, instead of letting ourselves be divided by the third force.  
 I am very appreciative of the fact that all of you are here.  You have heard, you have seen and I think you have taken notice of the things that were said.  All political groups have killed and all claim that they were protecting themselves.  Unity is strength.  That's when the truth will come out as to what was happening.  To quote someone else who spoke was that we should have a new attitude towards the police, because we are now having a government of national unity, in such a way that you can tell a policeman that this is not procedural.  People like us, for instance myself, I am with policemen.  I've never before associated myself with police.  I used to hate police, because there was always a stigma attached to their behaviour and their characters and they had a terrible past, but now that there's a new Government in power we should try by all means to work hand in hand with the police and the police should make serious attempts to clear their names, because of the deeds of the past.  Lastly, many of the police that killed people are occupying high positions today in the Police Force.  They are warrant-officers and behind the scenes they are just plain murderers, so we, as the Truth Commission, should try by all means and approach the Government, tell the Government that people are complaining, people are suffering.  They have lost their family members.  Some do not even have maintenance, as well as places to stay, but the police and the perpetrators of the evil deeds of the past are comfortably well off.  They are with their families.  They are getting large sums of money as their salaries.  And I want to tell you, as you are looking at me now, that you should make a commitment that you will never kill.  You have seen the atrocities of the past.  You have heard the consequences of such atrocities.  You have seen the evil that has happened.  I urge you to recapture your humanity and stop behaving like animals.  I expect you to spread this word and encourage other people to also come forward and relate their stories.  We are prepared to listen to them, because everybody wants to hear the truth about what happened in the past.  There are some who have not appeared to give evidence, because they are scared for their lives.  Some who have appeared, it's very apparent that they are scared also.  Now, we shall close.  We are going to sing the National Anthem, because we should have failed the nation if we do not sing the National Anthem.
NATIONAL ANTHEM SUNG
PROCEEDINGS ADJOURNED
/TRANSCRIBER'S