Human Rights Violation Hearings — Sebokeng — 1996-08-05

MR DUMA JOSHUA KHUMALO: The person who said there were children in the house, it was discovered thereafter that he was lying.  Actually it was only Mr Dhlamini who was in the house.  He was all by himself.  And it happened that the person who got killed was Mr Dhlamini.  But the Court did
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not find any evidence that was conclusive that Mr Dhlamini had been killed by certain people.  They just said he was killed by unknown people but as we were sitting in Pretoria
before sentence was passed, when we were talking together with other inmates amongst us there were two people who said they took Mr Dhlamini and put him on top of the car, but the Court didn't know anything about this and we also kept quiet.

DR RANDERA: I want to just go now to your arrest on the 5th December and then you said you were under section 29.  Now during that time, and I am specifically relating it to that time.  Your immediate arrest and being taken to Houtkop police station.  Were you tortured at all?  So at no time between your arrest ....

MR DUMA JOSHUA KHUMALO: No, I was not tortured.

DR RANDERA: ... and being released under section 29, were you tortured?

MR DUMA JOSHUA KHUMALO: No I have never been assaulted except that I was verbally tortured and verbally abused.

DR RANDERA: My third question is related to your statement again and the treatment by medical personnel.  Do you want to say something about that?

MR DUMA JOSHUA KHUMALO: Could you please repeat the question.

DR RANDERA: In your statement you talk about doctors belittling you and a particular doctor at Leeuwkop prison and the treatment that he gave to you.

MR DUMA JOSHUA KHUMALO: The first thing, it happened when I got to the death row.  I had pimples and when I went to see the doctor he asked me what was the use for him to give me treatment.  It is not a fashion parade here, I have just
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come to die.  Then thereafter I even stopped washing up because I knew I was going to die so there was absolutely no use for me to do anything to better myself.  Then after some time I started washing up and becoming clean.  When we got to Leeuwkop, when we were two to three days in Leeuwkop we were taken into the hospital one after the other.  Others came back crying.  Then when I got in there we found that this person was having a hand glove and he would stick his finger right up our anuses.

DR RANDERA: Duma, you were paroled on the 10th July 1991 so that means that what you were sentenced for, I know you were reprieved from death row and then you were sentenced again.  Does that charge still remain, are you still on your record book, you and the other five are still charged with the murder of Councillor Dhlamini, that hasn't been cleared off the record book.  Am I right?

MR DUMA JOSHUA KHUMALO: I was surprised when I was sentenced now.  They didn't talk about any previous convictions that I had so I was very surprised.

DR RANDERA: Thank you very much.

MS JOY SEROKE: After you had been released, after you had gone back to Vereeniging did you go to the Dhlamini family or did you ever meet them?

MR DUMA JOSHUA KHUMALO: Yes, there was a person who said he wanted me to meet them but there was a problem in that.  Because when the children talk to people about what happened they don't say their father died because of burning, they said their father parted with their mother and they grew up with relatives.

MS JOY SEROKE: If you could meet them what was the purpose, did you want to clarify the issues, did you want to clear
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your name?   What was the reason behind wanting to meet the Dhlamini family?