Human Rights Violation Hearings — Moutse — 1996-12-04

JOB NDALANDA: In 1986, it was in April at 12 o'clock in the evening a car came to my house in the evening.  They knocked at the door, they said I am Nkosana.  I said what is happening Nkosana, they said to me they sent me to come and collect you.  The Mbcoto is outside.  They said I should come to your house to collect you, they want us in Kwaggafontein B.  I asked him what are we going to do there, he said I don't know.  I woke up, we got into the car, the Cressida.  Around the corner we saw many cars.  This car followed us.  We arrived at Kwaggafontein B.  This plan is called Magasine.  We found many people there.  We sat on the chairs.  They asked me why are we not helping them.  I asked them helping with what.  We don't know this Mbcoto.  They
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asked us some questions and they ended up saying to me, you follow James Mahlangu and you don't want to listen to us the way they wanted us. They said they were going to burn the comrades if they don't listen to them.  They released us, they didn't do anything to us that day.  We went back home.  On the 12th June 1986, it was about 9 to 10 in the morning, I was working at the office of the tribal authority.  I went out, I was going to buy some bread at the cafe.  I saw many people running away, I asked them what is happening, they said Mbcoto is coming.  I entered one yard.  The sister who was there opened for me and I told her that Mbcoto is coming and we looked through the window.  Many people were running.  I thought I was hiding myself but I realised that I was playing.  After some few minutes these cars came back again, they entered the yard.  There was a certain father called Stephans Nkosana.  He asked this sister and said who is Job.  They entered the house where I was hiding, it was dark.  The other one said bring a torch and they found me behind a bucket of washing.  They assaulted this sister, they asked her why are you hiding this boy.  They said what are you running away from.  They started assaulting me with sjamboks and iron bars.  They put me inside a van.  While I was still waiting with them another sister came to the (indistinct).  They started assaulting her but she died.  They started assaulting people around the village and two Cressidas passed us and some Skylines and then we were following them.  One was still inside a village.  We found some of them assaulting an eight days child.  They also found another old woman, the whole day I was looking, experiencing this.  We went to block E and F.  When we arrived at F this Skyline was in front of us. We were driving a Toyota Dyna.  Many
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people started running because they realised it was dangerous.  That day there was nothing in our area because they started attacking us and they started firing at block F. They shot at one boy and he fell down.  And then our car turned to block F again inside and the other guy fell to (indistinct) house.  We went to block G and that is where they started shooting.  People were dying, some were running, some were being assaulted.  They said to me you are no longer going back home we are taking you along with us, it is over with you.  I wanted to jump out of the van.  They stopped somewhere.  All the Mbcoto guys were there.  That is where I saw Majozi Mahlangu started shooting.  They were wearing balaclavas and they removed those balaclavas.  I also saw Minister Piet Makawa.  From there soldiers were standing at the gate when Mbcoto was coming to attack us.  The time they were assaulting us they were following from behind watching what was happening.  They asked me a question who is the leader of the comrades, I said I don't know.  They said you are supporting Jim's government.  they started beating me up again.  After that, after we were waiting there I saw one guy who was shot on the throat but I don't know the person and then fell outside the van.  I saw many vehicles burning.   Police arrived on the scene, they said they were coming from Pretoria.  When these police arrived Minister Makawe and the others opened the cars and took out their guns and put the guns inside Brig Van Niekerk's car.  That was a Skyline.  And Brig Van Niekerk took those guns and the others ran away and were left there being injured and this police came to us and asked us why are they assaulting you, why are they beaing you up.  We said we don't know.  I had an operation.  They kicked us up,
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I didn't know what I did to them.  From there the police said to us you people who have been injured come this side.  They came to us.  They said we should go to Dr Mahamba.  Dr Mahamba removed some bullet pellets from the eyes.  He also gave me tablets.  When I arrived at home I found that my mother had been assaulted.  She was in hospital and another pregnant woman was in hospital, she was also assaulted.  I slept in the morning, I woke up and went to town to consult a doctor.  On Monday I went to Kwaggafontein police station to open a docket, to lay a charge against the police and they said I should go back, they will come to me to inform me when the case is on.  While I was still at home Father Mulapu came to my place and by a kombi we were taken to Seobuswa.  We went to Pretoria to take some statements and these police from Pretoria came in 1986 to investigate.  They left.  We were never called.  In 1987 early March I was at work in my office.  One policeman came.  I was driving a four wheel drive.  He greeted me, he said he wanted Job.  I said I am Job.  He said he was sent by the government in Kwamhlanga to come and look at your statement if it is all right.  I read the statement.  I said this statement is all right.  When he came to me he said he is Jaga, he didn't tell me the real surname.  He came back again, he asked me can you be able to point out the people who assaulted you.  I said yes.  This thing happened during daylight.  We waited the whole of 1987.  In 1988 I became ill.  In 1989 they started investigating the case again.  He came back again with Pretorius and Van Schalkwyk.  They found me at home, he greeted me, he asked me if I remember him.  I said yes I know you.  I said are you Jaga.  He said no I am not Jaga, I told you lies I am Stemmet.  I said no I don't know
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Stemmet.  He gave me his police cards. The day he came to me they didn't have beards.  I took out his photo, I realised that it was the person who came to me.  I asked him why did you do that, he said he was sent, I am working.  We found that he made another statement alone. When we arrived in Pretoria they read the statement to me and I said this is not the statement which I have given to this man and the signature does not belong to me.  They have written it in another way.  I said I didn't say this.  All what is in this statement is not true.  In 1989 we waited to be called.  In 1990 again we waited, in 1991 in February they came to tell me that I was wanted in the Supreme Court in Pretoria.  I went to the Supreme Court.  I found that on the list which was written by these people my name was not there.  I asked them why are you calling me here when my name does not appear on the list and then Stemmet said this is the guy who we are looking for.  There were some other witnesses and I was one of the witnesses.  At the end the senior prosecutor said I accept your statement and it is true.  After that there was no case about this until today.

MS SEROKE: Mr Ndalanda during that time you said you were working for the tribal authority.  What were you doing there?

JOB NDALANDA: I was a tribal police.

MS SEROKE: You were with the tribal police?

JOB NDALANDA: Yes.

MS SEROKE: You say when they came to you in April they asked you why don't you join Mbcoto and I said I don't know what Mbcoto is.  What were the reasons?