Human Rights Violation Hearings — Pietermaritzburg — UNKNOWN

FAITH MBATHA: And your daughter looks more like her father.  I would like you, Faith, to relate to us about something before the 7th of February 1992.  Just tell us, give us an overview of what happened before that day, before the 7th of February of 1992.

WITNESS:  I would like to relate from back to 1985.  This was before I was married to Sikhumbuso.  I was staying next door Abdul Awetha.  He was staying at No 1630 and my home was at No 1631.  I think he was a member of the UDF, and all these things happening at Imbali at home they knew that I was involved with Sikhumbuso.  At home we were not belonging to any organisation, even though Sikhumbuso belonged to UDF.

FAITH MBATHA: When you say "at home" you refer Shange family?

WITNESS:  Yes, I mean Shange.  At that time at Awetha's family a petrol bomb was thrown, and after that the Awetha family came to my house and shot, and they shot at my bedroom.  I just can't remember if it was in 1984 or '85.  And then as times goes on they told us to move, because even at home they were getting hard time because they said I was involved with Sikhumbuso.  At that time Sikhumbuso was being detained, released, detained, and there was a time when Sikhumbuso was arrested from station one, and they hit him and they took him to a kombi.  They went with him to Awetha's house.

FAITH MBATHA: Who was beating Sikhumbuso?

WITNESS:   Jerome Mncwabe.  Jerome Mncwabe was one of the people who were beating Sikhumbuso.  I heard that they beat him, and they were beating him, hanging him upside-down.  It went on and on.  Sikhumbuso was being arrested.

FAITH MBATHA: You said Sikhumbuso - we want to know exactly if Sikhumbuso went to the police and reported the matter that Jerome is one of the people who hit him?  Did he report?  Did Sikhumbuso report this matter to the police about Jerome Mncwabe and Awetha?

WITNESS:   Yes, because at this time, at Awetha's time, one policeman came and told Awetha that they were going to be arrested if they continue doing this.  The police took Sikhumbuso to Edendale Hospital, and there was no one paying much attention to him.  The doctors were not paying attention to him.  No one was paying attention until my mother came the next morning and asked why was the nurses and doctors not paying attention to Sikhumbuso.  This case - here is Sikhumbuso, and Sikhumbuso has been beaten up, and why was Sikhumbuso arrested instead of Jerome Mncwabe, because he was the one who was being beaten.  They said he was hitting the buses, throwing stones at the buses.

FAITH MBATHA: Did he do this?

WITNESS:   No, he didn't.

FAITH MBATHA: Continue with this.

WITNESS:   After that Sikhumbuso was detained.  At this time that was the time he was paying lobola at my home, and then he was only out for a while and we never stayed together for a long time.  In 1988, when he was detained, and they went on hunger strike, he was released in 1989, and that's when we got married.  After that I was pregnant and I - my home was attacked and Sikhumbuso wasn't there, he was in Swaziland.  He said there was things to take care of.  And we wake up because we heard guns.  And I had a baby and Mabhuye was still very young.

FAITH MBATHA: This was in 1990?

WITNESS:   Yes, it was in 1990.

FAITH MBATHA: Who was attacking you?

WITNESS:   We didn't see, but we just thought it was Inkatha.  We went out and then we ran, because we had already fixed our house, our fence, so that we can be able to run away if we are being attacked.  And then we tried to call police.  Police came soon, but they didn't do anything.  They left.

FAITH MBATHA: Where were they coming from, these policemen?  Were they SAP or Zulu Police?

WITNESS:   They were SAP.

FAITH MBATHA: In 1989 we stayed peacefully, even though we had violent ups and downs at Imbali, but the situation wasn't as bad as before up until where Sikhumbuso was shot.

FAITH MBATHA: Would you please explain to us about what happened from the 7th of February in 1992?

WITNESS:   On that night - in fact on that week my husband wasn't there, he went.  His work sent him somewhere.  He went to Picks(?) at Johannesburg, and someone was going to fetch him at the airport.  He came home.  There was a storm, but it was better than before when he came.  And then Sikhumbuso walked inside the house and said hello, and then he said to me, "What's going on at Imbali?"  And then I said why, so he said, "I just saw Weseni driving his car."

FAITH MBATHA: Is this Weseni Awetha's guy?

WITNESS:   Yes, it's Abdul's son.  And then I said to him, "Ja, it might happen, because the previous week when the children were at school they fought, and maybe they think we are also responsible."  So he said to me, "We mustn't tell my mother because she's got high blood pressure, and also she's got a heart disease, so she might be worse."  And then he said to me the next day there will be an ... (incomplete - end of Side A, Tape 4) ... it wasn't usual, that's why it amazes us.  Then he told me that there will be supper on the 8th.  In fact he was telling me because he wanted me to go with him, but then because it was late I said to him, "No, I don't feel like going.  I'll wait here.  I'll wait at home for you."  And then he left.  And then after he was gone I prepared my laundry, I ironed, I cleaned my house, but mostly I was doing ironing.  Late at 9 o'clock I heard ... (incomplete)

FAITH MBATHA: Please take your time.  (Pause)  Please take your time.  Don't rush yourself.  We can understand the pain you are going through.  (Pause)

WITNESS:   At about 9 o'clock I had a feeling, a bad feeling, and my daughter was young at that time and she kept on crying.

FAITH MBATHA: I said take time, don't rush yourself.  (Pause)

WITNESS:  I stayed ... (intervention)

FAITH MBATHA: At this time you were sitting there, you had this bad feeling, was Sikhumbuso back at home?

WITNESS:   No, they were at the hotel.  I am just not sure whether the name of the hotel is Windsor.  And my daughter kept on crying.  And then I just had a feeling.  I said to myself, "I need to pray," then I kneeled down and prayed.  I prayed for the first time, and I stayed for a few minutes and something said to me again, "Pray again," and then I kneeled down again, I prayed.  After I finished praying I sat there and I heard a knock at the door.  Before I could hear this knock the car parking outside, and I said to myself, "Oh, the Lord has protected him, he came back home."  And then when I sat a little bit I heard a knock, and I knew it wasn't him because usually he was opening the door for himself, he never used to knock.  And then it was Peter Kirschoff.  I opened the door and he said to me, "Open the gate."  I opened the gate.  When I opened the gate they hold me.  (Pause)

FAITH MBATHA: We understand the pain you are going through with your family.  Who held you.  Was it Peter Kirschoff and Monica Rautenberg?

WITNESS:   Yes, it was.

FAITH MBATHA: And then what happened?

WITNESS:   They didn't say anything, and in my mind I just told myself maybe Sikhumbuso had an accident, maybe a car accident.  They didn't say anything, but I started crying, and then they said to me, "Sorry, sorry."  They kept on saying sorry, and I just thought he wasn't alive, he was gone.  And my mother was now up and she couldn't understand as well.  And neighbours saw Peter coming to my house, and they came and confirmed and say my husband has died.

FAITH MBATHA: Who were these neighbours?

WITNESS:   Mkhize, Mamduli, Mdladla.  Mamduli was the first one who came, and then they said he was gone, and they said we will go tomorrow to identify him.

FAITH MBATHA: When were the police told about this?

WITNESS:   In my understanding, because I personally didn't tell the police, I think Peter and them were the ones who told the police.