Human Rights Violation Hearings — Port Elizabeth — 1996-06-26

MR NTSEBEZA: I might be having shortcomings, but we are here now to continue with the presentation.  I would like you to give us details.  Could you please switch on the microphone.  We would like to know during the period when you were arrested, and when you were arrested you were arrested at the same time when Siphiwo was arrested.
 As I understand here you can see that you have been going in and out the prison, you also have your own account to give us information, but today we would like to mention that there are things that can give us some guidance.  
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Especially in relation to Siphiwo's arrest.

MR BANGANI: May I start now?

MR NTSEBEZA: Yes.

MR BANGANI: I'd like to start from the period when we were arrested with Siphiwo.  I was arrested in May 1981.  I was in the bus, it was in 1981, I was from Algoa.
 I think the Whites didn't know who was the person that they were looking for.  There was a pamphlet which was distributed, it was from the ANC organisation.  They got into the bus, the police that is and then they tried to identify the people.  I understand they didn't know me so as they were looking through, they were see that they couldn't identify me, so we all had to alight from the bus and then we were ordered to write our names.
 So I gave them incorrect particulars so that they could not identify me.  The other thing is that I was protecting myself from being arrested and they wanted to go and search.  I had already started giving my particulars.  They were confused about the addresses which were written there and they felt that everybody should be arrested so that they could get the truth.  That is where the whole commotion started.
 There was a person amongst us who said he cannot be arrested for nothing, he is going to identify the person that he knows that the police is looking for.  He was instructed to identify this person.  He pointed me out.
 Then I just laughed, because I knew that the game is over.  Roelofse and Nieuwoudt came to me and they were angry that I was playing hide and seek.  Du Plessis came in later, he had a lot of pamphlets in a plastic bag and said I must take one of the parcels.  I just said I won't do that 
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because I don't know anything about those.
 One of the people who was already arrested was now released because they were happy that they now have at last identified me.  Then we were all taken according to Du Plessis' orders to Sanlam.
 I forgotten the name of the person to whom I had been handed over but it was a dark person and a Black person.  He said Bangani, I am now afraid of you.  What have you gotten yourself into?  After a short period of time the White personnel came in and they said I must do some exercises.
 After that I was taken into one room where there was a canvas on the floor and some ropes hanging on both sides of the room.
 I refused to lay down as they instructed me.  Nieuwoudt and the others struggled to take me and force me to lay down.  They grabbed me and they overpowered me.  Thereafter they put electric wires through me and then I was given electric shocks.  I was forced to admit that I know these pamphlets.
 I kept on denying anything about them.  Du Plessis asked me one question, he said is there anybody who knows you?  I said yes, a lot of people know me because my sister was also amongst them in that bus.  He said damn it, so I could realise that something was wrong.
 This is not what he wanted to hear.  After a few days I was informed that Siphiwo had been arrested and was also shot.  They also said he had died and then they said before he died he said there were two boxes which were in my room and then I said, okay if the person is going to die, he says anything so I cannot deny that he could have said so.
 I was taken to Kirkwood and then I was covered with a 
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plastic.  At a later stage I was taken away from the cells, I was being tortured several times, but I could hear that there was the sound of bottles, apparently they were enjoying themselves, taking some drinks.
 After some time they would come back to me.  The most important issue that I want to tell you about is that I am here to explain what happened to Siphiwo.  I am still going to tell you about my story.
 They continued torturing me and  I was also informed about the others who had been arrested Wayto was amongst them.  They were also uttering threats, stating that we should know that we might die.
 At a later stage they said they were going out to fetch Siphiwo.  It was not long that I realised that we might have been recorded.  After a short period of time they rushed in.  I was taken to another room and there was a big tape recorder as I had suspected.
 They informed us that we were supposed to be released.  The only thing that I was certain about was that we were determined that we will never turn into State witnesses.
 We were accommodated in one cell, but after a time I was singled out and put into another cell.  After a short period of time I was taken back to a cell where there were other people.  I saw one, two, Siphiwo and Jantolo.
 Du Plessis said I am tired of all this now.  I won't send you to Robben Island so that you can come back full of tricks, the only thing that I am going to do is to make sure that you should all be killed and we would make as if you had been assaulted by the thugs or you would disappear permanently.
 I just informed them that you must know that people 
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would realise that this is a lie.  There is a difference between people who has been killed by the thugs and a person who has been murdered.
 After some time they brought the cameras and then we were ordered to hug these police.  It was said we should smile and hug these policemen.  They were going to take photo's.  The four of us did that and then he said, I want to release you.
 But you have to have some meals.  We lost appetite because we were excited because we were going to be released.

MR NTSEBEZA: Who was this four?  Who were the other three that you are talking about, as you say you were four, who were the others?

MR BANGANI: It Mpumile Jantolo, Wanto Zenzile who was the President of the COSAS and Siphiwo.  One Black policeman was called in, I cannot remember his name.  He addressed Siphiwo and asked what did he want.  Be asked what would he like to have and he said he would like to have some chicken, he started inciting and said it was not a hotel.
 He said he would like a special hamburger and pure orange juice.  He asked the same question to Jantolo and he ordered the same, he asked Wanto.  Wanto said he wanted curry and rice and pure orange juice and then he asked me and I said I wanted the same order as Siphiwo.
 He said I must state clearly what I wanted.  I said I want a special hamburger and some milk.  Then he sent one of the Black policemen, they left us alone and they went to another room.
 We were left alone in the passage.  The Black man came in and he just peeped through and saw that there was nobody 
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else except us and then he went passed and he went to a room where those gentlemen were.
 After a few minutes they brought some food and we were ordered to eat quickly because we were about to be released.  And then we were asked what type of a car we would like to ride in.  There was another car which belonged to Roelofse and Nieuwoudt, we said we wanted to be transported in it.
 Each one of us could identify the car that he wanted to be taken.  I said I don't know, I would like to go in whichever car but Momberg was ultimately the one who escorted me home.  Du Plesses escorted another one.
 Roelofse escorted Siphiwo and we all went home.