Human Rights Violation Hearings

CHAIRPERSON: I would like now please to call the next witness, Masilitso Ndlovu, also from Leandra, from Lebohang. Could she please come forward. Ma Masilitso Ndlovu, could you put the earphones on please. She has got, you are okay? Thank you very much for coming. Can you hear alright through the earphones? Can you hear through the earphones?

MRS NDLOVU: Yes.

CHAIRPERSON: Fine, before you make your statement I would ask you please to take the oath, stand.

MASILITSO M NDLOVU: (Duly sworn in, states).

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you. As is our, as a custom I will ask one of the panel to lead you in evidence and ask Tom Manthata please to take over. Tom.

MR MANTHATA: Ma Masilitso, you are welcome, do feel at home and can you please tell us about the harassment that you say you endured from one or some organisations, that is IFP, and then you do talk about your brother who went missing and he has not been found to date. Can you please just tell us those two events or those two stories.

MRS NDLOVU: In 1985 I was at the store, Inkatha Trading Store. That was my own store. As I was there the kids came looking for my sister Ndlong. I told them that she had just left. They left, went to my home and that is where they found there. They brought her with back to the store. Suddenly I saw people coming to my, to the store and saying I should erase that Inkatha name and I explained to them and said I cannot erase that name, because the owner of the store is actually not around. They were armed with weapons. People I saw there was Sipho Bob and Msweni's son by the name of Victor. He was the one in the forefront leading the group of youth.

They went away. At about eight pm they came back and now they were looking for Dan who has since disappeared. I told them that Dan is not around and they started looted. They were taking things my store, from the store and I left immediately and went up the roof of the store and that is where I hid. They did whatever they wanted to in the store and finally I went back home. When I got there I found out that they were attacking my home and opening the doors looking for Dan. We ran away to an outskirt place where we were going to seek refuge. We were seeking refuge in every home nearby. I took, we left with my husband to Mr Mayisa's place and found that Mr Mayisa was not around and went on to look for Kabinda and also we found out that Mr Kabinda left as well, ran away at night. He was sailing in the same boat as we were.

On Monday we tried to drive to Delmas and the police stopped us and told my husband to get out the car and the other man as well and they were assaulted. I do not think they were aware that at the time I was expectant, because they also assaulted me. After that the other man said how could you possibly do that to this highly expectant lady and they were taken to the police station. We were all taken to the police station. When we got there they refused me to have a look and talk to my husband and I went to Mr Mayisa's place and Mr Mayisa promised to call an attorney by the name of Priscilla Jana. He did his best to get hold of the attorney and we went to the police station. When we got there I found that he was brutally assaulted in an inexplicable way and myself I was feeling so much pains and so much in pain.

I went back home and went to see the doctor as well. At home whilst I was there these very people came armed. They demanded that we open every door of the house and there was my mother-in-law and they pointed an assegai at her and she fainted right away, she collapsed. Till to date she has a speech defect and Dan disappeared since the incident. We do not know his whereabouts and each time we try to enquire from the police they do not come out to the surface with the truth. I am so sad about Dan's story, because only if we knew where Dan was perhaps we will be at peace.

MR MANTHATA: Relax, take your time. Ma Masilitso, is that the end of what you had to tell us?

MRS NDLOVU: Yes, yes I am done.

MR MANTHATA: Yes, you say, what was the name of your store, once more, sorry, just to recap?

MRS NDLOVU: It was Inkatha Trading Store.

MR MANTHATA: And that had nothing to do with any known political party or any known cultural organisation?

MRS NDLOVU: I do not have full knowledge of that, because when I got there that name was already there.

MR MANTHATA: And the people who were harassing you did they say they belonged to another, to some organisation of some kind which was opposed to Inkatha?

MRS NDLOVU: When they came to me and approached me they said they were Inkatha members and I asked them as to whether they are Inkatha members and if they are what kind of Inkatha, because I know Inkatha to be originating from Ulundi and they never answered me.

MR MANTHATA: Did you ever report the incidence to the people that you knew to be leaders of Inkatha at the time?

MRS NDLOVU: At the time I had no opportunity to let them aware of this incident.

MR MANTHATA: And yet thereafter you, did the police ever come to the shop to protect you or to your house to protect you?

MRS NDLOVU: They never came to protect me in any way. Even after reporting the incident they never bothered.

MR MANTHATA: Do I understand you that you are saying that the people who were harassing you were perhaps even supported by the police?

MRS NDLOVU: I will say so, because one day it so happened that I went to the police station to report and they said they will not say anything in as far as Dan is concerned, because Dan was such a problem.

MR MANTHATA: What was Dan doing, to your knowledge, that could have turned him into a problem for the police?

MRS NDLOVU: Dan was a fighter and fighting for the community and that there should be stability in the location. That is how I viewed Dan.

MR MANTHATA: Where is your husband, if I have to ask?

MRS NDLOVU: As I am speaking he is around, but went to the public telephones to make a call.

MR MANTHATA: I see and the shop is still operating?

MRS NDLOVU: I never used that store after then, because I had no way to carry on with my duties because of this.

MR MANTHATA: But you transferred that to another shop or have you since just closed the shop?

MRS NDLOVU: I closed the shop completely. I am home and I am not working.

MR MANTHATA: You are talking about Dan. Who else can help us know more about Dan's whereabouts, that is his friends who could have seen him for the last time, whether it was him toy-toying or in what?

MRS NDLOVU: Dan came at night at about one and he wanted money to buy food and we gave him money. That was the last time I saw Dan to date.

MR MANTHATA: And you never got any of Dan's friends who could tell you a story about Dan?

MRS NDLOVU: I will say there were hearsay and rumours that Dan was killed and buried by the police and those are hearsay.

MR MANTHATA: No further questions, thank you.

CHAIRPERSON: Wynand Malan.

MR MALAN: Mrs Ndlovu, just two questions. You say in your statement that you were beaten on the head by Mr Victor Mashweni who is since late. Where, when did he die, do you have any knowledge and how did he die?

MRS NDLOVU: What I know about Victor is that he was stabbed by a friend, his friend. I was assaulted here and that is when they were attacking me at the store.

MR MALAN: So did Victor more or less die in that same period? Was he involved in the conflict?

MRS NDLOVU: No, he did not die in that conflict, but he died after some time, after quite some time.

MR MALAN: And then you also said in your statement that your husband was accused of burning the shop of a Mr Morojane. Can you tell us more about that? The incident maybe or the ...

MRS NDLOVU: About the store of Mr Morojane, on that day when we went to Evanda to release, to release the UDF youth. When we got back we found out that Mr Mahlangu was there when the store was being burnt and I was surprised, because he was not there. At the time when the store was burnt he was with me.

MR MALAN: Were you or your husband actively involved in politics in those days?

MRS NDLOVU: Yes, I will say so, because we favoured UD so much.

MR MALAN: Did you serve on any of the organisations structures?

MRS NDLOVU: My husband, yes, he was a full member of a political organisation.

MR MALAN: I am asking this, because the impression we have from your original statement is that you believed that you were harassed because of your brother-in-law's involvement in politics, but I just want to get clarity. It was really an involvement of the whole family in politics?

MRS NDLOVU: Yes, the whole family was active politically.

MR MALAN: Okay, thank you very much. That is all.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you. Joyce Seroke.

MS SEROKE: Mrs Ndlovu, you say those people alleged that they were Inkatha.

MRS NDLOVU: Yes, that is true.

MS SEROKE: Tell us now the Inkatha in Lebohang was in existence at that time or was there a meeting of Inkatha at Lebohang or they were just alleging to the Inkatha and yet they were not affiliated with the real Natal Inkatha.

MRS NDLOVU: I will say they were not Inkatha, the Inkatha we know, because I come from Inkatha and I also have a badge of Inkatha.

MS SEROKE: And according to our research notes they say there were vigilantes who were calling themselves differently. Maybe those people that you have just made mention of, Bob for instance, were the members of that vigilante group. Could it be?

MRS NDLOVU: Yes, I think so, it is possible.

MS SEROKE: About Daniel, how old was he at the time when he was being looked after, when they were looking for him?

MRS NDLOVU: He was 15 years old and going to turn 16.

MS SEROKE: At the time when they came to look for him what did they say they wanted him for?

MRS NDLOVU: They said they wanted to kill him.

MS SEROKE: Kill him for what?

MRS NDLOVU: They alleged that he was influential in the community that other youth should be assaulted.

MS SEROKE: What about your mother-in-law, when she was being assaulted and she collapsed. Was she able to talk before this whole incident, was she just fine?

MRS NDLOVU: Yes, she was.

MS SEROKE: And when you were injured, the three of you, did you ever attempt to seek medical attention?

MRS NDLOVU: Yes, I took my husband to Delmas and in Delmas they said his ribs were injured and also he was bleeding through his nose. He stayed at home for four months not working, as sick leave, and at the time he was attending treatment, taking treatment from the hospital. I had a laceration and I was not operated on it.

MS SEROKE: Do you think if we go to Delmas we will get proper records that reflect the whole thing and that will give us the full picture of your husband and yourself?

MRS NDLOVU: Yes and Dr Myet is the one who was our doctor.

MS SEROKE: And about your mother-in-law, was she ever taken to the hospital?

MRS NDLOVU: Yes, she was taken to Pokwana.

MS SEROKE: Do you think we can get full records, medical records there with regard to your mother-in-law?

MRS NDLOVU: I do not know, I am not too sure, maybe you will.

MS SEROKE: You say a chief said he will get in touch with Priscilla Jana. Did the case go any further after that?

MRS NDLOVU: Priscilla Jana did come and the boys were released, those who were arrested and she left. We hoped she will come back and she never did.

MS SEROKE: Thank you.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you Joyce Seroke. Ma Masilitso Ndlovu, I would like to thank you very much for coming. I think that you have told us a terrible story, terrible for what it shows. You were and it is a story that we hear again and again, but every time we hear it it still has the same impact, because it is the story of ordinary people being thrown into dangerous situations for reasons completely beyond themselves and without reason. Secondly, you are now still missing and have been for more than ten years missing a family member. This too is not helped by the rumours and it is very difficult to stop those sort of rumours. I think that you have shown great courage in coming and in bringing your story to the Commission. As the panel has said we will try and see what we can do to follow that up, but in the meantime we would like to thank you very much for coming, for showing that courage and showing us your strength in telling that story. Thank you very much.