ACTING CHAIRMAN: I will now call to the stand Stephen Douglas Mzoboshe. We would request the people to sit down. We would understand that some of them are forced to go out, but we would like you to please try and to this without disturbing others. We are about to finish, let us please respect these.
Mr Mzoboshe, I understand that you are going to talk about yourself. We welcome you and we would like to show you that we will not prevent you from stating what happened to you, we will request that revd Xundu should pledge an oath for you.
REV XUNDU: I would like you to take an oath as you are going to give evidence. Could you please stand up. If you are unable to stand up, you can just raise your right hand.
STEPHEN DOUGLAS MZOBOSHE: (sworn states)
REV XUNDU: I'd like the people to please be quiet. We have maintained order for quite a long time. I would like us to please maintain order, thank you.
ACTING CHAIRMAN: Ntsiki Sandi.
MR SANDI: (no interpretation)
MR MZOBOSHE: (no interpretation)
MR SANDI: You became a member of ANC, we want to confirm that in 1950 you joined the ANC organisation?
MR MZOBOSHE: Yes, it is so.
MR SANDI: And then you were tortured because of that?
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MR MZOBOSHE: Yes, sir.
MR SANDI: I request you Mr Mzoboshe, to please inform us of what happened during the time that you were detained without trial and please give us details about what experiences you went through especially with the torture. Let's start in 1964.
MR MZOBOSHE: I was fetched by the police in 1964, it was during the night. I think it was very early in the morning, during that am's on Monday, I was staying at Mqnami at the time, at Khoniqa, number 251.
I had a book and some material of the political organisation. Some of the books were kept by me and some of the material was taken by the Detectives from the court chamber when it was closed and the organisation was banned.
We went underground and we were working as volunteers. The Detectives came and confirmed that I was Stephen and I agreed and admitted that I am. They asked me if I was a volunteer and I denied that.
They searched the house and they found some boxes. They wanted to know who was the owner of the boxes and then I said Mr Bennie is the person who requested me to keep them. They wanted to know how could I keep these boxes if I was not a volunteer.
They started assaulting me and then I was taken back. I think I became unconscious because I cannot remember what happened thereafter. I regained consciousness at about five am, I was alone, I didn't know where I was, but I could feel that my body was aching.
There is the other one who is my relative, who is a cousin to my mother, Mazwani who was not there. He was not among those who were attacking me. Mr Ghazu and another
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hefty man was the others who were amongst the people who attacked me.
MR SANDI: Was Sergeant George amongst those who attacked you?
MR MZOBOSHE: Yes, Sergeant George was there.
MR SANDI: Is he still alive?
MR MZOBOSHE: No, he died. He died whilst he was in Johannesburg.
MR SANDI: Mr Mzoboshe, could you please inform us how were you treated during the time you were detained? In your statement you report that you had been kicked, batons were used to attack you?
MR MZOBOSHE: I was severely beaten to the extent that I used to urinate blood. In 1965 and 1966 I was admitted until 1967, because of the problem with my bladder. I used to urinate blood.
I was always hiding and hiding the information that I was assaulted by the detectives, because I went on my own to the hospital.
In 1964 I didn't have contact with anybody, because I used to go to the private Doctors. I was afraid that should I give the information that I was attacked by the Detectives, I could be in bigger trouble.
I never gave the correct information to the Doctors.
MR SANDI: Did you receive any medical treatment which was effective?
MR MZOBOSHE: I was given a corset and then it was very effective, but I cannot stay without it, I have to use this corset.
MR SANDI: Did you say on the 11th of September 1986, you were arrested again when there was a state of emergency?
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MR MZOBOSHE: Yes, sir.
MR SANDI: Who arrested you? Can you remember who were the people who arrested you?
MR MZOBOSHE: Yes, I can remember, it was Faku, and the other one who was a tall gentleman, but he was a White person. There were many of them, but the one that I am certain about is Sergeant Faku.
There was a tall White man.
MR SANDI: Can I remind you according to the statement written here? Would you like me to remind you?
MR MZOBOSHE: Yes, sir.
MR SANDI: The names of the following is Sergeant Faku. Where is Faku?
MR MZOBOSHE: He died. He is the one who died during the bomb explosion at Motherwell.
MR SANDI: You said the other one was Warrant Officer Swartz?
MR MZOBOSHE: Yes, it was Swartz.
MR SANDI: And Sergeant Nani?
MR MZOBOSHE: Yes, Sergeant Nani.
MR SANDI: Where are these two gentlemen?
MR MZOBOSHE: Swartz is still alive, but I do not know where he is stationed and the same applies to Nani, but I know that Faku died.
MR SANDI: When you were detained in 1986, did you experience any ill-treatment?
MR MZOBOSHE: No, they didn't torture me, because during that period I was open. I didn't hide any information about my involvement with the struggle because I could feel that we were about to be liberated. I could feel that our Black nation was approaching its freedom.
MR SANDI: Mr Mzoboshe, you became sickly during the time
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when you were detained in 1986, isn't that so?
MR MZOBOSHE: Yes, I suffered a lot because again I could see that I was urinating blood.
MR SANDI: Who is the Doctor who gave you treatment who said he would like you to be released because you are very ill?
MR MZOBOSHE: I cannot remember his name. Usually we didn't know their names, but the young male Doctor was the one who was very considerate. He was considerate more than the other one who was a bit elderly.
MR SANDI: In other words you were released in November 1986?
MR MZOBOSHE: Yes, sir, it is like that. I was taken to the hospital.
MR SANDI: What attention did you receive?
MR MZOBOSHE: I had to undergo an operation so that they can drain the blood which was accumulating in my body.
MR SANDI: Are you under any type of treatment presently?
MR MZOBOSHE: Yes, I always go to Livingstone Hospital and at Dora and Mpilwene for Psychiatric attention.
MR SANDI: What would you like the Commission to do for you as you have given us your story?
MR MZOBOSHE: I'd like the people to come forward, those perpetrators cannot just go. We feel that justice should be done. They should come forward in public, as we have also appeared in public and state what happened to us.
I think it is the time for them to come and confess. Especially our Black brothers, we know the Whites were protecting the regime, but the Blacks, we cannot understand why they could allow themselves to be used as tools by the Whites.
The other thing, I have a child who is attending school. This child is in one of the colleges. The pension
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that I am receiving monthly is inadequate.
The other thing that I would like is the fact that I had a child who was shot and then his eye was removed. That child was working at Menthol, she ran away, she is at 2029 at Quba at Butterworth.
There was no follow up, there was no case against anybody, but my child lost her eye. She was also treated here at Livingstone Hospital, then after she was discharged from Hospital, she was detained for three weeks, but she was detained without trial. And nobody was implicated for those injury.
MR SANDI: What is the name of the child?
MR MZOBOSHE: The name of the child is Dandiswa Monica Mzoboshe.
MR SANDI: Mr Mzoboshe, do you have anything to say?
MR MZOBOSHE: No, I don't have anything to say further than what I've already said.
MR SANDI: Thank you very much.
MR MZOBOSHE: I'd like to thank the Commission. I really express my gratitude because I've never expected that I would ever, ever be able to come forward and state what happened to me. I was the person who was politicising people and I was always praying and requesting that I wish that the perpetrators should not die.
So that when we get out liberation, they should still be alive, I was very worried when BJ Vorster died, because he was the instoner of the apartheid system.
ACTING CHAIRMAN: Thank you very much.
I thank you Mr Mzoboshe. I would like to say ... of the liberation struggle in this country. There are very many unsung heroes.
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I think you are one of those unsung heroes. In as much as you, the older generation, were getting inspiration from the youth, such as you have described in 1986, when you were saying you were feeling the thunderous march of the youth behind you when you felt you had the courage to face the enemy, those very young people got inspiration from all those stories that they used to hear about Amafolandea, about the end plan and all such stories which were being told over and over and over again by those who were pioneers in the history of our struggle.
When I looked and I calculated, you are telling us the story of your first suffering which took 32 years ago. 32 year ago, but you still remember those incidents as if it happened yesterday.
Because it was an incident that not only was intended to deny you the dignity which you deserve, but it was also an incident that was intended to deprive you of your inalienable right, the right to freedom.
When I look at you, I see another Ray Mglaba, another Mandela, another Coveren Begi, because you operated in their types.
There are so many of the people that we can quote who are now senior citizens who have also had a contribution to the struggle, I think we should also wish that they could also come forward, because you are one of the unsung heroes. Thank you.
