ACTING CHAIRMAN: Now we are going to call Mrs Nomvula Regina Nomgqokwana. Mrs Regina Nomvula Nomgqokwana. Will you put on your - yes. We welcome you Mrs Nomgqokwana and receive it and having welcomed you as we have already done, we shall ask Revd Xundu to swear you in.
REV XUNDU: Thank you Chairperson. Mrs Nomgqokwana, you came here to give us your story which is about the role your child played in the coming of the freedom. Can I swear you in please, can you stand up.
REGINA NOMVULA NOMGQOKWANA: (sworn states)
ACTING CHAIRPERSON: As is usual, we shall call upon Adv Denzil Potgieter, to lead you in your testimony. Over to you.
MR POTGIETER: Thank you Chairperson. Good afternoon Mrs Nomgqokwana, another warm welcome to you. We know that you have been waiting for the better part of the day to come and tell your story, share your story with us and we thank you for your patience. I will help you to tell your story to us, but it is your story and I'll assist you where it is necessary.
Perhaps just to start with very briefly, you can perhaps tell us about yourself. Who you are, where you live, whether you have a family, all that sort of thing, very briefly.
MRS NOMGQOKWANA: I am Nomvula Regina Nomgqokwana, I live
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at 29 Qamlana Street in New Brighton. I was born in Grahamstown with my mother and my son, Brian Malawu Miselo Nomgqokwana, we lived with my mother.
In 1958 I was still young and I came to work in Port Elizabeth. When I left this child was still at school in Grahamstown, he continued, he went to Nearosa Secondary and then 1974 he passed, he completed his education, but he couldn't proceed, because I didn't have money.
However, my mother wrote me telling me that this young chap is studying at Rhodes. Just at that time, he was just beginning at Rhodes, but he had not long, I don't think he even completed six months, he was detained because he was participating in politics very actively.
First instance my mother wrote me a letter saying that Malawu had been arrested for political reasons. I didn't go to Grahamstown because my sister was also there.
He was discharged after two weeks and then he went to the circumcision school, I tried in 1975 to organise that he would be circumcised and he was - then he became a man and when he was a man he came to PE. Here in PE he met some friends and they were involved very actively, continued what he was doing in Grahamstown and I would discourage him and say Malawu, politics won't take you anywhere.
Look at where Father Mandela, he is still in jail and there is no hope that he'll ever come out. Do you want to follow his footsteps and he wouldn't answer me and sometimes he would say, no, you know nothing.
Well, things went on like that. Special branch would come and pick him up and then return him and they would come and fetch him again and then for another two weeks, and they would return. In 1978, on the 9th of June on a Friday, at
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that time I was sleeping at my place of work, but I was off on that Friday, and on my arrival my sister-in-law said the Special branch people were here again, looking for malawu.
And I said, where is he and she said, no I don't know where he is. And then later Malawu, that same afternoon Malawu came. He was with someone I didn't know and I said to him Malawu the Special branch were here looking for you again.
And he said in his answer, I don't care for them. That was it. They had their meal and they went out again. Some time at night, approximately after 10, we were already in bed, the Special branch came. There were 8 Boers who knocked and some at the front door, others at the back door, they were knocking and then I said, who are you? I said please and then they came through with him, they were with him.
And then they said is this Brian, I said yes, this is Brian, this is my son. Vukhile also got up and they asked what was happening. And they swore at her and said now you know too much, he is always with you. That was what they said to my sister-in-law. And then they wanted to take her, but then at the gate they said she could go back.
But I couldn't sleep properly that day. In fact the whole week I was very unhappy. Then I don't want to tell lies to the Commission, I didn't visit him because I was very scared and I was very suspicious, very, very scared because I didn't want him to participate in political activities.
I was - and there is another relative of mine who's late now, Alfred Fromendi, he used to visit us and at my house there is a radio station to which he used to tune in,
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but I haven't written its name.
He would tune into this channel, this radio station was based in Zambia or countries like that and then this gentleman would say listen, don't take part in politics, rather go to school, rather continue with your education and he would ignore him, but he would switch off the radio, because he was quite an obedient child.
Then after some time I was still very scared of going to prison and I was putting up at my workplace and the other day I came, found that he was not yet back. Then on the third week, I bought him (indistinct) because he used to be very nervous when he came out of detention, but he was determined to go on with this activities.
But he didn't come back and I even (indistinct), then after some time, Coetzee came at my workplace and said Regina, have you not heard where your son is, then how can you ask about the whereabouts of my son, because you are the ones who took him away.
And then he said no, no, he was discharged, I said no whether it was discharged or what, he didn't come to my place and then I was very worried and we wondered what had happened.
Then I went to my brother who was a clerk at Africa House, but he is deceased now. And Vukhile and I just didn't know what to do and we couldn't guess where Malawu had gone to. And after some time Coetzee came again and asked me again which relatives, which of your relatives, who are your relatives, so I asked him what are you going to do with them and he said, no, I just want to ask from them if Malawu didn't come.
Then I told him about Letqatazano, Quaqwana in
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Queenstown, I told him about my mother in Grahamstown and I told him Vitha who is in Zwege and my brother. I told him about Nqontla's mother. Nqontla is my sister-in-law with whom I stayed, she is not here now, she is in Johannesburg with her kids.
Then I told him about my home and this man is a Special branch man. They used to go to my place at Mglana, go to Grahamstown, they would go to Zwege to look for him, then he would come back and say, no we can't find him and then I would feel there is something suspicious about this.
So I went to Mr Ganunu, Silis Ganunu, he was at the time, he was at Korsten, and I explained to him and then he would listen and he would ask me what I want him to do and I said, I would like to know the whereabouts of my son, because these Boers say they discharged him and Mr Ganunu would write and then he called me by phone because I have given him the phone, he would ask me to call in his office.
When I got to his office, he said show me the letter which you got from Pretoria, which said that Malawu was discharged and he asked to be dropped near Despatch, somewhere Despatch or Uitenhage, I can't remember.
So I thought well, because he had friends in Uitenhage, he had a girlfriend also who teaches at Uitenhage also, so I thought maybe he went to them. I just assumed that he must have gone.
But we continued with the search but in vain. My mother wrote a letter and said to me Nomvula, my brother in Queenstown has written to me telling me that in Queenstown a phone came which said Malawu was in exile.
And even this letter well, you better accept it because if he is in exile, he is free from the police harassment and PORT ELIZABETH HEARING TRC/EASTERN CAPE
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arrests and then I was to a certain extent comforted under the impression that he was in exile, then my uncle Gatazia from Queenstown, he came to a funeral, Mrs Jessy's funeral, he asked me, he was with his wife, he asked me who Malawu was and then I said Malawu is my son, he said is that so, because I receive a phone call from him, but he can't describe his voice on the phone because Malawu had never phoned him, they were not very close.
He said I got a phone call from someone who said he was Malawu, who said he was in exile. So we left it at that, just assuming that he was in exile and then some were saying if he is in exile, then you will never know where he is and who he is because they give themselves false names, because of that they can't write letters, because there could be letter bombs and all that.
So I left it at that, it was all dark as far as I am concerned. But all this time, Mr Coetzee continued his visits to me at my place of work, so much that at one stage I said to him, I think you just coming here to ask me about Malawu instead of you telling me what you did to him and or else, you show me his bones and Mr Coetzee would say, no, no, no, we don't know him.
Then I said, no, I also don't know where he is, so he would leave me. He came back the other day asking if I hadn't heard any news about Brian and I said no. He asked me - I haven't written this in my statement - he asked me if I knew Sipho Bikana - I said I know the Bikana's, I know Banu Bolama, but I met him at - when he went to Victor at Africa House, that is where I met Banu.
And he asked - Mr Coetzee asked me if I knew Sipho Bikana, I said no, I don't know. He said okay, all right,
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if you don't know, then he would leave. Then after some years, years continued, years and I was still under the impression that he was in exile because there was no news about him, it was all quiet, then some kids, Vuku kids who were in exile, they came after the unbanning and all those who had children who were in exile, were called. I was one of them.
And then we were asked to prepare for these kids because they were coming. He was just speaking generally to all of us and said anyone who has a child in exile can prepare for his return. I was very hopeful and exited thinking that now the time has come for me to know about the whereabouts of my son.
Then when the people from exile returned, one guy from the Vuku family from Grahamstown, the Vuku's were at Dafort, his father is still there, I think they've gone into hiding, then he said, Nomvula, where is Malawu? He said aunty, because they all call me aunty, I don't want to talk about other people's affairs, I said but how come and someone said, you see this child doesn't look stable mentally, then I left it at that.
And then I had gone to a funeral at Dafort, I met one child. I said to Linzeli what happened to Zindele and then Zindele said to me, we waited for Malawu in exile, he never came.
Then I went to attorney Moodley and (indistinct) to explain this and I even had Malawu's photograph which was brought by the Vukhile whilst he was still a student in Grahamstown, I took this photo to Moodley and explained to him as I just explained to you. Moodley tried to search everywhere and then he called me the other day on the phone
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next door, on one of my neighbours, Mrs Mnyana, I was called by someone, Mr Moodley wanted me on the phone.
I said what is it? regina, I've tried everywhere to track, to find out about Brian, I can't get any news, any trace of Brian and so that's how it ended. I didn't take any other steps since that time up to today.
MR POTGIETER: I just need to ask you some detail so that we can see if we can be of some assistance in trying to help you to find out what actually happened. Is it so that when the police removed him, removed Brian from home in June of 1978, he was living with you, he was living at your house?
MRS NOMGQOKWANA: Yes, that is so, no, he was staying at home in Qamla, except when he would leave, go visit friends or go to Uitenhage to his girlfriend, but then he would come back.
He was always moving about, but he would come, but the reason for that, he was always being arrested so he didn't stay in one place because he would be detained now and again.
MR POTGIETER: His things, his property, was that at home where you were living?
MRS NOMGQOKWANA: Yes, yes, his belongings was there and some of his possessions were with his girlfriend in Uitenhage, but this girl returned them, she returned this somewhere here at home.
MR POTGIETER: Is it correct, it seems as if he disappeared without having taken any of his possessions at all?
MRS NOMGQOKWANA: No, he didn't take anything from his possessions, he was, he had a navy blue pair of trousers on and a check jacket. I can't remember the shirt, the colour of the shirt now.
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MR POTGIETER: Can you still remember where he was detained after the police took him in June of 1978? Where did they take him?
MRS NOMGQOKWANA: No, I can't, no I don't know. I don't want to lie. Because as I was saying to you, I was scared at the time, I was scared even to visit him because I was scared of, very sceptical and apprehensive about his participation in politics. Even if I was with him, I would be very scared when he raised his fist and I would stop and then I would say stop this, because I don't want us to be followed by police and he would laugh at me.
MR POTGIETER: You said he had a girlfriend?
MRS NOMGQOKWANA: (tape starts) ... a child with this girlfriend, no.
MR POTGIETER: Contact the girlfriend? I know that he never contacted you, but was she ever contacted by him after the police took him?
MRS NOMGQOKWANA: Yes, this girl was a teacher then, she came to my place at the time because the police had visited the girlfriend. I don't know how the police came to know about their relationship, this girl came, carrying Malawu's possessions in a plastic bag, that's the last I saw her, but I heard that she got married.
MR POTGIETER: This policeman Coetzee that you're talking about, was he one of the policemen that removed Brian from home when they took him on the 9th of June in 1978, was he one of them?
MRS NOMGQOKWANA: No, I can't say, there were just too many of them, there were eight of them as I said. And you know, you just got out, you were sleeping and you were woken up by silly knocks and you're scared and still sleeping, I
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can't say whether he was there or not, but all I know there was a thickly set, White man and then he said, here, we
found him at the station, we brought him and then they left and then that's when they said to Nqontla she must come with him, because she knew too much, but then they asked her to go back at the gate, so I can't really say whether he was there, I didn't even know those policemen.
MR POTGIETER: How old was Brian when he was detained?
MRS NOMGQOKWANA: He was born in 1952, on the 18th of October, in Grahamstown. I think therefor, he was about 25 or 24, thereabout.
MR POTGIETER: You mentioned that you gave a photograph of Brian to somebody else, have you still got another photograph of him?
MRS NOMGQOKWANA: Yes, I do have a photo at home. The one that was given to Moodley, he was still a student, he was still in his school uniform. He was still at Nearosa Secondary school, the other one I have is just a card, he was not in uniform, we were together, he was with another girlfriend of his, to my two cousins, I have two cousins who were in this photo, that's the one photo that we still have.
MR POTGIETER: It might be of some assistance to us, it might be that we would want to have a look at that, so I hope it is possible if we want to have a look at that that you can make that possible for us?
MRS NOMGQOKWANA: Let me say, do you want me to, what do you want me to, where shall I take it to? Because it is here at Qamlana, can I take it to Gratini, where can I take it to? Or the other thing, last year I went to Grahamstown to a funeral at the Paghela's, a cousin, my cousin Nehme, she is as old as I am and I was at her place, okay.
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She quarrelled with her daughter then I said, Nehme, you are so happy because your kids are here with you, you can talk to them, quarrel with them and then said to that quarrel, but with me it is so different, I don't even know where my kid is and Nehme said, Nomvula forget about this child because this child was killed by the Boers, but they don't want to tell the truth.
MR POTGIETER: We really understand the pain that you must be experiencing and we appreciate you sharing it with us. Perhaps, it could be of some assistance, when he was at Rhodes University, what was he studying, what was he going to become?
MRS NOMGQOKWANA: You know, he didn't stay long at Rhodes before he was arrested for politics, it was hardly three months, three months at Rhodes then he was expelled. I don't know what he was studying.
MR POTGIETER: I understand that you would want us to help to find out what has happened to Brian, you have indicated that you suspect that he could have been killed after his detention?
MRS NOMGQOKWANA: No, I have no doubt, I have no doubt about that, I am sure he was killed, although I cannot bring any proof, but I am sure he was killed.
MR POTGIETER: Is there anything else that you would ask us to do?
MRS NOMGQOKWANA: Well, Honourable Commissioner, my wish would be that to know where he remains are, then I can arrange a funeral, even if I depend on pension. I don't work, I am old, I am diabetic, always going to the hospital, but I am prepared to bury his remains from that money.
MR POTGIETER: We have made a note of that. I've got no
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other questions that I would want to ask you, I am going to hand you back to the Chairperson.
ACTING CHAIRMAN: Thank you, our dear mother. When one listens to hear the story from another parent, from another mother, then you feel sure that nothing can be worse than this story, but then you are surprised when someone else comes and brings a story similar to your one.
What is nice about all this is that you shared your pain, you've made it public and so it becomes the pain of all these people from Port Elizabeth, it is our pain, we grieve with you and we will try as much as we possibly can to meet your needs and wishes to the extent that we can.
Thank you.
MRS NOMGQOKWANA: Where did you say I should take this photo, where shall I take this photo to?
ACTING CHAIRMAN: We do have officers here, Ms Maya will explain to you later, but she will explain to you.
