TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION

DAY 1 - MONDAY 12 AUGUST 1996

 

CASE NO: CT/00360

VICTIM: THABO ABRAHAM METSING

NATURE OF VIOLENCE: SHOT BY KITSKONSTABELS

TESTIMONY BY: THABO ABRAHAM METSING

 

DR RAMASHALA:

Good morning, Mr Metsing.

MR METSING:

Good morning.

DR RAMASHALA:

Can you hear me all right?

MR METSING:

Yes.

UNKNOWN:

Could the victim move a little bit closer to the mike please. He speaks soft.

DR RAMASHALA:

Could you move a little bit closer to the mike, please, thank you. I’m going to ask you please to stand to take the oath.

 

THABO ABRAHAM METSING Duly sworn states

DR RAMASHALA:

Thank you. As you know Ms Seroke is going to be helping you to tell us your story.

MS SEROKE:

Chairperson, I’d like to read a summery of our research notes which will give us a idea of the nature of the events that took place 1987 and 1988 - during the time Thabo Metsing was shot by kitskonstabels.

In February 1987 six "Green Flies" - that is municipal police - were recruited from Victoria West and began living in the Coloured township of Rustdene. They patrolled KwaMandlekosi, which was the township in Beaufort West, day and night.

Some times they used a Administration Board van but mostly patrolled all together on foot. They were armed with 9 mm hand guns and carried shot guns over the weekends. They carried out the duties of the Administration Board such as issuing Summonses for rent.

In May 1987 6 kitskonstabels returned from training in Koeberg, Cape and were joined in June by 4 more. Apparently the kitskonstabels were told they were being trained as Security Guards before they were recruited and when some wanted to leave, they were told they would be jailed for 5 years if they left the Force.

The kitskonstabels were recruited by the South African Police in a caravan, which came to the township offering a wage of R300-00 per month. The people recruited were mostly unemployed, desperate men. The highest standard of education passed by a member of this group, was Std 7.

The kitskonstabels patrolled in groups of 2 or more and curried shotguns. Captain Van Rensburg was in charge of the kitskonstabels and a policeman called Marks handled all complains against them.

Marks was reportedly of an aggressive and threatening to people when they reported the bad conduct of one of his men. Residents stated that little to nothing was done about their complains.

The residence of KwaMandlenkosi rejected the kitskonstabels because of their aggressive way they treated residence. Residence were badly beaten by the kitskonstabels when drunk. It was reported that the kitskonstabels would go to the shebeen owners in the township and demanded drink.

If they refused they were told they would be closed down, so many obliged. It was also reported that the kitskonstabels new the activists in the community and intimidated and threatened them regularly. And during this period 5 people, including the witness standing before us, was shot in Beaufort West by the kitskonstabels.

MS SEROKE:

Hello, Thabo.

MR METSING:

Hello, Ma’am.

MS SEROKE:

I was busy relating the story of the circumstances at the time at which you were shot. I would like you to, just very briefly - in your own words, tell us what happened - the incidence which gave rise to your shooting.

MR METSING:

I was from town, I had been sent to town on a Saturday. I think it was approximately between - past 10, something to 11. And I saw these blou doeks near the shanty town, where my aunt was staying. They called me and I went to them and they said: You’ve been silly for a long time. And the one blou doek by the name of Vilapue was fat, said that I had been silly for a long time and I said: What had I done? And he said: You have been silly for a long time. Don’t give us a hard time. Just don’t be silly. I just said: Look, I haven’t done anything. And they asked me - they said: If Skonkwani doesn’t shoot you, we - you - I’m going to shoot you.

And I left. When I got home I left the things and went forward. When I got to a certain place I saw Skonkwani and I was shot and when I looked I saw that Skonkwani was shooting me and he shot me on my back. When I wanted to run away, I fell and when I got up he - tried to get up again he shot me a second time. And these are pellets that spread when they strike you.

And James Diamond and Banana picked me up and took me to the hospital. I was admitted to hospital and stayed there for 6 days - I think it was about 6 days for which I lay there - before I was sent to Tygerberg Hospital, in Cape Town.

I came back in January - I think it was early in January - I know that I spent my new years day here at home. When I came back from hospital, I saw James Diamond and a attorney coming to my place who was - the attorney was Matxharbey.

Matxharbey then proceeded with my case here in Beaufort West and the trial continued. I think it started in 1991 - 1991 or 1989 - I’m not sure. And everything continued and we then had to go to the Supreme Court in Cape Town. I’m not to sure which court it was, but it was in Cape Town.

When we got there, everything - as far as my claims - was sorted out and I was told that I would get my money after 3 weeks. I waited for 3 weeks for my money and I think in 1992 I borrowed money from this attorney and he gave me

R6,420-00. I didn’t receive any other money after that, that was the only money he gave me. I think he said that that was my claim. And I assumed that was it because I don’t see any other money forthcoming.

MS SEROKE:

In your statement you said that on the 3rd of December 1988 - the day on which you were sent to go and buy groceries - there where some uprising in the township. What was happening?

MR METSING:

They were singing. There was a traditional ritual taking place there and they were singing volk songs. And that’s where the shooting incident took place.

MS SEROKE:

You say that Spyker was a kitskonstabel.

MR METSING:

Yes, he was a kitskonstabel.

MS SEROKE:

And he said to you that you were silly for a long time, boy. What - what did he refer to you having done when he said you were silly? What - what was he referring to?

MR METSING:

I would say that these people didn’t like me. I worked with them before they became kitskonstabels. We worked at a Construction Company. Vilapue and Spyker worked with me at Robert’s Construction Company. And I was working with electrical cables at the time.

MS SEROKE:

Were you a member of any political organization?

MR METSING:

Yes, I was.

MS SEROKE:

Which organization was it?

 

MR METSING:

The ANC.

MS SEROKE:

Do you think that this silliness that they referred to was cause by you having been a member?

MR METSING:

I think - I think so. I think I could say that they said I was silly because I was a member of the ANC.

MS SEROKE:

As a member of the ANC, what - what did you people do in the location that people didn’t approve of ?

MR METSING:

The ANC was doing a lot - we did a lot of work - and we were working very well with the people. And even these kitskonstabels, that were shooting people - the people were being told that you cannot walk around with a gun in front of the children. And people would just be shot. It you see somebody drunk, you just shoot at a drunk person, because there are children that run around here to.

MS SEROKE:

I want to know - this Spyker - is it this Ben Vuso referred to in your statement?

MR METSING:

Yes, it’s Ben Vuso.

MS SEROKE:

Did he just shoot you at random without you having done anything?

MR METSING:

Yes, I hadn’t done anything. And he was drunk on the day on which he shot me - he was drunk on the day he shot me.

 

 

MS SEROKE:

You say that this incident was seen by Diamond and Banana. Did they see you being shot?

MR METSING:

Yes.

MS SEROKE:

Are those your witnesses?

MR METSING:

Yes.

MS SEROKE:

You went to Beaufort West and stayed in hospital, were you where diagnoses by a doctor. Do you still have any documents relating to the doctors?

MR METSING:

Yes, I do have some doctors papers at home.

MS SEROKE:

You once again, in your statement, say that Ben Vuso - who shot at you - was never present at court even though the court said that they suspected him of having done this.

MR METSING:

Let me say I do not know who killed him, because I was still in hospital and I was still very confused.

MS SEROKE:

You say that upon your discharge from hospital there was this case where Matxhabey and Partners represented you. Do they still exist?

MR METSING:

Yes.

MS SEROKE:

So if we want any documents relating to your case, we would be able get them from them?

MR METSING:

Yes.

MS SEROKE:

You say that you received a amount of R6,420-00 and that was all.

MR METSING:

Yes, that was all.

MS SEROKE:

Were you ever promised that there was more money.

MR METSING:

Yes.

MS SEROKE:

Did you ever ask about it?

MR METSING:

Yes, I wrote a letter to the Minister of Law and Order. Matxharbey wrote a letter to him and he sent me another one. They were saying that they couldn’t find this person. His wife would always respond, saying that they couldn’t find the person.

MS SEROKE:

Are you currently employed?

MR METSING:

No, I cannot work because my back gives me problems, because of the pellets.

MS SEROKE:

You say that you went to the doctor and in an attempt to apply for a disability grant and the first doctor declared you unfit. Why did you have to go for a second opinion - to a second doctor?

MR METSING:

I received a document from Oudtshoorn saying that I should take it to the doctor once more and I went to another doctor, Dr Ackermann, - not the doctor I went to the first time . The first doctor I went to I think was Dr Van der Westhuizen ( a tall doctor), I cannot remember, I think it was Dr Van der Westhuizen.

MS SEROKE:

In other words you do not receive a grant.

MR METSING:

No.

MS SEROKE:

How do you survive?

MR METSING:

Let me say that I survive on the money that my mother earns. We buy food with that money and that ‘s how we survive.

MS SEROKE:

Just before I hand you over to the chairperson, I would like you to stand up and come and stand in front of the Commission so that you can show us the wound that you sustained. Please remove your headphones. Turn around so that we can see the wounds on your back. Lift up your clothing. Is that the scar of the operation that you underwent at Tygerberg?

MR METSING:

Yes.

MS SEROKE:

Thank you very much. No more questions, Chairperson.

CHAIRPERSON:

Any further questions? Thank you. We do not have enough words of sympathy for you. There are so many people like you - youth who have sustained these kind of injuries. I do not know if it would appease you if I said that we thank you - the vast majority of youth - who sacrificed themselves so that today we have freedom in our country. Thanks to these sacrifices made by so many people like yourself who sustained these kind of injuries.

Look at you, I mean today we are a free nation. We have a democracy, a democratically elected Precedent. We appreciate the contribution you have made, even though it was a painful one for you and as the Commission we will look into this matter and try and establish why you are not receiving a disability grant as yet. Thank you very much.

May I just say thank you to the people, especially from Carnarvon, who have come all the way to attend the hearing. We thank the people from Carnarvon [indistinct]