Special Report Transcript Episode 31, Section 3, Time 28:19

Little Ntemobo was only four years old when he witnessed the violent murder of his father. He lives with this horror every day. // I’m Dudu Ngcobo. We used to stay in Imbali township, section two. We used to be constantly harassed by the police and on their visit, they asked what the surname of the household was and I told them we’re Ngcobo’s. On one of their visits they inquired what my husband’s tribe was and we explained and then they said this is definitely the household they were searching for. They wanted to know where the boys were, and I said there were none in that house. I explained that I stayed alone with the children and that there were no boys who stayed in the house. After that I never had peace. They would come at night and I heard noises and I’d hear footsteps outside. I was always thankful at sunrise that I was still alive. One Sunday I went to church with my younger child and this one remained behind with his father in the house. At 12:30 I noticed a relative of mine arriving in church. I wondered why she had come to tell me to come home immediately. When I inquired why she told me that this child and his father had been shot but had managed to escape. I did not believe her. I was definitely sure I’d find corpses, so I ran to the house. On my way I met three young men with guns and they pointed them at me saying, this is the woman from that house. I could already hear sounds of destruction from my house, blocks being smashed against windows, my sofa’s being destroyed. I had chickens, they were all shot. When I got home I noticed my husband had managed to run away with this child. At home there were already policemen in the yard. I wanted to know from them where my husband and the child were. They apparently didn’t know and wanted to know from me where I was coming from. I explained that I was from church. The people that had attacked us were still around, moving up and down, I had to shield away from them even though there were policemen in the yard. They still wanted to shoot me, and all my neighbours had fled for their lives. Some houses were already burning and I noticed that there were petrol containers also next to my house and I still don’t know what stopped them from burning my house. I had to seek refuge at Edendale and I stayed there for a while at Mtutubu’s place, my fiancé. I stayed there for a long time till he was also murdered and I was heavily aggrieved. Thereafter I moved to Gorge town and I stayed there till I was able to come and settle here. I feel safer here compared to Imbali, where I used to live in fear and was not sure if I wasn’t going to be killed at any time. Each day was a nightmare. I hope this place will always remain peaceful.

Notes: Little boy crying; Dudu Ngcobo; Thula song