hrvtrans HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION HEARINGS 1996-08-13 BEAUFORT WEST 2 CT/00375 ZENZILE LOLWANA ZENZILE LOLWANA DETENTION & TORTURE https://sabctrc.saha.org.za/hearing.php?id=54960&t=&tab=hearings https://sabctrc.saha.org.za/originals/hrvtrans/beaufort/ct00375.htm ADV POTGIETER We would like to remember those who laid down their lives and I would ask you to stand as I read their names, please. We remember all those who laid down their lives in striving for justice, equality and freedom, but in particular we remember: Mzandeli Injeneni Nono Kellem Jerry Ndishe Mandlenkosi Kratshi Vujani Macoba Emily Manong May they rest in the memory that they sacrifices there not in vain - thank you. MS SEROKE Thank you, Chairperson. I will read the list of witnesses who will be appearing for the day: Zenzile Lolwana - will be appearing on her behalf. The nature of the violation is detention and torture in 1985. Rosy Hugo - appearing on her own behalf. The nature of the violation is detention in 1986. Matthew Sindile Yanta - appearing on his behalf. The nature of the violation is detention and torture, 1986. Johannes Bonas - appearing on his behalf. The nature of the violation detention and torture. Nonight Annie Qayi - appearing on her behalf. The nature of the violation detention in 1985. Masinda Fatyela - appearing on his behalf. The nature of the violation torture by police in 1985. Dora Vumazonke - appearing on her behalf. The nature of the violation her home was stoned and burnt down by toi-toing youth. Simphiwe Kratshi and Nonceba Mangaliso appearing on behalf of Mandlenkosi Kratshi. The nature of the violation the father shot and killed by police in 1985. Chairperson, I will ask our first witness for today to come forward please and the name is Zenzile Lolwana. Mr Lolwana can you hear me? MR LOLWANA [indistinct] MS SEROKE Good morning, could you stand to take the oath please? UNKNOWN COMMISSIONER Could the victim just put on the microphone. ZENZILE LOLWANA Duly sworn states MS SEROKE Thank you, my colleague Ms Joyce Seroke - will assist Mr Lolwana in his testimony. Thank you. MS SEROKE Morning Zenzile. MR LOLWANA Good morning MS SEROKE You are going to tell us about what happened in 1986 when you were tortured by the police in George. We are therefore going to ask you to present your story briefly. MR LOLWANA In 1985 I was working for the Municipality in George. It went on, we were working very hard there - as slaves - and - until it was time that we felt it was enough and we then - we decided not to go to work. It was then that I was chosen to be the chairman of the organization for workers and we used to sit down and write down our grievances which we submitted to the front, talking even to the top management there in the Municipality. I was not the only one - we were quite a group and we were put into a police van and when we get - got to the police camp in the afternoon we went to the charge office. We were quite a group - there was a policeman standing in front of the van and one directed me to one other side, so I stood next to a wall and I ran into the Knysna road, which is next to the police station. I ran and escaped and got to the location and explained to my comrades that I had run away so they arranged that I should go to Mossel Bay. So I did go there and I was there for two days - on the third day there is a road there where I could hike to Groot Brak, so - but I could not hike because they arrested me. It was the same situation as in George - I was there for a short while and one day a child came and - a child came to inform me that our house had been surrendered by police and I went there. They had broken the door and they found a Freedom Charter in one of my briefcases hanging at the door. So they looked at this Freedom Charter and asked me to go to the charge office and I did not waste any time - I went there alone. Though the comrades were against this, but I did go. At the police station there were policemen from Richmond and George. I waited for about half an hour there, waiting for a paper they were going to give to me. There were some - two policemen from Middelburg, then they closed the door - both sides, both doors - and they made me walk through a passage and when we got into a room and - they said I was making myself a cat of the location. It was for about 45 minutes and then they stopped the car and I heard them talking, though I could not quite clearly get what they were saying. They opened the boot, they threw me on the ground and I was still in the sack at the time. They again took me and they threw me over the fence along the road. They were drinking and two of them again lifted this sack and threw me over and I had a cut of a bottle here on the knee. I lay there without doing anything, after some time I could see that there was an opening in this sack and I was also trying to see where they were standing. There were two cars facing one another and these people were chatting to each other. I could see they were very happy, they were drinking. Then I sneaked out of the sack, what I noticed was a monument and I could make out that it was a monument near Middelburg and I then went around a hill, trying to run away towards a camp of the soldiers. It was dark at the time, so I walked away and I followed the course of the river and I could hear gunshots. Then I got to a farm called Fero, and it was early in the morning at the time. I was not there in the road, I was walking just along the river. When I got to this farm a certain man helped me and he could see that my whole body was covered with blood. He called his sons that they should bring donkeys and they took me in a donkey cart and took me to the next farm and in that farm, the distance between that farm and Richmond is 30 kilometers so I had to walk. And my leg was very stiff, I walked for about 10 kilometers then I got a lift from a Coca Cola truck until we got to a place about 5 kilometers before getting to Richmond. So I walked to my house and I was really injured and I explained to them how I had escaped and I told them that I could not be with them for quite long. MS SEROKE Zenzile, you say you were working for the Municipality. What work were you doing? MR LOLWANA I was an ordinary laborer. MS SEROKE Tell us what you were actually doing there and tell us how you were working as slaves. MR LOLWANA There is one thing they called [indistinct] there at Municipality. You used this to make - to make pavements and you get on top of a lorry that is loaded with concrete and you put this concrete into a certain machine and this machines moving on. It must not be empty, you work even on rainy days - so that is the work that we were doing. MS SEROKE Now these grievances you had, what were these grievances exactly and to whom were they directed and who gave...[intervention] MR LOLWANA We were sending these grievances to Lambrecht, we were stating that we did not want to work on rainy days and the work that we were doing was very hard for R70.00 per month. All those things and secondly we had written that this white man used to beat us up and we were asking that he should not beat people and make people slaves. Those were the things we had written down. When - we also wanted that people should consult doctors regularly. MS SEROKE Now, what they - did they arrest you for what you were doing there at work? MR LOLWANA Yes, they were - they were arresting us for the protest that we had against their operations. MS SEROKE Now you say you were being tortured and being beaten in the jail in George? MR LOLWANA Yes. MS SEROKE Continue and tell us even the jail in Middelburg - in all these places where you were beaten and you were tortured - tell us. MR LOLWANA Yes, in George they used to beat me - I was in the cell there and after that they would take a pipe and they would put in water in this cell and that was - the place were I used to put my blankets, was the only dry place because they were placed on some planks, so I used to sit there after they had beaten me. In Richmond they beat me, they pushed me against a wall using a table - there were two of these the Special Branch. DR RAMASHALA What were they beating you with? MR LOLWANA With hands. MS SEROKE Was - were you a member of what - of - of the UDF organization? MR LOLWANA Yes. MS SEROKE What did they say when they took this copy of the Freedom Charter? MR LOLWANA MS SEROKE What are you doing now? MR LOLWANA MS SEROKE Thank you. MS BURTON Mr Lolwana, do you know the names of any of the policemen who beat you? MR LOLWANA In George the policeman - who was in charge in George - was a man with whom I used to work with a brother and what they were doing I would not see who was beating me because they were removing even the badges that they had which had their names on. Even now they still do that. MS BURTON Thank you, Mr Lolwana, thank you very much for coming to tell us about what happened to you. We have heard how you were concerned for the conditions under which people worked and you joined an organization and tried to speak out about the grievances that you and your fellow workers had and you were brutally treated and held for - in detention for different periods - two months and then six months, So you experienced a great deal of suffering as a result and we are very grateful to you for coming to tell us your story. Thank you very much. MR LOLWANA Thank you.