hrvtrans HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS, SUBMISSIONS QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 1997-05-22 ERMELO 1 BUSISIWE H NKOSI JB3771 https://sabctrc.saha.org.za/hearing.php?id=55080&t=&tab=hearings https://sabctrc.saha.org.za/originals/hrvtrans/ermelo/3ermnkos.htm MR LEWIN MRS NKOSI Yes, I can hear you. MR LEWIN MRS NKOSI MR LEWIN DR RANDERA BUSISIWE NKOSI (sworn states) DR RANDERA Thank you very much. MR LEWIN Thank you. Tom Manthata ? MR MANTHATA Thank you Mrs Nkosi. Where is Mr Nkosi ? MRS NKOSI MR MANTHATA MRS NKOSI MR MANTHATA MRS NKOSI Nine. MR MANTHATA There are nine. Are they all at school, Mrs Nkosi ? MRS NKOSI Five are at school. MR MANTHATA And four ? MRS NKOSI The others have completed their studies. Some are working. MR MANTHATA Oh, so they are working. I guess the memory of Lucky, much as you are a very lucky family in the sense of numbers, that you should be a happy family but the memory of Lucky makes the whole family miserable times. Am I correct ? MRS NKOSI Yes, that is true. MR MANTHATA Can you please tell us this sad story of the abduction and the killing of lucky. MRS NKOSI It was on Monday. We heard that people were assaulted by the Black Cats, those people who were representing the community about the rent boycott. So there were some riots because there was this group called the Black Cats. People were complaining about rent during that time and people were saying that rent should be brought down. MR MANTHATA We have just began to hear or to learn about the Black Cats. Mrs Nkosi you are talking about the rent boycott. Who was behind the rent boycott ? Was it the community, was it the students or the youth ? Who actually was behind the rent boycott ? MRS NKOSI It was the community at large and what I knew at that stage was that the people were very dissatisfied with their rent hikes and we had a representative whom we sent forward to air our grievances with regard to the rent hikes. His name was Jonah Ndevele as well as other members who were representing the community so that we should bring the rents down. MR MANTHATA Did the Councillors ever explain to the people why the rent increases ? MRS NKOSI No, we never had any explanation from the Councillors. MR MANTHATA Was there never anything new that was done by the Councillors that showed where the rent increases were being spent on ? MRS NKOSI MR MANTHATA MRS NKOSI MR MANTHATA And would you then say that member of the Black Cats, were they not part of the community of the township ? MRS NKOSI MR MANTHATA Was Lucky a student at the time ? MRS NKOSI Yes, he was. MR MANTHATA MRS NKOSI Yes, they were all scholars or students and even in the members of the Black Cats there were certain students. MR MANTHATA MRS NKOSI It was a very tense situation but it was inevitable for the youths especially the males, to get involved in fighting the gangsters in trying to protect the community or in a quest, to protect innocent members of the community and he did not do this voluntarily. They used to be fetched at times from their homes to go and fight. MR MANTHATA MRS NKOSI Yes, I did. MR MANTHATA MRS NKOSI MR MANTHATA We may need your assistance in that. Thank you. I have no further questions ............. MR LEWIN DR RANDERA Mrs Nkosi just one, you said the matter was finalized. Does that mean there was a court case or an inquest ? MRS NKOSI MR LEWIN MRS NKOSI MR LEWIN HEARING ADJOURNS .