hrvtrans HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION HEARINGS 1996-06-19 GEORGE 2 CT/00553 GEOFFREY YALOLO GEOFFREY YALOLO TORTURED BY POLICE https://sabctrc.saha.org.za/hearing.php?id=55096&t=&tab=hearings https://sabctrc.saha.org.za/originals/hrvtrans/george/ct00553.htm DR RAMASHALA Would you stand please. GEOFFREY YALOLO Duly sworn states DR RAMASHALA Thank you - Chairperson I have been assigned to facilitate the testimony from Mr Yalolo. This case is about the torture of Mr Geoffrey Yalolo by the police. Mr Yalolo it is very important for us to get as much detail as you possibly can remember about your torture, the sequence of events - the circumstances and anything that is - or was unusual to you with respect to this torture. So would you begin - go back as far as you can to give the circumstances for your arrest and your subsequent torture, thank you. MR YALOLO They took me into one of their offices, when we were inside, they beat me like anything. They took their guns and beat me up, they were standing in corners surrounding me, they sat me behind the table, one was in front of me, sitting just in front of me - they asked me about the incidents that happened in George. He asked me the things that I am doing in George, what am I exactly doing there. Why do I allow everything to happen here, because they heard that I am the one who is the cause of this. They went off and leave me there - they took me in the morning, it was around about nine and they came back after two, I was still hanging with my right arm, it was swollen, the fingers was swollen and I was turning pale green. When they come back, they just grab me with my feet. After grabbing me one of them says wait a little bit, can you kick him on his testicles. After that they just leave me, I fell down and I went unconscious. I woke up after a while - when I gained consciousness they were kicking me - jumping over me. After a while doing that - they took me back to the cell and locked me in. And when the other fellows asked me Geoffrey what have you done to the boers I told them I did nothing. I am also interested what I did to them - why are they beating me up so much. I was swollen that time, my face was swollen. And then the following day again they came to fetch me as usual. They took me back again to the same room third floor, they did the same thing again, beat me up, beat me up time and again and the person who is in charge there, when they were calling him, they will call him Lieutenant Steyn and there was another guy, Mr Petersen as far as I know. In the morning the policeman came in and they said we want Geoffrey, I answered them. They said I must come out, it was difficult for me to stand up. The other comrades inside helped me to stand up, I had to walk slowly going to the door. After I arrived at the door, they called me hey kaffir will you please hurry up. And they say come-come quickly. There were speaking in Afrikaans. This policeman came and asked is this the one, and they said now you must do something about him, anything, even if you kill him, anything just do - because he is the one who is pulling us backwards, he is the only one who is giving us a slow down, we must do something about him, we must get rid of this guy and get rid of this place. After some few moments Tise came in and took me and I just plead to him not to grab him like this way - I tried my best to stand up, and he said to me I must not tell him shit, you must come. He dragged me and take me out of the door. When I was outside I just saw a red car standing there - they took a plastic into the car, at that moment I was tied, my hands were on my back. They took me and push me into the red car. One boer policeman came - they got into the car and they take off their guns. We [indistinct] a place like a farm this place is known as Herbertsdal - they stopped the car near to a house. They get off, they said I must also get off - I get off, they got into this house when we were about to get in, when I was in there, I saw two policeman - when I found out, it was a charge office. As from then I was just going to my appointments time and again, I stayed for a while under those pains, my body acing. During 1989 and 1990 I am not sure exactly which year was it, policeman came back again where I was staying. They came at night - when they were there, there was only one policeman who came inside, I was busy washing up myself, because I was on my way to Cape Town, we were having a meeting there, UDF meeting. DR RAMASHALA Thank you Mr Yalolo - I think to give you a break and we also have a lot of questions to ask you, so what we will do is take a tea break and then we will come back after tea and proceed with the questions, so is it okay to give you a break - okay. We will break for twenty minutes for a tea break and then we will come back and finish with Mr Yalolo - thank you - please remember to leave your earphones. MEETING ADJOURNS FOR TEA ON RESUMPTION MS BURTON DR RAMASHALA MR YALOLO Yes - [indistinct] police station. DR RAMASHALA Okay, police station, it seems that the person who was identifying you incorrectly was Chekibonga and it seems like there was some confusion about who was named Geoffrey and who was named Joseph - could you explain that a little bit - or give us your thinking about what you think was happening. MR YALOLO Before Chekibonga came in, they only thing happened they asked us our names - and then what happened after that is this. They gave in our names - I told them that I am Geoffrey, my uncle told him that he is Joseph. While we were on our way out, Petersen came out with Chekibonga - he asked from Chekibonga can you identify these people and now what happened Chekibonga said yes. DR RAMASHALA In your statement you said the first day they put a plastic over my head for eight hours, and used electric shocks on my body and my head. Could you explain that - exactly what they were doing with the electric shocks. MR YALOLO And then after they took off this plastic they put the electric wire on my hair and they worked me with that through it. DR RAMASHALA What do you mean they worked me through - I want you to be specific if you can. MR YALOLO With this wires, they put the wires on my head - they shocked me with them - there was something that they put on my hairs, something that was - if it was twisting my hair and then pulled my hair up. DR RAMASHALA Am I correct to say that you were a member of the UDF. MR YALOLO You are not making a mistake at all. DR RAMASHALA And I am asking that because it seems that they were being [indistinct] on getting information from you, thinking that you had something, what was your position in the UDF. MR YALOLO I had no position, I was just an ordinary member. DR RAMASHALA DR ALLY Geoffrey what kind of information is it that they wanted from you? MR YALOLO DR ALLY But anything specifically did they want you to admit to certain things that had happened? MR YALOLO They said to me the reason for the violence and struggle in George and the UDF to be in power, it was because of me. DR ALLY Did they ever give you any statement which they wanted you to sign or did they - or did they try to force you to make a statement. MR YALOLO They wanted me to give in a statement saying there is something that I know or what do I say about the thing that they are accusing me of. DR ALLY Did they want you to name names and inform them on specific people is that what was going on? MR YALOLO In the offices where they use to put me in, they pointed out some people - they wanted to know about those people, they wanted to know whether are they involved in the struggle. DR ALLY MR YALOLO We tried to find lawyers from the UDF - those were the lawyers who helped us not be charged against anything. DR ALLY [indistinct] acquitted you say. MR YALOLO Yes. DR ALLY [indistinct] three policeman specifically Petersen, Steyn and Tise - were these people directly involved in - in actually torturing you or were they only present? MR YALOLO They were deeply involved because each and everyone who was assaulting me, they were in charge. DR ALLY They were there when electric shocks were applied to you. MR YALOLO They were also involved in there. DR ALLY Thank you. UNKNOWN; What was your views on the conflict of the time [indistinct] as a member of UDF? MR YALOLO Are you asking on what was happening to me, can you please clarify this question to me. UNKNOWN; On the situation that was happening to you and in your country, I would like to know your views. MR YALOLO What was happening in the country - everything that was happening in the country was a struggle for oppression - I was part of the people who were in struggle for the freedom of our country. UNKNOWN; What about the policemen views, how were they? MR YALOLO MS BURTON The things that you have talked about, most of them happened while you were in detention is that right? MR YALOLO Yes. MS BURTON [indistinct] were charged and you were sent to the Rooihel prison. MR YALOLO MS BURTON [indistinct] prison. MR YALOLO It is here in George. MS BURTON The torture that you have described to us, that happened before you were charged. MR YALOLO MS BURTON Quite a long time that you were in detention and being taken out of the cell and tortured and then taken back to the cells. MR YALOLO I was detained. MS BURTON [indistinct] times a place on the third floor of a building in York Street, why did they take you to - to another building? MR YALOLO They are the only one who can know that, they had a reason to do that. MS BURTON [indistinct] other people were also taken for interrogation out of the police cells to a different building? MR YALOLO MS BURTON And the place that you mentioned that was far beyond Mossel Bay did you say that was called Herbetsdal? MR YALOLO It was a police place too, a police station of some kind. MR YALOLO Yes it is a police station - police place. MS BURTON Thank you very much - Dr Ramashala. DR RAMASHALA Mr Yalolo you made a statement that the police gave you a piece of paper for you to sign, was there something written on the piece of paper or was there - was it blank? MR YALOLO There was something written on the paper. DR RAMASHALA What was written on that piece of paper? MR YALOLO This was a paper - sort of a paper like for someone who is laying a charge and you had to fill in - in the blank spaces. DR RAMASHALA [indistinct] released on the day that you were suppose to go to court in 1986 - and then the police visited you, this was Petersen, visited you in [indistinct] Street, what happened in between, between 1986 and 1990? MR YALOLO DR RAMASHALA [indistinct] the police left you alone or if they continued to harass you during that period? MR YALOLO MS BURTON Thank you Dr Ramashala, I would like to ask one last question and to just say to you that our investigative unit has tried to find out more about your experience, but as in many other cases the records of the cell register of the time that you were in detention is not available to them. So one of the things we would like to know is if you remember the names of any of the other people who were in the cells with you, who could testify to the condition that you were in and to your experience. MR YALOLO Would you like me to tell this to you now or when? MS BURTON [indistinct] now you can give us the names afterwards if you remember. MR YALOLO I can remember some of the names. MS BURTON [indistinct] from you later and we would like to thank you very much, this has been a long and very taxing experience for you to tell all of these details to us now, we thank you very much indeed for coming and for telling us of your experience. You can step down from the platform now. DR RAMASHALA I talked with you outside and you explained that you have a lot of pain in your body and I am just wondering if you would like to express some wishes to the Commission about what we can recommend to be done for you. MR YALOLO Those are the pains that I am under and I am in fear because those people are still in power, they are still the leaders of this country, they are still - they are still in the offices, they are still the office bearers even in the Police Force. Those were the perpetrators and they are still in lead. DR RAMASHALA When was the last time you consulted with a doctor? MR YALOLO DR RAMASHALA Mr Yalolo, I know this has been very painful especially having to relive all those experiences. We are very grateful that you were able to describe what happened to you, to give us a full understanding so that we may have full documentation. Sir I applaud your bravery, and thank you very much. MS BURTON DR ALLY MR YALOLO DR RAMASHALA Mr Yalolo would you please leave the name of your doctor so that we can help follow up on your health - thank you. MR YALOLO MS BURTON