hrvtrans HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION HEARINGS 1996-04-25 HEIDERVELD 4 CT/00624 JACKSON GISHI ELSIE GISHI KILLING https://sabctrc.saha.org.za/hearing.php?id=55183&t=&tab=hearings https://sabctrc.saha.org.za/originals/hrvtrans/heide/ct00624.htm DR BORAINE Ms Gishi can you hear me? MS GISHI Yes. DR BORAINE Ja Ms Gishi too - before you tell your story, I have to ask you to take the oath. So if you will please stand - so if you will please stand. ELSIE GISHI Duly sworn states DR BORAINE Thank you very much indeed, I am sure he will. The story you have already told people in the Commission is a very-very sad one, involving yourself and your husband and you have suffered a very-very great deal and you are not well. So we going to ask you just a few questions, so that you can tell us and tell everybody here what happened. Are you really to start? MS GISHI Yes. DR BORAINE Then I am going to ask Pumla Gobodo to ask the questions, thank you. MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA Thank you Alex, mamma can take her earphones off now. Good afternoon mamma. MS GISHI Good afternoon - can I start talking now? MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA MS GISHI In the following morning, we saw the soldiers on the other side and now we saw this wit these people who were known that time as wit doek. And we saw people pouring petrol - these certain people were trying to cross, together with these soldiers. Now when I say these people I am referring to the wit doeke. MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA Mamma was it on Sunday now? MS GISHI Yes it was. MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA And it was on the 26th of December? MS GISHI When I got to the township, there were people all over the streets, people were [indistinct]. We saw these people with white scarves, and other people were blow whistles. People ran to the township to Zwelitsha, and soldiers from this hippos now chased after this people on foot. My husband told me that no he - she - he will never leave. My house was a corner house and there was a new car next-door and when I came home, I saw there were many white men, they kicked my door, they kicked it and they went in. I am sure I nearly died that day. They missed, when they shot - they missed me on my forehead. Fortunately when I was about to go to next-door, another soldier approached - the soldier was sitting on top of the car and she - and he was pointing at me. He started shooting at me while I was trying to open the door. Now these - these bullets looked like pellets and they were black. Then I went in next-door and I try to wonder how did my children - my children survive, two of my daughters came in. We slept there on Friday the 26th until Monday. Apparently people who were in this hospital from Nyanga died there. Some of my sisters-in-law arrived, then I was told that my husband Jackson has passed away. Then one of the sisters at the hospital injected me. My clothes were all stained and they dried to dry them, then on - on Wednesday I was discharged. My priest arrived, at that time I was at the hospital, I only have this 15 year old, they asked him is your - is your father out of the hospital already, he said no, so he got into the car, according to this man. They went to the Zuma Undertaker at NY18, the priest name was Matolengwe. It was the priest, myself and my daughter - we went to Conradie. The people who got injured in that 1976 will be buried on the 8th of January, all of them. Now I was talking to this Xhosa speaking Magistrate, he said yes he will help me. Somebody from outside was called to talk to me under the instructions of the Magistrate. So they said we will take you to Umganga, three men arrived and yes indeed my husband was buried. MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA [indistinct] day on that Christmas day because your husband died the day after that. As you explained it to us mamma it looks like you were left - you were left very injured and you were to and extend of being an invalid. MS GISHI Before I use to work, my husband use to work as an attendant in the garage and we - with the little money that we use to get, we use to educate our children. But I never got to work again since my injuries. MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA Mamma after you were discharged from the hospital, where did you get place to - a place to sleep seeing that your house was burnt. MS GISHI MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA Mamma I am going to ask you a last question, because you have already told us that you are tired, your son Bonisile who was in the car with your husband, could you just tell us briefly how that happened. MS GISHI MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA In 1977 did Bonisile go to school at all? MS GISHI MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA No I just wanted to clarify that because you showed me the certificate, I just wanted to clarify that yes Bonisile did pass Std 6 in 1976. MS GISHI Yes. MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA MS GISHI Oh! there is one more thing that I forgot to say to you, please forgive me, I loss my life, my husband died, everything that I had was burnt, even - even the last one - my last born was eleven that time, I am now very poor, I have no-one at all, I am still going to hospitals for treatment even today. MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA CHAIRPERSON Tell him to please tell the woman because we can - he cannot say anything because he was not sworn in. So he cannot tell us what happened. INTERPRETER Sir can you please tell mamma next to you the names of the lawyers because you cannot tell us because you were not sworn in. MS GISHI It was Mopeni and Omar, these lawyers were Ruben, no Noben and Dullah Omar - even this man next to me had a problem that time. MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA Thank you mamma very much, is there anyone else who has a question? CHAIRPERSON Sir and your mamma thank you very much, we will go back and think deeply about what you have just said, but we are grateful that you are here to tell the whole nation about your experience. This is not just your pain only it is shared by all of us. Mamma do you have any wish? MS GISHI No that is all, that is all. CHAIRPERSON Thank you very much.