hrvtrans HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION HEARINGS 1996-10-08 KAROO 2 CT/01302 MONWABISI MASETI MONWABISI MASETI DETENTION, SEVERE ASSAULT https://sabctrc.saha.org.za/hearing.php?id=55344&t=&tab=hearings https://sabctrc.saha.org.za/originals/hrvtrans/karoo/ct01302.htm MS BURTON We call to the stage now our next two witnesses, Mkhonto Mfazwe and Monwabisi Maseti. We have asked you to come to the - we have asked you to come to the stage together because from reading the statements that you have made, we are aware that your experiences are fairly similar and that your testimonies will complement one another, so we welcome you and thank you very much for coming. May I ask you to stand and swear the oath please. First one and then the other. MKOHNTO MFAZWE Duly sworn states MONWABISI MASETI Duly sworn states MS BURTON Advocate Potgieter will facilitate your testimonies. ADV POTGIETER Mr Maseti, Mr Mfazwe, good morning again and welcome. I think will start with Mr Maseti, you are in front of the microphone, so we will listen to your evidence first and then we will deal with Mr Mfazwe. Your first experience was during 1985 when you were detained in Noupoort. I will deal with that experience first and then move to this one. Can you tell us briefly - in 1985 were you in involved in the community structures in Noupoort, and if so what role were you playing and which structures were you involved in. MONWABISI MASETI I was involved in the Noupoort Youth Congress - the abbreviation if NOYCO. It started in 1985. I was a secretary - public secretary. ADV POTGIETER While you were holding that position of publicity secretary of Noupoort Youth Congress - NOYCO - you were detained by the police in Noupoort, is that correct. MONWABISI MASETI Yes, it is so. I was detained for fourteen days. I slept in Noupoort for one day. The rest of the days I spent in Middleburg. ADV POTGIETER Now who detained you - which police detained you. Do you know them. MONWABISI MASETI It was the security police from Oudsthoorn. ADV POTGIETER Were you first held at Noupoort and eventually you were taken to Middleburg. Now during that detention - that fourteen day detention - would you like to tell us what happened to you. MONWABISI MASETI In 1985 there were no problems. I t is in 1986 that the problems started. ADV POTGIETER [Indistinct] period of detention - in 1985 - were you assaulted. MONWABISI MASETI No I was not assaulted at all. Yes, I was questioned. ADV POTGIETER [Indistinct] were you questioned. MONWABISI MASETI They wanted information about me chairing meetings and having spoken at funerals. ADV POTGIETER MONWABISI MASETI I was asked about the UDF, because NOYCO was an affiliated group of the UDF. ADV POTGIETER I just go to bring this to your attention - just for you to deal with - it might be a mistake that has crept into your statement, but from the notes at my disposal, there is an allegation that you were beaten at the police station during your detention in 1985 - in fact with a sjambok. Is that - is that not during 1985 detention. MONWABISI MASETI It is so. I was beaten up in 1985. I have made a mistake. ADV POTGIETER MONWABISI MASETI Yes, it is sir. ADV POTGIETER MONWABISI MASETI Yes, it is so. Yes, I was at school. ADV POTGIETER Did you manage to move back into school and did you manage to continue with your studies in 1985. MONWABISI MASETI I was not able to continue with my studies. ADV POTGIETER That spell of detention interrupted you studies in 1985. MONWABISI MASETI Yes sir. ADV POTGIETER Did you go back to school in 1986 or what happened. MONWABISI MASETI I did not go back to school in 1986. I went to Johannesburg. I stayed there for two months. I then worked for the UDF. I went to conferences, Cape Town, Johannesburg, all over. ADV POTGIETER Did you ever get back to your studies or did you have to give up your studies all together. MONWABISI MASETI I did continue after 1986. ADV POTGIETER MONWABISI MASETI I matriculated. After matriculating I went to Technikon. ADV POTGIETER [Indistinct] MONWABISI MASETI Yes, did complete it sit. ADV POTGIETER What do you do at present. MONWABISI MASETI I am unemployed. ADV POTGIETER Are you still living in Noupoort at this stage. MONWABISI MASETI Yes sir. ADV POTGIETER MONWABISI MASETI Yes, when the state of emergency was declared. That is when I was detained. ADV POTGIETER You were held at Middleburg. MONWABISI MASETI I was taken to Noupoort police station. From there they took us to Middleburg. There was twelve of us. ADV POTGIETER Now at Middleburg, you were interrogated. Can you tell us who interrogated you at Middleburg - which policemen. MONWABISI MASETI Two policemen took us two vans. They drove us to Middleburg police station. When we asked the police station why they had arrested us - they said no we will hear at Middleburg. When we got there, they took photographs of us. A security police from Oudsthoorn was involved. When we got to the prison in Middleburg, they said they detaining us for forty-eight hours. We stayed the forty-eight hours, after that the Major that was in charge, he told us that the Act that we have been arrested under was no longer active. A UDF lawyer came, he questioned me about how we were handled at the prison. I told them that I had been assaulted . I had been assaulted by the police. I think it was the police from Oudsthoorn that assaulted me. ADV POTGIETER Some of the names. MONWABISI MASETI No, I do not. All I know is that they came from Oudsthoorn. They did not introduce themselves to me. ADV POTGIETER The name Carels - does that sound familiar to you. MONWABISI MASETI That is the only security member I remember. He was there. ADV POTGIETER And he was involved in your interrogation and the tortures. MONWABISI MASETI He was present when I was assaulted, but it is the Oudsthoorn police that beat me up. ADV POTGIETER You were actually taken out of the prison and taken to what you think was a farm to be tortured and to be thrown in the water. MONWABISI MASETI Yes, it is so. ADV POTGIETER What was the effect of that on your health. MONWABISI MASETI My ear was badly affected - my right ear is totally deaf. ADV POTGIETER And psychologically - has that left any scars on you. MONWABISI MASETI I am not affected - it is just my ear. ADV POTGIETER And has that affected your ability to keep a job in any way. MONWABISI MASETI ADV POTGIETER So you are experiencing difficulty in getting a job as a result of your - the condition of your hearing. MONWABISI MASETI Yes sir, it is so. ADV POTGIETER Can I just ask you finally Mr Maseti - how old were you when you were detained that first time in 1985. Were you still at school. MONWABISI MASETI I was twenty. ADV POTGIETER Is there anything that you would like to add to your testimony before I go to Mr Mfazwe. MONWABISI MASETI When the police had detained me, they took a book. There was a trunk full of books from Readers Digest. Also school books from Standard six to Standard 10 - those books belong to me. I ask the police to return those books to me please. ADV POTGIETER [Indistinct] MONWABISI MASETI They took them from my home, yes sir. ADV POTGIETER During the 85 or the 86 detention. MONWABISI MASETI It was in 1985. ADV POTGIETER MONWABISI MASETI No, I was given no receipt. ADV POTGIETER [Indistinct] throw it into the police vehicle and left with the books. MONWABISI MASETI They searched my entire house and took all the books and put them in the trunk and left with them. ADV POTGIETER You never saw those book again. MONWABISI MASETI No, I never saw them again. ADV POTGIETER [Indistinct] about those books. Did the police question you. MONWABISI MASETI They did not ask me anything about the books. ADV POTGIETER Thank you very much. I am going to move to Mr Mfazwe and we listen to his testimony before I hand back to the Chairperson. And they might want to ask you some further questions Mr Maseti, but we will hear from [indistinct]. ADV POTGIETER Perhaps Mr Maseti just your personal circumstances before I hand over to the Chairperson. Are you married of unmarried. MONWABISI MASETI ADV POTGIETER Have you got dependants. MONWABISI MASETI ADV POTGIETER I am now going to hand to the Chairperson. Thank you very much. MS BURTON So what you suffered was not for nothing. It was part of the struggle to build the new society. But we also now that you paid a heavy price - that although you say that you are reasonably well now, that experience does create an emotional impact on you and you have to rebuild your lives. But we thank you for the things that you did to help towards that process and for coming today to talk to us and to tell us what it was like to be young in Noupoort in 1985 and 1986. Thank you very much.