hrvtrans HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS, SUBMISSIONS QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 1977-06-05 WITBANK 1 MR RICHARD TEMBELIKLE RUMO JB2141 https://sabctrc.saha.org.za/hearing.php?id=56153&t=&tab=hearings https://sabctrc.saha.org.za/originals/hrvtrans/witbank/5witrum.htm DR RANDERA INTERPRETER DR RANDERA MISS MKHIZE Do you swear that the evidence you are about to render to this Commission is the truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God. MR RICHARD T RUMO (sworn states) DR RANDERA MR RUMO I am conformable. DR RANDERA Can you explain who is with you? MR RUMO This is my sister, Celina, on my left hand side. DR RANDERA MR RUMO I remembered a certain attorney by the name of Omar Zaire in Springs. I had his telephone numbers with me and I decided to phone him and explain the whole matter to him. He made arrangements to call Ogies and also come to me. At about two in the morning he did come. Not the lawyer but he made arrangements that my brother-in-law would come in the early hours of the morning. He came and I told him to take everything in my car. He went to my car and came back to tell me that there was absolutely nothing left in my car. The police refused ... (interrupted) MR LEWIN Mr Rumo, sorry to interrupt. We are wanting to get on to the part in your statement where you talked about the divisions and what happened as a result of that. Do you think you could get onto that now please? MR RUMO I thought that was minor but at one stage a Comrades went to Witbank from Ogies and when they got home they told me that they had come to discuss the matters of Ogies with me. People were complaining in Ogies that the ANC Comrades were not receptive to them. I asked them to come inside the house. I knew that people were not in favour of Comrade Jackson because once he made mention of a certain statement on the national television. While we were still inside, four Comrades from the offices came inside. When they came inside they were very rude and asked me why did I allow Jackson to come, especially after he had uttered those words on the national television. I tried to explain to them what prompted him to say the things he said. They then went to my late father and instructed him to chase Jackson from Ogies or else they would set our house alight. My father came and insulted me and threatened ... (interrupted) MR LEWIN Sorry, could you explain who this Comrade Jackson is please? MR RUMO Comrade Jackson Mtembo is an ANC member and he is now Minister of Transport here in Mpumulanga region. MR LEWIN At the time what role did he have, that brought him to you? What was he doing in Ogies? MR RUMO MR LEWIN Could you explain then to us, just briefly, to round up, what actually happened about this now? How was it resolved or was it not resolved? This dispute. MR RUMO MR LEWIN Were you yourself attacked at all? MR RUMO They did try to attack me there but fortunately some people alerted me and I managed to escape. MR LEWIN What is your position now, to-day? Do you still have an official position? MR RUMO MR LEWIN MR RUMO MR LEWIN In what connection, Mr Rumo? MR RUMO Those are the people that alleged that I am working with the police and they were the very ones who wanted information about the ANC in Ogies. MR LEWIN MR RUMO Thanks. MR LEWIN Thank you, Mr Chair. DR RANDERA Thank you, Mr Lewin. Miss Mkhize? MR MALAN MR RUMO MR MALAN Then just a few issues in terms of detail in the written statement. You say that you were robbed of your car. How was that done? Was it a criminal robbery or was it an impounding by the police or they accuse you of carrying arms or drugs or what? How did you lose the car? MR RUMO MR MALAN MR RUMO Yes, I had. MR MALAN Can you remember the Registration Number of the car at the time? MR RUMO Yes, I do. MR MALAN Can you tell us now? MR RUMO CBY292. MR MALAN Do you still have the Registration Certificate of the car? MR RUMO MR MALAN So, you still have the car? MR RUMO Yes. MR MALAN MR RUMO MR MALAN MR RUMO I have the car back but the car is not operating. MR MALAN We hear you. Did it not operate at all after you received it back? Did it drive for a while? When did it stop working? MR RUMO After I got it from the police station, it was no longer working. MR MALAN How did you get it to your home? MR RUMO They took some of the parts, vehicle parts and I had to get a starter for me to be able to drive it home. MR MALAN May I refer to another part of your written statement? You come out with a plea and you say, my please is to apologize to those whom I did wrong. What do you intend to say here? Who do you want to apologize to? Do you want to do it publicly? Do you want to use this opportunity or what are you saying with this statement? MR RUMO MR MALAN MR RUMO MR MALAN You still teach. MR RUMO Yes. MR MALAN Where and at what school and what subject? MR RUMO Umpukweni Secondary School and I teach commercial subjects such as Business Economics and Accounting. MR MALAN Since when have you been teaching? MR RUMO 1986. MR MALAN At the time of the events, you were already in teaching? MR RUMO Yes. MR MALAN At the same post? MR RUMO Yes. MR MALAN Thank you very much Chairperson. DR RANDERA Miss Mkhize? MISS MKHIZE MR RUMO I started being politically active at Tembega High School in Nelspruit. MISS MKHIZE Were you affiliated with a certain group politically? MR RUMO I always kept company with the students. MISS MKHIZE MR RUMO Yes. MISS MKHIZE When you were a student did you ever once have an ......... or argument with the police? MR RUMO Yes, I would say so because I was expelled from Tembega High School in 1980 and I was in Standard Nine then. I was expelled around September. MISS MKHIZE Why did the police intervene? MR RUMO MISS MKHIZE At the time, were you military trained? MR RUMO No. MISS MKHIZE MR RUMO To see a young girl lying in the road at night made me feel so bad that I had to enquire about that child because it could have been one of the students from my school even though she was in the dark, I tried to see. I wanted to see exactly who the child was and what had happened. MR RUMO When you came across the police were you once detained for even a longer period? MR RUMO Yes, I was detained in Black Park as I mentioned before. MISS MKHIZE Were you tortured or harassed in any way? MR RUMO Yes, they came to me every night to interrogate me and harass me and after I had met my lawyer, that subsided. On Friday, Saturday, Sunday and on Monday I was released. These other three days I went through hell. They kept me in a cell with a twelve year old boy and when I asked this boy how he got there, he told me that he was selling in the location with a certain Indian guy and he was arrested but the Indian guy was set free. MISS MKHIZE Besides that were you subjected to some sort of torture? MR RUMO No. DR RANDERA Thank you people, can we just ... MISS MKHIZE When you look back in retrospect, you were suspected of collaborating with the police. What could have made that possible? MR RUMO MISS MKHIZE DR RANDERA MR RUMO Thank you.