toyi-toyi

MS MEJANE: We refer to these people as the Matshawe's. They were against the struggle. They were against us toyi-toying.

And then he, Zandisile came back and he said he had not found that policeman. This particular Sunday on a certain day during the course of the week, because I used to work at night at a Clinic in Sada, it was early in the morning at about ten, it was very bad in Sada, there had been a very strong ...

MR HLONGWA: In 1986 I was a fellow person, a person who was working, working for the people. When I say people I was a pastor. I was helping people and trying to assist them as a pastor. You will excuse me, sometimes it is not easy for me to speak a little bit faster, because I was actually hurt. ...

sign on Wednesdays and Saturdays but I didn't do that because when I arrived there I was shown around all the flags and the T-shirts that were there, they were asking me to what organisation does this particular flag belong to and I told them that I don't know. They said they are supposed to throw ...

You were saying that it happened on 31st December 1985. Would you like to tell us further? --- Matambomtini arrived at my home in the morning to tell me that Mbulelo was shot and I asked as to where was he shot and where, and who shot him. He said to me, Mbulelo was ... [indistinct] by ... ...

MR NKOSI: Well the deceased as an employee of the then government, I do not think he would have approved of us doing activities like toyi-toyi and so forth.

In addition you had a lot of freedom songs which had this line, "kill the Boer", which was meant merely to motivate our soldiers, in many freedom songs they are there, it's not belonging to Peter Mokaba, and I think we need to make that very clear. The people who said it belonged to Peter Mokaba ...

MR MABASO: It is the same with Stephen. I’ve indicated that I was, that I was on patrol. It was supper time. Other had to have their supper, and others were expected to go on patrol whilst others were having supper. We all knew him. We all knew them. Everybody and old women and aged women and ...

MS THABETHE: My next question is, isn't it common cause, Mr Mnyandu, that if there were toyi-toyiing or marches the police would call a person that they know is a comrade to tell the others to disperse or sometimes what they would do they would use a loudspeaker and tell the people to disperse? ...

MS MBIXANA: In 1986, in September, there was a funeral in Avenue A in New Brighton in Port Elizabeth. We used to see him joining the toyi toyi, but on this particular day, we were not aware that he was there. Then I noticed that he was not present, then we said that if he was there, he would of ...

MR KRUSER: The other crowds moved almost consistently in a slow type of march or toyi-toyi as they would call it. This crowd was, as though they were humming up in type of dance at the corner, standing still but they were not moving, they seemed to be constant on the corner, that is my ...

You take such instances that at one main school here, there was a sports competition and kids were playing. One team in which there were many Black kids won so they started toyi-toying and singing in Sotho, jumping for joy that they won. The principal at the assembly said this school has an ...

MR HELA: Yes. Because they would be there in the township when we were toyi-toying and singing freedom songs?

MS FIBANA: My mother was not going to be a State witness. My mother did not attend the toyi-toyi. She phoned my grandmother saying that if she was to be arrested she wouldn't be able to leave us alone at home.

MR JWAMBE: It is so, Sir, I was not there. My presence at the place of crime I got there and I was told that these people were being burnt. I tried to stop them. There were a lot of people. People were going up and down, singing, toyi-toyiing. After I realised that I could not stop the killing ...

That told me that these children did not know me. That is what I concluded there and then because I am not afraid to say that no matter how big the toyi-toyi was here in town, I passed them with a clear conscience because up to this day, I have a clear conscience.

DR MAGWAZA: Good morning, Sir. There are a few more questions to ask. At the time when you joined the group of youths who were toyi-toying, what was happening at that time? Why were they toyi-toying? --- They were chanting slogans about Mandela, and we were singing about the freedom.

I must say more than anything, she has probably changed my views, my racist ideas and everything else. One of the main comments that she always passed to me was "what would you have done, had you been the black chap living there in Chesterville" and I've got to say if I was, I probably would ...

MR MFAZWE: What makes me to mention all of this, is that as time went on, since I had just arrived here, I was in panic for my children who were moving all over, going to shebeens, joining toyi toyi's and boycotts. I was always uncomfortable because I always they were going to participate in the ...

jubilation. Somewhat premature, as it turned out. In Phokeng, Winterveld, Odimoritele, Unibo and elsewhere, people sang freedom songs, they toyi-toyed and they celebrated the downfall of the government. The retributive clamp-down that followed was swift and severe. In Phokeng itself the chief ...