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TRUTH AND RECONCILIATIOIN COMMISSION
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TRUTH AND RECONCILIATIOIN COMMISSION

DAY 1 - 22 APRIL 1996



CASE NO:&#9;&#9;&#9;&#9;CT/00802

VICTIM:&#9;&#9;&#9;&#9;WILLIAM HENRY LITTLE

VIOLATION:&#9;&#9;&#9;INJURED IN BOMB ATTACK

TESTIMONY FROM:&#9;&#9;WILLIAM HENRY LITTLE



CHAIRPERSON:

Good morning Mr Little.

MR LITTLE: 

Good morning.

CHAIRPERSON:

We'd like to welcome you very warmly and to thank you again personally for being willing to come and attend these hearings. Because you are the very first to give testimony in the Western Cape, I want to explain things a little more slowly than I normally do, so that other people perhaps who will follow you will feel a little more comfortable.

In a moment I am going to ask you to take the oath, if you have any religious objection then you will obviously not use the words, 'so help me God' which will be your response when I ask you to take the oath. In that case you will simply say I do. And that will give preference to everybody to do that. Now having said that would you please stand for the oath.



WILLIAM HENRY LITTLE&#9;&#9;Duly sworn states



DR BORAINE:

Thank you, will you be seated please. Mr Little at any time we are talking to each other, if you prefer to stand, to move around a bit, don't worry about that, whatever makes you feel comfortable that's exactly what you ought to be doing.

Mr Little you know that we've been having hearings in East London, have you followed those at all?

MR LITTLE

I have.

DR BORAINE:

Or on television, radio, newspapers?

MR LITTLE

Television as well as newspaper.

DR BORAINE:

What's your first impression?

MR LITTLE

A tremendous amount of empathy.

DR BORAINE:

Good, so you feel comfortable being here?

MR LITTLE

I feel comfortable yes.

DR BORAINE:

All right, we'd like to know a little bit about you before we actually get to that very fateful day which changed your life so dramatically. So take your time and tell us where you were born, where you come from, something of your background, just tell us your story that we can get to know you a little better.

MR LITTLE

Thank you Dr Boraine would it be okay if I - before I do this [indistinct] sketch about me, just to have some sort of introduction.

DR BORAINE:

Of course.

MR LITTLE

Before - okay if I stand, before I commence with my story I would like to take this opportunity of thanking God for his saving and sustaining grace, for having kept me, to enable me this morning to tell my story. 

You might observe that I am wearing white, I have not been chosen to represent the South African cricket side, but I represent the resurrection of my Lord in whom I believe. It shows that notwithstanding pain, notwithstanding sorrow, and suffering, that there can be hope, that there can be reconciliation and that there can be life. I approached this Commission this morning with much love, much understanding, empathy and forgiveness.

I had the opportunity of Rev Erica who supports me here on my left to address my [indistinct] yesterday morning and I told them that you might well ask yourself what has the Truth Commission got to do with you. And I told them that whenever you take your child to a school of your choice, whenever you enter into a restaurant and have a meal of your choice, or whenever you enter into your home and stay in a residential area of your choice.

Pause for a while say a prayer and remember those who have laid down their lives and who have made it possible for you to enjoy this. But especially also for those who have been left behind and who have to endure so much, I pray that God would give you, the Commissioners, and your wonderful support team, all the strength in this task that you have, that lies ahead.

What has become very evident and what has become very clear - clear during these briefings, that for the first time many of us feel that people are now caring and that people are listening. Thank you very much, that's my way of introduction. May I carry on with the [intervention]

DR BORAINE:

Thank you and by all means please carry on, are you going to remain standing or do you want to sit?

MR LITTLE

I feel more comfortable in standing.

DR BORAINE:

All right could you just adjust the microphone please, there is no hurry, just take it easy.

MR LITTLE

I was born on the 8th of March 1940, I think that makes about now 56. I was born in Worcester in the Cape, family besides my parents, there are - were seven children, my parents are deceased as well as two brothers and one sister.

Education, I matriculated in 1958 from the South Peninsula High School in Diep River and by way of correspondence obtained a diploma in Public Administration from the Peninsula Technikon. 

Residence, I stayed in the Southfield Plumstead area for 27 years and in Diep River for 5 years and was removed from these residential areas through the Group Areas Act and have since been staying in Lansdowne, now that is from 1971 [indistinct]

I got married on the 29th of May 1971 and from my marriage I have two daughters. Tarryn in 24 years old and who is supporting me today and she sits behind me and a daughter Rebertha, who is 21 years old and who stays in Manhattan, New York and is pursuing a very successful [indistinct] modelling career.

Tarryn is at present studying for a part time degree and supports us by way of her singing contract. Both are not married and inform me that I am stuck with them. Tarryn, I lossed my wife [indistinct] and stillborn son on Christmas Eve 1971 in [indistinct] during childbirth. Tarryn was 10 years old at the time and Rebertha was [indistinct] old.

Six months after the passing away of my wife and stillborn son, the bombing incident took place. I remarried on the 31ST of January 1986, there is no children from the marriage, but I do have three stepsons, who ages are 22, 25 and 32.

There are four step grandchildren, my wife suffers from a severe depressive disorder and is a housewife and was formally a very successful girl Friday in a computer company.

Church affiliation: I am a member of the Anglican community and is fortunate to worship at the parish, who reaches out to others namely the parish of St [indistinct] Lansdowne. I remember of the caring and sharing that took place with family members over weekends who visited loved ones who were being detained on Robben Island.

I want to thank Rev Erica Murray who has become our priest as from February this year, she comes from Canada and who is seated on my left. I have been a parish counsellor for many years, leaders of our - leader of a house church and a renew faith group.

Employment: after matriculating, in '58 I worked for two years in the private sector. I joined the public sector in 1961 as a Prisoners friend at the Magistrates Court in Wynberg, Cape. Besides collecting bail and fine moneys and arranging for the [indistinct] payment of fines, I was responsible after consultation with prisoners, to telephonically contact family, friends and lawyers. I remember the [indistinct] trials very well, and several people who have been detained and who are extremely prominent today.

In 1973 I was transferred to the [indistinct] of Coloured Affairs as a clerk, grade 2, discharged from this public service, due to saving measures at the end of April 1993 on rank of Deputy Director, Administration. After three years at home, I commenced working on the 1st of April this year at Parliament as a administrative assistant, this is contract work until one month after the next election in [indistinct]

The [indistinct] after being discharged from the Public Service in 1993, [indistinct] voluntary people known as the [indistinct] Christians [indistinct] Committee which was born out of the [indistinct] churches in Lansdowne. The aim of this committee was to address the serious [indistinct] vacancy problem and the committee is now known as the [indistinct] Shelter.

I [part indistinct] 1993 and we have last year put it into a lease agreement with the [indistinct] City Council for a piece of land, the final sketch plans will soon be finalised and we hope to commence erection shortly. I hope that the Mayor [indistinct] Due to administrative background, concerning welfare and pensions, assist the community in this regard.

Hobbies, I love gardening, it has assisted me greatly especially during bouts of depression and I am a very keen [indistinct] for all kinds of sports. Thank you very much.

DR BORAINE:

Mr Little you told us that you moved to Durban on transfer and in some ways changed the nature of the work because you went to another department. When - when did you go to Durban, just remind me.

MR LITTLE

Well - tell me I can sit down now.

DR BORAINE:

Okay.

MR LITTLE

After being promoted as a administrative control officer, I was transferred to Durban to take up their as the regional representative of the then Coloured Affairs, dealing in the administration fields of welfare, education, personnel, staff etcetera. At that time the regional rep was the administrative head with the regional school inspectors and the other professional people, welfare etcetera falling under that.

DR BORAINE:

And when was that?

MR LITTLE

That was from the beginning - the end of 1/12/1979.

DR BORAINE:

Okay, thank you Mr Little the climate in the country and in KwaZulu Natal and in Durban in the early 80's as a period of deep conflict, were you aware of that as a person, were you interested in politics or aware of what was going on?

MR LITTLE

I - as the regional representative of the then Department of Coloured Affairs, the schools, the education aspect, resorted under me but via the inspectors of education. But it was important for the regional rep to be present at all forums at that time, police forums to monitor the school boycotts, so I was deeply involved with that.

DR BORAINE:

Okay.

MR LITTLE

As a result of my position as a regional rep or nothing as a political nature.

DR BORAINE:

Fine coming a little closer now you were working in Durban, the corner of Hermitage and West Street and on the 21st of May 1982, you went to work as usual?

MR LITTLE

As usual I went to work.

DR BORAINE:

And tell us about the day, as it unfolded for you before you come to the actual incident which changed your whole life.

MR LITTLE

It was a normal working day, seeing to your staff, going around, doing what has to be done for that particular day flowing from your diary. 

DR BORAINE:

So was there any feeling of insecurity at all or any special security measures taken?

MR LITTLE

Not at all - not at all.

DR BORAINE:

Not at all.

MR LITTLE

I am under oath I need to mention that at that time there was a measure of depression but I wasn't aware of this because after my wife's death and stillborn son, I did not go for any form of medical treatment.

But the Tuesday prior to the bombing, I had been very depressed and had gone to my priest, or rather I wanted to go to church and pray and I met him there and I - and he asked me my story and I told him how I felt and he administered to me the ministry of the sick - the oils on that - prior on that Tuesday.

DR BORAINE:

On that very same day?

MR LITTLE

Ja but the Thursday was a holiday and I enjoyed it with the friends and I felt much better after the blessing of the oils. I just felt that I had to pick myself up again.

DR BORAINE:

All right, now what exactly happened that late afternoon on the 21st of May 1962?

MR LITTLE

It was at about quarter past five, nature called and I had my own toilet between the 2nd and 3rd floors, it was on a staircase. I unlocked the door, I had the key to that toilet, inside was a cubicle as well as a door with a normal handbasin there and a place to urinate. I remember using the toilet, I've got the article here in front of me with a picture in the daily newspaper, man caught with his pants down. I do not remember what inspired after that, I've got it here in writing, I don't know if you would like me to read it.

DR BORAINE:

Now I'll just perhaps ask some questions but at any time if I don't help you sufficiently, you will tell me so I am sure. In terms of your statement it must of been or was a very bewildering shocking time. What do you remember exactly at that moment?

MR LITTLE

I was hoping to wake up, but this wasn't real, and this was a nightmare. The next time when I had some sort of control over myself, I found myself in the streets outside, possibly West Street, I'd have no recollection of leaving that building. To me it was prior to that just one nightmare and I was going to wake up somehow and this wasn't true.

DR BORAINE:

Looking back were you aware that there had been a bomb that had gone off, or were you totally unaware what on earth had happened.

MR LITTLE

It is only when I returned to the scene and the area was cordoned off, by police and the wires and dogs, and then looking at the second floor, then that the reality dawned upon me that it must have been a bomb explosion, because bombs were going off in Durban at that time.

DR BORAINE:

Did you go back to your office?

MR LITTLE

I was taken by some Indian businessmen, I was not allowed to go in by the police, although I told them that I was there, they wouldn't believe that I came out of that building. I was taken by some Indian businessmen where I had some water and contacted a friend.

DR BORAINE:

And when you went to your office, what did you find?

MR LITTLE

When I returned to the scene, the owner of the building recognised me because we occupied the first and second floor and he said Bill so we've heard about the bombing have you come to look at whatever station.

I said, I was in there, there was a certain Colonel Wellman whom I - who recognised me - with whom we had been working with the police programs and he also pointed out to me he is glad to see that I am here to come and have a look at what's happened, so then I mentioned to him that I was in the building and then he said to me, but we are looking for the gentleman, a passer-by informed them that there was a man shouting for help from the second floor window.

And then gradually it came back that I stood there for a minute, but the cars were so small looking down, that I did not jump or - that started coming - came back to me. I was then escorted by Colonel Wellman who subsequently died in a gun - in a bomb explosion several years later, and then he had to escort me via the staircase, which were now completely destroyed and possibly the staircase with which I came down.

The offices were no longer there, it was just one big gap, my own office where I was taken to get my personal belongings, the glass petitioning where I sat next to it, the glass were all strewn over my table. My opinion is that if I had remained in that office, if nature had not called, I would either have been severely killed by the glass coming at me, or I'd been killed or severely injured.

DR BORAINE:

Injured.

MR LITTLE

The - there was absolute devastation as far as the building were concerned, files etcetera that we were obliged within the next week to look for alternative accommodation to carry on our duties.

DR BORAINE:

So it was quite devastated.

MR LITTLE

Absolute devastated, ceilings were hanging down, steel cabinets became concertinas. The legs and drawers of wooden tables and cabinets were completely blown away. Staff that were not there at the time of the incident, but who reported for duty on the Monday, had to be treated for medical - had to be treated medically. They had to leave.

DR BORAINE:

Now Mr Little I have two quite different questions but the first concerns your own response, medically, physically, emotionally in the days that followed. Did you seek medical assistance, were you under some counselling service. Tell us a little bit about that.

MR LITTLE

On - on this Friday when the bombing took place, I was informed somehow I think they must of had my house number that our director general from Pretoria, would be coming down. I can't recall if I met him the Saturday, but I definitely met him on the Monday to go and have a look at the building.

And he had advised me that I should consult a doctor, that was the very first time that I consulted a doctor. I consulted Dr Robertson because he had worked very closely with the community and we - we got to know each other as the regional rep and he had diagnosed me as having severe depression and was extremely disappointed that I had not consulted him earlier.

And as a result of the director general's presence there, and looking at me and realising what was wrong with me, with depression, he had said that he would have to approach my office in Cape Town to get me back to my family. Because what happened after the wife died and the son, the two girls of seven had to leave me as well to be cared for in Cape Town by my mother in law. And he felt that I needed to get home and that resulted in the transfer to Cape Town.

DR BORAINE:

Have you had any treatment since that time?

MR LITTLE

The treatment that I had was at regular intervals by the normal general practitioner. I was diagnosed as suffering from anxiety, and when it became too much end of Tape 1, side B  of June 1982, I was again put off from the 26th of June to the 30th of June with acute depression.

I was again seen by a doctor on the 8th of November who certified that I was suffering from anxiety. After the psychiatric treatment I did not receive any further treatment concerning the bombing.

DR BORAINE:

Thank you very much. How would you describe the affect of that shocking bombing incident, what difference has it made do you think to your life?

MR LITTLE

I held a position of regional rep of the department of Coloured and an extremely high profile position. I had to be at all important civic occasions, I had to be a lots of meetings concerning welfare and especially education. Because it was - it was a tremendous problem, education, school building etcetera, teachers problems with salaries etcetera.

It was an extremely high profile position and I had a diary, you know that goes into the future and I had to do the whole of Natal because your chief inspector of education was sitting in Johannesburg. And people would not come when they have an educational problem really to the chief inspector of education or a welfare problem with the chief welfare - welfare officer, it would come via the regional rep, it was an extremely high profile position where I had little time to my family because people needed to see you.

You had to spent days in certain places. And when I was transferred, I was transferred to a clerical position in an education department, examinations where I became a clerk. I was just left alone there all by my own, never received a phone call where I - phoning was the order of the day etcetera, correspondence and there I was just left alone sometimes transferring numbers, figures to another file and what was extremely disturbing, I first went to an office in Wynberg, the regional office and people just left me alone because they were under the impression that I was psycho, I was mental.

And I was sitting in this office with the regional rep when he had a phone call and he went quite, but we were very good colleagues, we knew each other for a long time. And when he put the phone down, he says Bill, that is the personnel section of head office and they want to know about your mental condition. And I - the comparison that I can make is that one minute I was the school principal and the next minute I was the caretaker.

DR BORAINE:

So ja [intervention]

MR LITTLE

It was extremely humiliating.

DR BORAINE:

That's - so it's really affected your life changes, your employment opportunities and your whole career.

MR LITTLE

Yes from a prior to the bombing I was regularly promoted from a clerk grade 2, to a clerk grade 1, to a senior clerk, to a principal clerk, to an admin control officer, to a senior admin control officer and that took place normally within two years of each other with merit awards accompanying all of them from 1/12/79 to 1/9/86 only at 1/9/86 I became an assistant director.

But this was as a result of the new political structures and somehow I must have been identified to take on the role as a Parliamentary officer and as well as an admin secretary to a particular Minister.

And there I was - I was now in a similar sort of high profile because I was busy with the rehabilitation process. I like the work that I was now - now doing, because I was accustom to that as a regional rep, there was a tremendous exposure working with members of Parliament etcetera and with the public.

And in that particular rehabilitation - after that rehabilitation, after waiting seven years for a promotion as a result of what transpired, I only waited eighteen months to become a deputy director and before I left, I was assessed again as a director. And I was found to be promotable out of turn.

I need - if wasnt necessary for me to wait in the normal group, but that was after the rehabilitation, I feel strongly that yes it affected my career. I would most probably have still been in the public service today.

DR BORAINE:

Thank you very much, the - I want to take you back just very briefly to 1962. Was it ever established who was responsible for the planting of the bomb.

MR LITTLE

I cannot with truth say what happened but having to read the newspapers and having to keep abreast of what was going on, I do remember driving along often in Durban and observing other Government buildings.

I remember the Indian Affairs well, I also remember that where people had to sign up for military duty, bombs went off there. But I cannot under oath here today say that there was a particular party who claimed that they were responsible.

DR BORAINE:

There was no Court case following the bombing.

MR LITTLE

No there was - there was no - no statement or anything was taken down from me.

DR BORAINE:

So no one was arrested or [intervention]

MR LITTLE

Not to my knowledge, not to my knowledge.

DR BORAINE:

All right, Mr Little you know that the Commission is seeking to try and help people who have been victims of violence - of Human Rights violations over a period of thirty years. Is there any thing finally that you would like the Commissioners to know from you.

MR LITTLE

Although I made reference in my statement that I consider that my discharge from the public service should be on the rank higher than that of deputy director, which I believe is fair reparation - compensation for what I have suffered. I now would not have this sleepless nights if I am not granted some form of reparation. My concern is with those who have little or nothing.

DR BORAINE:

Its a very generous approach Mr Little and I am very grateful to you for coming here today and telling us your story. I am going to hand you over now to the Chairperson in case there are any other Committee members of Commissioners who would like to put further questions to you.

MR LITTLE

Thank you.

CHAIRPERSON:

Thank you very much are there any further questions.

ADV POTGIETER:

Thank you Chairperson, can I just ascertain Mr Little when the bomb exploded was that outside normal office hours?

MR LITTLE

It was normal office - I was - office usually close at four. If I may carry on what happened was that I was visited by the South African Police as a result of an alleged fraud case in one of the schools and they requested that I submit to them an urgent affidavit from our side. That was the reason that I was still in the building at quarter past five.

ADV POTGIETER:

Does that building only house workers.

MR LITTLE

It was the first and second floor housed workers of the department but there were other private companies as well on some of the floors.

ADV POTGIETER:

So it was all [intervention]

MR LITTLE

It was - yes after reading the reports that had all - there were no people there except on the down - on the floor I believe there were some shop and that people also made some reports in the paper.

ADV POTGIETER:

Thank you.

CHAIRPERSON:

Thank you very much, any other? Thank you very much Mr Little for a very clear explanation of your position and we take account of your expectations. Thank you.

MR LITTLE

Thank you very much.





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