&#9;TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION

&#9;UWC HEARING - DAY 1 - MONDAY 5 AUGUST 1996



CASE NO:&#9;&#9;&#9;&#9;CT/00218

VICTIM:&#9;&#9;&#9;&#9;SIPHIWO HARRY MANENTSA

NATURE OF VIOLENCE:&#9;&#9;SHOT BY POLICE

TESTIMONY FROM :&#9;&#9;SIPHIWO HARRY MANENTSA



CHAIRPERSON: Can you hear my voice through the earphones?

MR MANENTSA: Yes I can hear you.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you, and you can hear the interpretation into Xhosa?

MR MANENTSA: Yes I can hear them.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you Mr Manentsa we would want to say a very special word of welcome to you.We understand that you are still not your old self as a result of what happened to you and we are very grateful to you for taking the trouble to come to the Commission and share with us the experience that you had.Up till now we have heard from people who were testifying on behalf of other people who were killed in - during the time of conflict.You, however, are going to be telling your own story about what happened to you.And we know that this is not easy, and we are quite happy to be patient and to listen carefully and if you feel you have to pause at any time, you do that.I have to ask you, however, if - if it's possible that you can stand to take the oath before we continue.

SIPHIWO HARRY MANENTSA&#9;&#9;Duly sworn states

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you very much, please be seated.Mr Manentsa as you have seen it is our practice to ask one of the team of Commissioners to assist every witness and in this case it's Ms Glenda Wildschut and I am going to hand over to her now.Thank you.

MS WILDSCHUT: Good morning Mr Manentsa, are you - are you comfortable where you are seated, maybe we can ask the briefer to push the chair closer to the table and to adjust your mic.Okay, all right you fine. --- I am ready now.

&#9;Mr Manentsa, would you please tell us a little bit about yourself and then continue to tell us about the incident that happened in Lansdowne Road near Green Point, Khayelitsha. --- What do you mean to tell, to introduce myself.I am Siphiwo Manentsa, I am staying in Green Point in[inaudible] presently I live in Khayelitsha with my mother.I am living in with a certain girl and my child.Since this happened I've been very unhappy, so I've come here to complain. 

&#9;Could you continue to tell us what happened to you in Green Point and please explain to us also what it is that you are unhappy about. --- It was in 1991 in Green Pointwhen it was in Lansdowne Road and I was in the house.What I saw were hippos and some police cars and followed by a lot of taxi's and I was in the house at the time.Then I heard shotguns of people who are being shot widely in the streets and some were being beaten.This continued for quite some time and we ran away into bushes.This was at about two o'clock in the afternoon and it continued until five o'clock.So after that time, it was discovered that those people were going to come back, so we decided not to go to sleep.What we noticed was that the people were in the forefront were the policeman, because no-one was stopping them. In fact when we came back from the bushed after running from what had been happening, the policeman were the people who were patrolling in the streets right through until twelve midnight and we could not go to sleep because we scared.We were in fear that they were going to come back once more.At about one in the morning, I went to sleep, a few minutes later, I again heard some gunshots, so I jumped outside, I just wanted to see what was happening.Then I saw that there were houses that were on fire, and there were a group of people standing next to this people and I though they were the people for the fire brigade so I went to them with intention to help to distinguish the fire.Before I could get to this people they asked me where I was staying and I did not answer them.I then heard a shot whilst I was looking towards my left side and someone was pointing a gun at me and this people were considered in balaclavas and I could not see their faces.I then fell down and I could see that I had fallen on the street next to this burning houses.I could also make out some cars, because this people shot at me and then drove past.They thought that I had died.I was crying whilst I was lying down there, I heard something coming.There is a difference between the sound of a hippo and then I recognized that this was the sound of a hippo that was moving towards me.I then had the fear that this people might be dangerous people.So the hippo stopped next to me and they could not see me, and they were keen to see who had been shot.But they wouldn't get out of the hippo.So I also could not see them and I was sobbing, I was sobbing.So the people moved on and I came out of my hiding place and went to, I was semi-unconscious and I couldn't see properly. I tried - I tried to go the other way but I could hear the sounds of the fire ring.And houses were being burnt.What helped me to cross over there was a - there was a beam on the other side, so with the help of this beam I jumped over.Then I got into M-section, some people came to my rescue, there were two of them.They took me to a hospital, and here in hospital they - they saw that I was badly injured and then they referred me to the Groote Schuur Hospital where I was - I got attention.At Groote Schuur Hospital I spent there a week and two days, it was quite a long time.Then I was then transferred to the Conradie Hospital.Then one day a dictator - a detective came and asked me to go the police station.I can't remember his name.So when I was discharged from Conradie, I went to the police station where I stayed there waiting for the department -for the detective.I then gave him my statement, then they asked me who was the person that shot me and they asked me to bring the person that shot me if I happen to cross - to come across him.Then I felt they were playing a fool of me, I then went to the ANC office for an advice.Then I went to Town to the chief police and then I gave them my statement and till then up to now, I haven't heard anything from them up to this time I am here before this Commission.

&#9;Mr Manentsa can I just take you back to the beginning of your story please and ask you to tell us what was actually happening why were people shooting.What was the problem in your area then? --- That was - that was - there was a war between taxi people, so we couldn't know now why the residence were being beaten up. 

&#9;There was a war between two taxi organizations, do you know which two taxi organizations they were? --- Yes, they were Webta and Lugunya.

&#9;Can I just repeat that you are - did you say Webta and Lugunya? --- Yes.

&#9;Thanks, do you - do you know where the shots came from when you were shot at.Do you know whether it came from the hippos or from somewhere else? --- If I were to answer the question, I can't tell whether this shots were coming from the hippo you would be standing and then you would just see some shooting and the policeman were not intervening.What they were actually doing was to search and look for the people who were running away.So this would be very difficult that we were running, they were searching for us, and yet the people who were armed, were just looked at, nothing was done to them.

&#9;You were - you were taken to hospital and - Groote Schuur Hospital and then later sent to Conradie.Do you know why you were - do you know why you were sent to Conradie and what kind of hospital Conradie Hospital is? --- It was the first time for me to go to Conradie Hospital.

&#9;Would you agree if I told you that at Conradie Hospital they treat people who have injuries in their spine? --- Yes, because I also had been shot on the head, so I agree with what you saying.

&#9;So the shot wounds that you - the injuries that you received were spinal injuries. --- I was shot on the head.

&#9;Okay, Mr Manentsa you described yourself at the time of the incident. Can you just give us an idea of what your state of health was before the accident, before this incident occurred. --- I was very healthy being with my mother, I use to work at the time, I was doing casual jobs, that's how I lived.I would seek for casual jobs.I was a worker and I could do everything on my own.I now live on a disability grant.

&#9;You are speaking very slowly now as well, was this the way you spoke before the accident as well? --- No, a lot of change occurred to me.

&#9;Would you like to just give us an idea, I know it is very difficult but can you give us an idea of the changes that you are talking about. --- Firstlyif you are talking, I take time to conceive what you are saying and then I have problems to answer back.And then I take time to respond to answer and talk.So this would appear to people as if I am playing the fool, because they would be expecting me to answer back promptly and yet this was not the situation before this injury.

&#9;So the fact that it takes you a very long time to talk and to answer and also to understand and grasp the - what people are speaking to you about, does that irritate people, do they - are they inpatient with you? --- Yes they get irritated because when I speak, I also - I also encounter some difficulties to - to know what I am suppose to say.Are you still receiving treatment right now? --- Yes I still get medical treatment.

&#9;And where are you receiving that treatment? --- I get it from the Groote Schuur Hospital.

&#9;Thank you very much Mr Manentsa, I do not have any more questions but I would hand over to the Chairperson for further questions from the other Commissioners. 

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you Glenda, any other questions, yes Ms Burton.

MS BURTON: Good morning Mr Manentsa. --- Good morning.

&#9;You talked about - you talked about the people who were wearing the balaclavas and at first you thought that they were the fire brigade but then you saw that they were not.Did you see them close too - would you be able to tell us what they looked like or who they might have been? --- Because it was at night when I was shot.I really cannot identify those people.Because everything was done in a split of a second, I wasn't even given an opportunity to look at the faces of the people.

&#9;Thank you.I just wanted you to know that our investigators have followed up the things that you have told us in your statement.And you - you were not able to remember exactly what date it might have been, but there is other evidence that shows that it was in September of 1991.And at the time you made a statement to the Unrest Monitoring Action Committee and they recorded the facts that you've told us.So we have other ways of confirming that what you've told us was part of that struggle between Webta and Lagunya in Khayelitsha at the time.So thank you very much for giving us more information about those events.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you Ms Burton.I don't want to hold you longer than is necessary because I know that you are not comfortable because of your injuries.But just a couple of concluding questions.First the people wearing balaclavas, were there many of them, can you remember whether they were five or ten or three or a huge crowd, any recollection? --- This is a good question, such that these people in balaclavas, the balaclavas were black in color, but I can't recall the people. 

&#9;Thank you, you mentioned that you made a report to the police station.And that you heard nothing since then.Was there no inquest or rather an inquiry or a Court case about your being shot? --- As mentioned earlier, I went to the ANC office, that's where I went to and even then they did not take any steps, all they said was that they were going to call us later, up till now they haven't done that.

&#9;Thank you we'll - we'll certainly try and take that up ourselves and be in touch with you again.One last question, you know that this Commission has been appointed by the President and that we have a responsibility which is right across the country and we will be hearing from people like you and many others for the next eighteen months as we have in the last few months.We can try and do what we can, we cannot do everything that everybody would like us to do.But is there any way in which you think the Commission may be of help to you? --- Yes there is.I - it is - I would be having my own house or something that belongs to me this years and this disability grant that I am getting is not sufficient, it doesn't help me to have what I need, because things are expensive and I even live with my family.So I need a house, I need accommodation.And secondly I would like this people who did all this to me, should come forward and take responsibility.

&#9;Thank you Mr Manentsa, we have heard what you have said.We have also listened to your story and we will certainly do what we can do and what is possible and we feel deeply for you, because you are still damaged and will carry the cost of what happened that night for the rest of your life. We are grateful to you for coming to the Commission, despite your injuries and the difficulty you have of speaking and of walking and perhaps even sitting.And we hope and trust that as a result of sharing this experience with us and with so many other people here today, and indeed on the radio and the television and the newspapers throughout the country.It is very important for this country if it's going to move beyond conflict, and distrust and hatred to find a new way forward of healing and reconciliation and justice.And you have made your contribution and we want to thank you very much indeed.Thank you. --- Thank you, thank you.



































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