Issued by: Truth and Reconciliation Commission
AMNESTY AND HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION HEARINGS IN KWAZULU/NATAL - FREE STATE REGION OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER 1996
The Truth and REconciliation Commission in the KwaZulu/Natal-Free State region which held a three-day hearing in Welkom this week is to embark on a series of amnesty and human rights violation hearings in various parts of the region, from next week till the end of November.
Among the scheduled hearings will be some of the most high profile cases which attracted widespread public interest at the time and made headlines in the media both in this country and abroad.
TRUST FEED MASSACRE - PMBURG OCTOBER 15 AND 16
The very first case to kick-off this punishing schedule of the TRC is an incident which shocked the nation in December 1988 and forever changed the lives of a close-knit community of Trust Feeds, a rural village near New Hanover in the Natal Midlands.
On this fateful day, a group of people, mostly women, who had gathered in the Sithole homestead for a wake of a man who had died of natural causes were unexpectedly attacked at 3 am by assailants who kicked doors and randomly shot at anything that moved or talked in the house.
The attack, later dubbed by the press, the "Trust Feed Massacre" left 11 people dead and two seriously wounded. The youngest victim was a four-year-old boy and the oldest a 66-year-old woman.
Eventually, in October 1991 seven members of the then South African Police, who had operated under the command of one Captain Brian Victor Mitchell stood trail on eleven charges of murder and eight of attempted murder.
In a sensational trial which lasted six months, Mitchell finally admitted to having given orders to attack the Sithole homestead, "on the spur of the moment". On 30 April 1992 Mitchell was sentenced to death eleven times, which was later commuted to 30 years imprisonment. His accomplices each received an effective 15 years imprisonment for their role in the attack.
Brian Mitchell has subsequently applied for amnesty from the Truth Commission and his case will be heard over two days next week, on Tuesday October 15 and Wednesday October 16. On these two dates, the Amnesty Committee of the TRC- headed by Judge Hassan Mall - will be sitting at the Pietermaritzburg City Hall in the corner of Church and Commercial Streets.
RICK TURNER'S ASSASSINATION - 24 OCTOBER
The Assassination of the University of Natal political scientist, Dr Rick Turner, will once again come under the spotlight when four members of his family appear before the Truth Commission at the Durban Christian Centre on Thursday October 24 from 9 am.
Dr Turner, who at the time was heavily involved in getting the trade union movement in Natal off the ground, was gunned down by an unknown assailant at his home in Durban on 8 January 1978, in front of his two young daughters.
Members of the Turner family who will travel from London to testify before the commission are his first wife, Barbara Follett who is now a Labour Party politician in Britain, his second wife Foszia Turner whom he was married to at the time of his death, his younger Daughter, Kim who was only 8-years-old when her father was killed.
His elder daughter Jann, a Johannesburg-based writer will also testify. Dr Turner's 88-year-old mother, Jane, is too frail to travel from Cape Town for these hearings.
FATIMA MEER'S AND HAROLD STRACHAN'S HARASSMENT - OCTOBER 24 DBN
Well Known Durban sociologist Professor Fatima Meer and Harold Strachan a founder member of the ANC's military wing, MK, will share the stage with the Turner family at the Durban Christian Centre on October 24.
Prof Meer will talk about the attempted assassination of her husband. She will also talk about the petrol bombing of her home and also about the harassment, persecution and pain she suffered over the years at the hands of the security forces at the time.
Among other things, Mr Strachan will talk at length about the attempt on his life in 1979.
WOMEN'S HEARING - OCTOBER 25 DBN
The first hearing set aside exclusively for women, will be held on Friday October 25 at the offices of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Durban. This unique hearing will be at the HRV HEARING ROOM, 9th Floor, Metlife Building, 391 Smith Street. The TRC phone number is (031) 3076767.
During these hearings women will get to tell the story of their own personal suffering, trauma and pain. They will be testifying before a panel made up of only female commissioners.
EMPANGENI HRV HEARINGS - NOVEMBER 4,5 & 6
The commission will hold a three-day hearing of gross human rights violations which happened in this region and surrounding areas. These hearings will be at the Empangeni Town Hall.
DIRK COETZEE AMNESTY HEARING - NOV 5, 6, 7 & 8
The amnesty committee has set aside at least nine days to her Dirk Coetzee's application for amnesty, on the role he played in the murder of Durban human rights lawyer, Griffiths Mxenge, who was brutally murdered by Coetzee and his Vlakplaas henchmen.
Coetzee is expected to divulge information about this particular murder and other crimes for which he has applied for amnesty. He will appear together with his two accomplices, Almond Nofomela and David Tshikalanga.
The first four days of his application will be from November 5 to 8 at the Durban Christian Centre. He will once again appear before this committee at the same venue, over five days, from November 25 to 29.
PIETERMARITZBURG 7-DAY WAR - NOVEMBER 19, 20 & 21
One of the bloodiest incidents of political violence in KwaZulu-Natal, the notorious "7-day War" which left more than 80 people dead and hundreds seriously injured will be relived at the Maritzburg City Hall over three days, from November 19 to 21.
The incident was triggered by the stoning of buses carrying IFP supporters from a rally in Durban on March 25 1990. It later emerged that the day after the stoning, a large group of heavily armed IFP supporters met at the home of a well known warlord where a revenge attack was planned.
After the meeting they reportedly went back to the area where the stoning had taken place and attacked everything in sight, in an orgy that lasted 7 days and claimed a lot of innocent lives.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Members of the media who need further information about hearings in this region should feel free to contact me. Mdu Lembede (TRC Media Spokesman) Phone 031 3076745 Fax 031 3076742 Cellular 082 4588464.
10 October 1996