WeeklySA_AdminCruelty: SA human rights commission inquiry told one victim was murdered, both his feet cut off before his body set alight…
By Monk Nkomo
A Black woman was so severely beaten in one of the most savage attacks perpetrated by a group of Indian mobs in Phoenix, near Durban, in July 2021 that it took a whole week for her community to identify her, one of the witnesses told the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC).
According to the SAHRC, many of the people who died in Phoenix were not able to be identified by the families at the mortuary. The institution released last week its report into the July 2021 unrest that unfolded in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, during which some 350 people lost their lives.
The violence and destruction also caused damage to infrastructure and businesses costing South Africa’s economy some R50 billion, with a further two million jobs being lost or affected.
Speaking at the release of the report, SAHRC Commissioner Philile Ntuli said the commission found that myriad factors contributed to the outbreak of destruction and violence during the riots.
In one of the testimonies by Durban attorney Previn Asoka Vedan, the commission heard that a young Black child who was found plucking mangoes from a tree and accused of stealing, was assaulted and hit multiple times with an axe by a group of Indian men.
Vedan, who is also a councillor of eThekwini municipality in Shallcross, submitted an affidavit to the Commission regarding some of the events in July 2021. He told the commission he witnessed an unprecedented availability of firearms and ammunition in Shallcross, where the Ridge shopping centre was looted and damaged. A massive food storage warehouse was also looted by Indian, White, Coloured and Black people during the unrest.
A Black woman was severely beaten and dropped outside his municipal office in Shallcross. ‘’ Her face was beaten so badly that it took a whole week before the community could identify who she was.’’
Vedan said he tried to restore calm and compliance with the rule of law. He also tried to counteract racial tensions that were brought to the fore as a result of the unrest. Referring to the roadblocks that were manned by a group of Indians, Vedan said while the roadblocks were ‘’an innovative idea,’’ it appeared that those present at the roadblocks were on occasion illegally stopping and searching vehicles. Another witness, Chris Biyela, who was staying in Inanda at the time of the unrest, narrowly escaped the wrath of the Indian mob when one of them told them to leave him because he knew him. This was after they had stopped him at the civilian roadblock, called him ‘’a kaffir, arsehole, darkie’’ and to “come out of the car you p..s’’.
The reason he came to testify at the Commission was to relate the ordeal endured by his neighbours that day. After he arrived home safely, he inquired about his neighbours, Bongani Skumbuzo Mokubung and another only known as Lokishi. When he came back from the Mahatma Gandhi Hospital, Lokishi had stitches on his head after telling him he was assaulted by a group of Indians. His face was swollen and his broken arm was in a plaster.
Lokishi told him he managed to escape while being assaulted. He fled to a nearby foliage. He came out of hiding when he spotted a SAPS van thinking that he would get help. ‘’ Instead, when he flagged down the van, the two Indian police officers told him to fuck off from here and go and die in hospital.’’
Mokubung was practically bedridden after his arm and leg were broken. He had also suffered burn wounds at the hands of the marauding mob.
Nomthando Mdunge-Khumalo’s husband, Bongani Khumalo, was murdered in Phoenix on July 12 2021. She testified that both his feet were cut off and his body was set alight alight. When she and her brother tried to go to the Phoenix mortuary to look for her husband and his brother-in-law, only known as Delani, they were prevented from entering Phoenix. She then requested help from the SAPS to escort them.
On their first visit they could not identify the two men. ‘’The bodies were eventually found at the mortuary. They were severely burnt and only identifiable by their gold-capped teeth.’’
There were videos shared on WhatsApp of her husband and his brother-in-law lying and dying “with comments calling them dead p..s.’’ She opened a case of murder at the Durban Central SAPS, which was being investigated.
Nomhle Tshecwa, a single parent, wrote to the Commission about the disappearance and death of her first-born son, Kamvelihle (17), who did not return home on July 12 2021. She asked his friends about his whereabouts the next morning and they told her he had gone to Phoenix with another friend. She was however advised not to go there because Black people were being killed in Phoenix. She called a police officer she knew and who was off duty who also advised her that if she went there, she would not come back alive.
He advised her to contact the Phoenix police station. On July 14 2021, she tried to get someone to take her to Phoenix but nobody was prepared to take the risk. People were afraid. She eventually paid somebody who agreed to drive her there. When they approached Phoenix, there were roadblocks manned by armed Indian men. Burnt cars were used to block the roads. They were stopped. When she explained that she was searching for her missing child, they allowed them to drive through. Tshecwa said they were scared.
When they arrived at the Forensic department, they were told that they could not be helped because they were short-staffed and there were a lot of dead bodies to be dealt with. Some of these bodies were lying on the floor. Tshecwa was told to come back the following day but she only managed to go there on Friday, but they demanded a letter from the police station which they did not have. They came back on Saturday.
“I found my child’s naked body at the government mortuary. The body was full of bruises. He was shot on his bums and his neck was broken.’’
She received a death certificate where the cause of death was listed as ‘’natural causes.’’ A doctor told her he died of a ruptured appendix and that he was not assaulted or shot at. She was surprised at the findings. She was later informed that her son was likely killed somewhere in Phoenix and dumped in another location where they found him naked and covered with a blanket.
Wonderboy Bhoyie Caluza and his family lived in Inanda. His son, Amahle Caluza, left home on July 12 2021 to visit friends who lived about a kilometre away. When he did not return home the following morning, he went to seek assistance from the Mtshebeni police station. He was advised to look for his son at the Mahatma Gandhi hospital, Phoenix mortuary or police station. He did as advised but did not find his son.
He went to the Phoenix mortuary again on July 14, 2021. There were so many bodies there, he did not manage to find his son. He returned the following day and found his body. He had been shot.
The grieving father told the Commission the Indian mobs on the day were “incredibly” cruel. “I saw a lot of hatred from them.’’
He said, due to not knowing where family members took their last breath and because of being afraid to return to Phoenix, families had not been able to practice Ukulandwa kongasekho\ ukulandwa komphefumulo or spiritual repatriation which would allow spirits of their family members to be at peace.
“This remains an additional significant indignity to people who continue to suffer greatly due to the loss of family members and not having these cases properly investigated and prosecuted,’’ he said.
