491 Days
Page 9
1 tinned peas
1 tinned green beans
1 spaghetti in tomato sauce
1 biryani – curry and rice
The water from the tinned peas and beans was not drained, the whole things was a shocking mess. Even a dog could not possibly eat food served in this manner. As the food was handed to me by the prisoner who accompanied Bezuidenhout the latter burst out laughing. I was sitting on the bed staring at the creams scattered on the floor and the newspapers thrown all over around my bed. Bezuidenhout said, ‘And that is the news for the day’. I kept quiet. If I had been alone I would have burst into tears and slapped Bezuidenhout, I was too provoked and found it hard to control myself – on the instructions of my attorney. I will not be able to control myself that much again.
PETTY BRUTALITY CONTINUED
This is a definite follow up to the letter I was instructed to write on the 12th of July asking for special permission to be discharged from hospital. I refused to write the letter so I should be intimidated and be subjected to this petty brutality a few days before the trial starts.
I am in hospital subjected to solitary confinement even though I am an awaiting-trial prisoner. All my books have been confiscated, my warm clothing which I put on when going to the consultation is confiscated. I was instructed by Zeelie through Scott not to take anything other than my file when leaving the hospital for the consultation or to my colleague’s cell. All the items now confiscated from me were given to me by Zeelie and Wessels. I am entitled to all these, I cannot keep them anywhere else save where I am. These are of no inconvenience to anyone at all. In fact mine were neatly packed in a shopping bag and a small suitcase. Those I was busy altering were hung on hangers on the screen.
Underneath the beds of the other prisoners are cardboard boxes with their belongings which are untidier than mine. If I am to be discharged after or during the trial where else can I keep my belongings which I need for the trial.
How long can anyone go on like this? We have not had exercise from Saturday the 18th, today it is the 22nd.
THE OTHER FOOD
Zeelie is a compulsive liar. Whilst she told Scott to tell me she knew nothing about the food left by my sister on the 16th and that I had to wait for Wessels who was on duty last week – that Wessels would be back on Monday the 20th. She knew that Wessels would only [be] back on Friday the 24th.
I am told by our informant that Zeelie was given the food by Wessels, it is presently rotting in the office. Wessels gave her the list I signed, Zeelie intends giving the rotten food to my sister when she comes tomorrow the 23rd. Such cruelty is unheard of. The rotten oranges are possibly part of a bag brought by Father Rakale for the five of us on the 8th of this month. Zeelie would rather the food, our food rot than give it to us.
If I can I intend taking the tinned food mixed up in one dixie to my attorney to see for himself. I did not have supper or breakfast. I am too upset.
I have decided to go on a hunger strike until the application is made. I am not prepared to take this type of thing anymore. I barely have a jersey to wear in this weather when I have my clothes with me.
Our informant tells me that strict instructions have been given to the white staff to the effect that our attorney should be delayed as much as possible and no one should attend to him.
WHY SO MUCH CONFIDENCE
Not only is Zeelie acting on Aucamp’s instructions, she does what she likes because she was put in this position by General Nel whom she was private secretary to for years. General Nel promoted her last year in September. She is also related to the captain who is one of the supervisors in this prison.
My informant told me yesterday evening that Zeelie says our defence can go to General Nel and get a shock of their lives, he will not listen to them and intends fixing us up with this silly lawyer, he has not had enough from [him] consulting with his clients outside her office.
One gets the impression that we are getting towards some other drama, perhaps we shall be re-detained on the 3rd of August. We were subjected to similar treatment a week before the trial in February 1970.
22.7.70
Got only half the medical treatment (Inderol and Valoid). Not given the white mixture I take three times a day. No [Tofranil], no injection. No exercise. No explanation given about my clothes, books, etc. Got the prison supply of milk and bread. Gave the milk away, kept the bread for my colleagues.
23.7.70
My informant tells me she has arranged to receive the parcel from my sister if she comes. My informant feels bad about the food which is rotting in Zeelie’s office and will be given to my sister. She will try to see her before she comes in so that she should not be upset when she gets the food. She further says my sister should hand in clothes and cosmetics from now henceforth because Zeelie intends sending back all my food.
On 22.7.70 we did not have lunch together. Wardress Bezuidenhout was instructed by Zeelie in my presence to lock me up alone in hospital and the others in their single cells. We were put together after lunch. We obviously lunched together on 21.7.70 to enable Zeelie to strip me of all my possessions in hospital. I am told by the prisoner who was present during the search that Zeelie and Bezuidenhout went through each item thoroughly as if they were looking for something.
The success of my informant’s plans will depend on her ‘gate contact’. Bezuidenhout apologises for her actions privately. Says I should understand she is carrying out instructions.
THE QUESTION OF THE PRIVATE DOCTOR
My interest at the moment is to be discharged back to the cell to enable us to resume joint consultations. I think the arrangements for the doctor should be made then, otherwise they will deliberately keep me in hospital to separate me from my colleagues. There is one patient at the moment at the hospital – I am not allowed to communicate with her, my bed is screened to prevent any communication between us and that I should not even see the other prisoners. I am now an awaiting-trial prisoner and want to get back to my fellow accused to communicate with them. The hospital is still locked up and only opened when I got to see my defence.
84. Venus Thokozile Mngoma.
Chapter 13
My Husband
APPLICATION TO COURT
If need be I want an application to be made in court on my instructions for my attorney to see my husband. Brig Aucamp has no right to choose which attorney should handle my domestic affairs. This has gone on long enough.
My brother-in-law told me he received a letter from Nelson last week. In the letter were messages for the children meant for last year. My husband stated in the letter to me (20.6.70) that he wrote the letter last year and another urgent one in March this year but has had no reply to both. We cannot possibly go on like this, we need urgent relief in these self-made problems. It is not enough that we are both in prison and our children deprived of both of us. It was enough of a blow to them to be without a father and all the struggle I’ve gone through trying to maintain them without employment. The said letter was obviously posted by Brig Aucamp last week when he visited Robben Island and after reading Nelson’s letter to me.
My brother-in-law tells me his application to see Nelson was delayed because he was told there were already people who had applied before him, their applications had to be considered first according to the Robben Island commanding officer – and who are these people? Makgatho’s aunt’s children – useless visits which Nelson can do without.
On the other hand Nelson says he cannot understand why it is so difficult for Xaba85 to visit him when he expected him to be the first member of the family to see him to discuss family matters. All this is Aucamp’s mischief to break down completely family relationships. Nelson although very understanding is naturally deeply hurt about all this and so am I. What can Nelson and I do about this? Nothing. We can only rely on our defence! If Nelson knew he would have refused any other visitor until he has seen Xaba.
He states in his letter that he has had no news of the children since Septem
ber last year, this is a bitter blow to him he says. The string of useless visitors know nothing about the very urgent matters he is so worried about.
I am sure of a very long sentence, I want these things settled now once and for all. I would like my mind eased to enable me to prepare for the case which is presumably even more serious than the last one.
Nelson also wanted to know if Chief Vulindlela Mtirara – Telia’s brother got his letter and why he has not replied to the urgent matters he raised. Mr Carlson should please get the address from Telia and check on this. Chief Vulindlela is in the Transkei. It’s possible he never got the letter of course!
MY NEW INSTRUCTIONS
For Urgent Attention: Mr Carlson
(a) I was alarmed to discover from my husband’s letter of 20.6.70 that all his attempts to see our attorney had failed and that he had been battling with this application since May 1969 when I was detained.
(b) I am not aware of any law that prevents me from instructing an attorney of my choice to handle my family affairs. I do not know what new story my husband was told by Brig Aucamp for him to have resorted to instructing Mr Brown to handle our domestic affairs. Such instructions are completely inconvenient – Mr Brown whom I have great confidence in knows nothing about my personal and domestic problems which have been handled by Mr Carlson for years. I am now instructing Mr Carlson to make an urgent application to see my husband to sort out urgent family matters which weigh heavily upon my shoulders at the moment and are a continued source of extreme anxiety on my part.
(c) I want my attorney appointed by my husband as a caretaker for the house in view of the present family feud to which I see no solution at the moment as long as we are both in prison. The City Council of Johannesburg is just waiting for me to be convicted, it will repossess the house. Of all blows, that we cannot afford. The last thing that should ever happen is that our children should be deprived of a home because of our views. They have suffered enough as it is, at a very tender age for that matter.
(d) I was shocked to note that although Brig Aucamp has seen my husband on several occasions since my admission to hospital he failed just to tell him that I was in hospital. Nelson wants to see all the medical reports which he expected the Prisons Department to have furnished him with, of their own accord in view of the circumstances – the fact that I could not communicate with him to tell him personally. I am instructing my attorney to get all the medical reports and take them to my husband.
(e) Although my husband is entitled to write and receive one letter per month, his letters never reach their destinations. Enquiries made by him under difficult circumstances revealed that the letters never even leave the Island. I am instructing my attorney to conduct a full investigation into this matter and to see Nelson about it.
(f) The most important of all these matters is the appointment of a guardian for the children. I have repeated this a million times and am extremely worried about it. Mr Brown has had no dealings with all the people who are involved with the maintenance of the children at the moment. They only know my attorney and I am convinced they will never co-operate with a strange attorney who is suddenly introduced into these matters at this stage.
(g) Both my husband and I are very upset about the fact that Makgatho86 has not gone to Fort Hare as arranged although he assured his father in his last visit to the Island that he was leaving for Fort Hare on the 14th of February. The lousy excuse he gave was that there was nobody to remain in the house when in fact my sister told me that Makgatho locked out of the house a couple they got to live in my house as a result of Telia’s influence. If there had been a legal caretaker for the house all this would have been avoided and who is sitting back and having a good laugh at all our problems? The Security Branch who have successfully drawn a wedge between members of my family and my in-laws through Maud. There must be an end to this!
(h) Why has Marshall Xaba or one of my sisters not been to visit Nelson? Is it still the old story of no permit for them?
A few minutes after writing the above sentence my sister87 and her husband Xaba arrived. I was thrilled. My sister looked upset about my loss of weight. We had a lengthy discussion about the house. Makgatho seems to be quite impossible. He has done everything to prevent anyone else from settling in the house and actually got tsotsis88 to threaten them. I told them to rather leave the whole matter, I’ll discuss it with my attorney. Both of them also felt that there is only one way of solving this matter – Mr Carlson should discuss the matter with Nelson or act on his own from my instructions. In his letter my husband said Makgatho suggested Lulu and her husband, his aunt’s daughter who has been to visit him. He and Telia decided on this. My husband said to Telia, Lulu could move into the house on the condition I approved of this, I prefer a completely neutral couple. If Lulu moved into the house this would drive the two families more and more apart. It is in the interests of all of us that the families should settle their differences. I naturally love both families and am torn in between. I also told my brother-in-law about our decision about the three, Father Rakala, Uncle Mzaidume89 and himself acting as guardians of the children.
(i) Please write to Telia and find out from her what the position is about my clothes. Was Maud speaking the truth when she said she handed everything to her?
85. Marshall Xaba, the husband of Mrs Mandela’s sister Niki Iris Xaba.
86. Nelson Mandela’s second son.
87. Nikiwe Iris Jane Xaba.
88. Thugs or gangsters.
89. Winnie Mandela’s uncle, Paul Mzaidume.
Chapter 14
New Trial
New charges were put to the accused at their appearance in court on 3 August 1970. The charges, this time under the Terrorism Act, were very similar to the charges under which they were charged in 1969. Three of the original group of 22 were no longer on trial and a new accused was added, an MK operative, Benjamin Ramotse. This case became known as the State vs Benjamin Ramotse and 19 others.
WHAT I THINK OF THE LATEST TRIAL
I think they ultimately decided to go on with Swanepoel and Coetzee’s original plans. Coetzee felt that we should be found guilty and sentenced to very long terms of imprisonment but that a large number of the political prisoners would be released on the 31st of May 1971 when they celebrate 10 years of the Republic. In this way they hoped to show ‘good will’ to the ‘Bantu’ in their own words. The Security Branch recently remarked to Martha Dlamini No. 18 when she said she wants to go home, ‘Not when you are still going to spend another year in prison’. Although they lie so much, I am inclined to believe that.
WHAT I THOUGHT OF THE SUDDEN STATE WITHDRAWAL OF THE CASE
When I wanted to state in my plea on the 1st of Dec 1969 that it was a mock trial I sincerely believed that the State could not afford an ANC trial which might backfire just before the general elections. I told my colleagues that I expected a dramatic withdrawal of the case by the state.
When I suggested this to Mr Soggot he said, ‘I am sure you have suffered brain damage – these further particulars are the best I’ve ever had from a prosecutor.’ Later when I heard him ‘interrogate’ No. 1090 in the last trial I agreed with him that I must have suffered brain damage – especially when I heard what the present Acc. No. 7 had told the ‘boys’ about sabotage and military training. But I still believed that even then the State could not afford a trial which would give the impression that the ANC was not completely destroyed as they had made the country believe.
During the short trial I thought if there was anyone who furthered the aims of a banned organisation it was ‘comrade’ Rothwell.91 The trial simply served as the best ANC propaganda the movement had had since the Rivonia Trial.
If Swanepoel and Co had suspected my intentions about Levin there would have never been a trial. In the interests of the ANC it would have been most destructive if we had simply been released without any trial after our detention. The masses would have immediately thought we had ‘sold’ out the people
especially in view of my informer’s rumours which the Security Branch had managed to circulate through my people for years. I still sincerely believe that when a lie is repeated too often the tendency is to believe it.
I would not be surprised if my own defence had doubts about me at the beginning of the trial before they had a full explanation about Levin. I have been accused of being an individualist who always thinks she can outwit everybody. It is perhaps this aspect of my personality that always creates doubts about me to those who have not worked closely with me. Looking back at some of my actions I do not think it is a wrong accusation perhaps. Even Nelson used to thunder at me, ‘Zami! You are undisciplined.’
Swanepoel was fully convinced that I believed every word he told me about the possibility of Mr Carlson giving evidence although he knew I would still get him to defend me if there was the slightest opportunity.
If the Swanepoel crowd had known that we would have our present defence after all they would have rather released us and face the wrath of their electorate than our defence. Their fear of our defence team is almost neurotic and pathetic. They were prepared to bargain with me to the extent of saying, ‘If you do not get the Bizos, Soggot, Kuny92 crowd for your defence Winnie there will be no convictions,’ when they had so much evidence against us especially after the arrest of No. 20 with all my documents and witness Mohale’s evidence.
What still puzzles me however is their exclusion of the whites in our trial when on the other hand they want to prove that we are a group of ‘misled Bantu, misled by white Communists’. It is possible they wanted to prove to us that ‘the whites are not prepared to face imprisonment’ which statement was often repeated during interrogation to me. They might have hoped that we would then lose confidence in those whites we have been working with.