MR DLAMINI
admitted, even if I didn't know. They told me that they didn'tactually want me, they wanted six people. They wanted Mr Malema, Mr Rabushaba,Mr Libenya. There were five actually. They said if I could get all those peoplethey'll leave me. I said, "Oh, you're hitting me, you're assaulting me becauseyou want other people." It's only then that they charged me. I don't know whatthey were charging me for. In 1971 they told me that I am supposed to appearin court. When I got there I got all papers which were alleging that I was aPAC member, I was trying to overthrow the Government. When we got to court thecourt was held in Bloemfontein. Accused No 1 was John Coetzee, No 2 was Lithiyane,No 3 was Mr Mekwe, No 4 was Rabushaba, No 5 was Libenya, 6 Malema. The threeof us got four years, the other five got five years. On the 2nd of December- on the second week they told us we should prepare ourselves, we were goingto Pretoria. We saw a Land Rover coming. There was a man who was speaking Afrikaans.I thought it was a white man, but it wasn't. I saw this car proceeding upwards.We went in this Land Rover, we went past Bloemfontein to Beaufort West. Whenwe got there the gentleman who was inside told me that we were proceeding forRobben Island, but he was afraid to speak. When we got to Cape Town, in NewlandPrison, at 6 o'clock I said, "I am very young. Where are you taking meto?" We got so many people there. We looked at the blackboard and it was written1 016. I was surprised that I could be taken as Robben Island as young as Iwas. I regarded that as a misdemeanour, not a serious offence, so I was surprisedwhy they were taking me to the Robben Island. I met Steve Tshwete and all theother people who were there. These old men told me, "My child, we can see thatyou don't know anything about politics." I admitted that I didn't know anythingabout politics. I said to them, "No, I don't know what I have been arrestedfor, so I just want to sit and think." They said to me I must join the organisationsbecause when I go outside I will be harassed by the police. I ended up joiningthe organisations. Then they told me that I was going to do one year in RobbenIsland. When I went out I was taken to Pretoria - Port Elizabeth. I stayed forquite a few weeks. They took me to East London Juvenile Prison. I stayed fora few months. They took me to Welkom. They took me to Ligwa(?) maximum prison.I stayed for a few weeks. They took me to Bethlehem. I stayed three days. Itwas like I had stayed there for three years, because I was being thrown in andout of every prison. They took me and they said I was going to be interrogated,I am going to be taken to Welkom, to Qua-Qua. I was even given a house there.I asked, "What is actually going on?" because I was being to another countrynow. By then the Minister of Justice was Mr Ben Johnson. He allowed me to cometo Welkom. When I got there they were following me. I got my mother. My motherwas sick, she suffered a stroke. My father had also left the police force becausehe was sick. I met another gentleman who said whoever was coming from RobbenIsland could be helped financially. He gave me an address as 81 Jureson Streetin Braamfontein, South African Council of Churches. It was still being led byJohn Rees. When I came back I was arrested once more. They said to me I wastaking money from the communists. When I came back from there they said, "Wesaid to you you "must deal with the mines, don't get into the towns." Theytook me another time. They arrested me for two years. Then in 1977 I said tothem, "If I come out of this prison please don't harass me any more. I havejust had enough of your harassment." Then they took me, they said, "There comesa communist."