ELIZABETH NOTHEMBILE HASHE
In Robin Island in detention he stayed three years and it was said I should go and see him.. They would never say he's not available.  They said a person who came to my place to detain him crossed.  He came back, I mean, he was sentenced to seven years and this carried on for ten years.  He was not available at home as a husband and me as a woman.  That time, while he was still in Robin Island, was the time when I was suffering, police and everything, but the most important thing that happened when my husband came back from Robbin Island, I was now working at Holiday Inn, I was given an opportunity by a woman because our shelters that we used to sell our vegetables, were destroyed and after that, my children were now old enough and would help me carry the goods and then they would sell house to house.  These children were also arrested.  I was also arrested where I was selling outside.  I now thought, oh no, the money that I had is now finished, I have to pay a fine.
 Now I got hold of this woman who helped me through to getting to Holiday Inn and she was ill.  She was working night shift and got sick and while I was doing a temporary job for her she passed away. I would go to work in the evening and come back during the day and carry on selling.  This thing continued, now when my husband came out, or just before he did so, he wrote a letter.  He said I should go and get his books that he was reading at the Passport Office.  Those were the things I forgot to mention to you.  I took those books and then on my way back with the books, I got into the house to pack the books nicely and prepared 
EAST LONDON  HEARING TRC/EASTERN CAPE
7 HASHE
the children for bed. I went out just a few minutes, there was a car.  I was wondering what car it was.  And the asked me if I knew the man in the back of the van after ten years.  I said, "Yes, he's my husband".  I was now at my house No 21.  They started at the old house and then they proceeded to the new one.  He went out, two Xhosa security men went with him into the house.  The first thing he asked me, "Do you still accept me, because I will never leave fighting for the freedom of the people?"  I said, "Yes, why not?"  Then we laughed and went into the house. While we were busy sitting, these police gave him documents, a banning order.  He was not supposed to go anywhere.  He was not supposed to go even to the school that other side.  This went on.  I went back to work, because he saw that I was working, because we were busy talking and we had to have something to eat.  He said to me, "I hope it is your last time to work today".  I thought, "Oh he's joking".  I went to work.
 The following day I was at the bus stop and he was waiting for me there. Truly I never had any chance to go to work again because he didn't want me to work. My first born asked, "What shall we eat?" He showed me that we will be dragging some meals.  This went on, truly he would stay at home, someone would come, he only had permission to see two people, I was the third one. One of them came home and then when the people realised that he has come back from jail they came to visit him but he was allowed to see only two visitors at a time.
 We continued living under these terrible times with inadequate income because my husband refused that I should go to work again.  We kept on selling these vegetables together and then it developed much better than before when 
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he was here as a supportive person.  We continued to support each other until he was able to buy a second hand van and we continued working and I would go and buy some vegetables and then we would go about selling them.