MRS SEKHOACHA
It was in 1963, I was staying in Leshwana at the old location.  I was still a child.  I was schooling at
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Manseville High at that time.  In our yard, there were people who were residing there because in those times people use to build shacks in the yard.  We use to stay in peace.  You could not just call them anything.  You could take them as your relative.  Maria Gobganie's parents were staying in one of the shacks in the yard.  We were the same age, Maria and I, but I was in 1943 on the 1st of January.  
 It was during examination period in November.  We were doing the same standard, but in different classes.  She was in A, I was in the B class.  We were on our way from school.  We use to travel by bus in the morning and in the afternoon at four o' clock.  During examinations, this bus would not come.  The reason being we would finish quickly and we would come back home earlier.  It was the last subject that we were to write on that day and it was Afrikaans.  We were travelling along the Monument Road so that we could be able to catch the train to go home.  We were quite hungry on that day if I can remember well.  We rested a while under the shade because it was quite a hot day.  
 She took three stones and she was playing.  It was a game that we enjoyed, playing with these stones while walking.  When we approached the Paul Kruger statue, we were attracted by bees.  Whilst we were standing there and watching the swarm of bees, we could not see that there were policemen who were standing around there.  We were chatting and our laughter was the result of that conflict.  We were laughing heartily and we were watching the swarm of bees as they were flying about.  
 The two policemen emerged and as they emerged they did not give us a chance.  They talked to us in Afrikaans.  They said what are you laughing at Kaffirs.  We were dressed in 
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black and white uniform at that time.  We were scared because at those times it was a fearsome period because the white children would beat us up every day.  They took us, they were dressed in a khaki uniform.  They had long rifles.  My school uniform was torn apart.  They beat us, they assaulted us.  I was so scared, I was frightened.  I did not feel that I was walking on the ground.  The one was holding Maria and the other one was holding me.  We were taken to a cell that I cannot remember even today, but we found ourselves in a prison.  
 In this prison, it was a strange small house.  Inside it there was a palm, a plank and a bucket and a few blankets that were thrown on the floor.  This white man, he is not the one who opened, the one who caught us.  He opened and then we went inside.  He closed the cell once we were inside.  He said that we are going to cut off your tails today.  We looked at each other the moment he said that.  He beat us.  The painful part of it is whenever he beat the other one, this plank that was separating us, it would injure you and should you fall, you would be in trouble.  We were bleeding.  It was a huge white man who was holding me and he was beating us up.  Thereafter, he asked us, what were you laughing at.  Whilst I was trying to explain what we were laughing at he hit me finally and I fell.  When I fell I lost consciousness and when I revived he was not there anymore.  When I stood up I saw Maria standing in front of me.