MR NKOSI
It was on the 21st of January 1990 and it was on Sunday.  I was at home, preparing to go to church.  It was about 11, somewhere between 11 and 12.
 My sister came crying and I was so surprised when she entered the door and she gave me the message that Eric was shot by the police.  
 I wanted to enquire.  She couldn't perfectly relate as to what happened as she was terrified and crying at that time.  And I asked her to accompany me to show me the scene where the incident took place.  
 We went together and we arrived at the scene.  It was about half a kilometre from the place, from my place at the place where he was shot.  
 At the scene, I found the constable who shot him.  He was still there and he had called an ambulance.  I started asking the constable as to why did he shoot the young child?
 He didn't answer.  I also asked, is it the law that you don't arrest people any more, but you come and shoot them?  He didn't give me an answer to that question too.  Therefore I left and I got into the ambulance together with the shot child and we went to a hospital in Middelburg.
 We got the child to be admitted into hospital.  Thereafter I went back home and the following week, I don't remember well, may it was the week after, or two weeks later we had to go to court.
 Because while we were on the way to hospital, I asked him as to what happened to him?  He said he was just standing in one of the grounds.  This ground is near Germain street.  
 On that particular day, on the 21st of January there was a meeting of the ANC, the African National Congress, and we were going to discuss about the rent boycotts.
 He related that when they got out of the meeting, they were marching on the main street and they were going to the direction of one of the policemen who was working with the municipality.
 I don't know what exactly they were going there for, because I didn't get time to ask him that question.  This house he's talking about is so close to the ground or the field.
 When arriving at that house, I should think the police knew everything.  They were already there.  Then the people discovered the police were there.  The police started shooting and people started running to the direction, different directions and some of them ran back to the field or the ground.  
 So this child also joined them and ran with this people and ended up in one of the houses under a bed.  That's where the constable came and shot the child under a bed.
 This worries me a lot.  On the court date, I thought the child was lying and I hoped that maybe when the matter goes to court, they will call the child to give evidence.
 Unfortunately the child didn't appear in court.  One of the White station commanders who was there;  I managed to talk to him and ask him as to, since my child was there and was shot and the matter is on hearing now, why is he not called in to give evidence?
 The station commander said he didn't know anything.  So the answer was not satisfactory.  And that hurt me so much.  I started talking to the lawyers.  The lawyers for human rights.  If I remember well, they were from Johannesburg.
 I tried to tell them the story.  I related to them that I also had my child shot on that particular date and that my child was not invited to come to court.  And I asked them why is he not in.
 They asked me where he was.  I told them he was in hospital in Middelburg.  What's painful is that when I went to Middelburg to visit my child, I discovered there were two policemen who were told to guard the child.
 I don't know whether they were given this instruction by this constable to guard my child.  They were standing right next to him, holding big rifles.  
 The child was so thin at that time.  He was so thin, just like an unfed dog.  That hurt me so much and I had to ask one of the lawyers to help to remove the lawyers (guards) from the child's bed, because the child was still young.  He was about thirteen at that time.
 I thought he couldn't sleep.  He'd be frightened to see the police standing with big guns next to him.  And this lawyer managed to talk to the people, the administration.  And when I came back the next time, I found out that the police had been removed.
 The case was concluded.  I mean the whole case involving all the people.  However the case concerning this young child didn't go any further.  
 I find it so difficult as to why they guarded him at hospital if there wasn't a case concerning him.  I used to go to the police station or the court with him, all during the times of the hearing, but nothing happened until the case was concluded.
 What worries me this moment is that the way he was shot is so dangerous.  I think there is this kind of a gun, that when you shoot it, the bullets have to spread.  And he was shot and the bullet went through and end up shooting - went through and also shot through the hand.
 The problem now is he cannot work.  As I'm here today, I don't have money myself.  I can't support him.  
 This is what I came to say before the Commission.