User:House Wrecker

KATIZA CEBEKHULU

Born in 1970 in a township called Mpumalanga in Kwa-Zulu Natal former known as Zululand, he came to Johannesburg in search for greener pastures in 1988. He was taken by Mrs Winnie Madikizela-Mandela (Nelson Mandela's ex-wife) under her wing and he then joined the football club that was called Mandela United Football Club. In 1989 he witnessed Mrs Mandela torturing and beating the late Stompie Sepei who was accused of being a police informer, he was forced to engage in the beatings of Stompie by Mrs Mandela's boys.

Later in 1991 a case of assault and murder was opened against Mrs Mandela, Katiza was said to be one of the witnesses that will testify in this case. Three days before he was taking a stand, he was kidnapped, tortured and eventually found himself behind bars in Zambia. He spent two years in Zambia and was release in 1993, he stayed for some time in Sierra Leone and Equatorial Guinea before he went to his protector's home, Baroness Nicolson in 1997 where he started learning English, how to read and write.

He then took a break from his studies and came back to his home country to testify against Mrs Mandela in 1997, on accusation that she was involved in the assault and murder of Lolo Sono and Stompie Sepei. This time around not in front of the court but in front of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission led by Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

After he testified he then returned to his new home in the UK living under Mr Nicolson's wing who offered him protection and a place to stay. Fred Brigland, British journalist wrote about Katiza's life titled "Katiza's Journey: Beneath the Surface of South Africa's Shame"

REFERENCES: "Fall of Winnie Mandela Began Nearly 2 Years Ago; Erratic Behavior Preceded Recent Violence", Washington Post, February 18, 1989 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/alive-well--and-still-determined-to-nail-winnie-1287342.html "Winnie Mandela 'had hand in boy's murder'", Telegraph, December 9, 1997