Every Saturday morning, the chief warder would come into our section and call out, “Klagtes en Versoeke! Klagtes en Versoeke!” (Complaints and Requests! Complaints and Requests!) Those of us with klagtes and versoeke—which was nearly everyone—lined up to see the chief warder. One by one, we would make formal complaints about food, or clothing, or visits. To each, the chief warder would nod his head and simply say, “Ja, ja,” and then, “Next!” He did not even write down what we said. If we tried to speak for our organizations, the warders would yell, “No ANC or PAC here! Verstaan?” (Understand?)
