Human Rights Violation Hearings — Klerksdorp — 1996-09-25

DR RANDERA: Mr Haffejje, I have no questions, but I would like to say that your statement has spanned so accurately the historical period that we are looking at.  From 1960 to 1993.  Yes, we are going to have to make further enquiries on what you have said.  But nonetheless, what it clearly shows, is that how people, ordinary people got caught up, and we have had some remarkable stories in the last few days.  Where people have come forward and said I wasn't a political being, I wasn't a member of a political party, and yet, got caught up in this whole process of extremism, if you like, and intolerance that existed. Your story again, historically, I just want to again remind people, you
KLERKSDORP HEARING TRC/GAUTENG
21 H M S HAFFEJJE
mentioned John Harris who was, who planted a bomb at Park Station and was subsequently hanged for his beliefs and his actions.  But your story clearly shows the intolerance that existed in our society, the draconian laws that existed in our societies.   The intolerance against, if you like, wanting to read the literature, whether it was communist literature or whether it was just literature that wasn't quite in keeping with what the authorities at the time thought should be read by people.  The intolerance towards people because of their colour, the intolerance towards minority groupings, the intolerance towards religion. I think we have also heard many of those stories in the last seven months that the Truth Commission has been listening to these stories.  
 And yet, we come out being strong.  I think your words at the end that we will find ourselves, are quite apt. That here we are, people that have come out of a very dark past, and many people yesterday came and said we want to thank the Commission for giving us the opportunity to be able to speak about what we have been keeping close to our chests and our hearts for all these years.  
 You too, have ably shown that for many years you have kept this within yourself and perhaps within your family and community and some people that you could trust.  Today you have ably shown that you can and there is the ability for us to move forward, for the past to say enough is enough, for us to now start respecting what our Constitution has now clearly given to us, in terms of all the intolerances that I mentioned.  I thank you very much for coming today and I wish you and your family and your community well in your endeavours.  
KLERKSDORP HEARING TRC/GAUTENG
22 H M S HAFFEJJE
 You said you would require, you wanted two minutes and I give you those two minutes.

M S HASSIAN HAFFEJJE: The past regime, the White past right-wing regime, I will say this, that we shall never forget our past. Never forget your past.  Shorn of verbage as enforced by this past White regime, the framers of this ideology of apartheid, the treatment meted out, the enslavement of the Bblack mind, an institutionalised system, backed by colossal army of men, pimps and weapons, will one day have to start before a much higher authority, for the misery, the enforcement, the gross humiliation and unjust it caused its victims, was nothing but a bare-faced expression of a desire to dominate oppress and exploit the Blacks, and subject them to perpetuate servitude for the White regime, who claims to be the master race, who came then to be Herrenvolk, a concept which plunged the world in a Holocaust.  After all this, I say may God as well forgive them all.  Thank you.
KLERKSDORP HEARING TRC/GAUTENG