Human Rights Violation Hearings — Bloemfontein — UNKNOWN

WITNESS: I had hired or leased Mr Shuping'sshop. We had a contract. Then when I was 10 months in the shop he told me tovacate his shop. I asked him what were the reasons. Then he said he wanted toopen up a supermarket with another person called Mr Sihumed, who was in theBophutatswana  Parliament. Then I said we had signed a contract. He

MR LYSTER: told me that as soon as the month ends I should vacate theproperty because he needed the shop. An attorney called Mr Tekula tried to takethe case, but I told him not to do it.

MR LYSTER: Were your children in Thaba Nchu at that time? Did they attendschool in Thaba Nchu?

WITNESS: Before we went to Botshabelo they were in Thaba Nchu.That was in 1978/79.

MR LYSTER: Thank you.

KHOZA MGOJO: Just one question I forgot. In your statementyou have yourself, George Morake, and Hilda Mogapi, who I think is your secondwife, isn't it? And you have just told us that your first wife has sufferedmental disturbance. Didn't you consider her as a victim, your first wife? ---Yes, I think she is, because at that time when our house was petrol bombed thebomb fell on the bed on which she was sleeping. Then I noticed thereafter thatshe was quite depressed. I took her as a victim, or I am taking her as a victimtoo.

KHOZA MGOJO: (Inaudible) ... ask us to add her here too as a victim, becausein the statements here she does not appear as a victim.

WITNESS: I would be verygrateful if you would include her as a victim.

KHOZA MGOJO: Is she getting any treatment?

WITNESS: She isn't getting any treatment.

KHOZA MGOJO: What is her name by the way?

WITNESS: Her name is Constance GileBogile.

KHOZA MGOJO: Mr Morake, thank you very much for coming to the Commission today and telling your story, which we have heardis a sad story, and as I've said, it talks very loudly about political intolerance.The telling of the story can, I hope - the telling of the story by yourselfin public, I hope it can be of some assistance to you in lifting the burdenwhich you have carried, and I hope also that it can be of assistance to thosewho are listening in this hall, to those who are listening on radio and on television.

KHOZA MGOJO: Our country has been nearly destroyed by political divisions,political intolerance, and you have been a direct victim of that political intolerance.And I hope that the telling of this story will send out a message to those listeningof the tragedy and the misery that is the consequence of political intolerance.And it is ironic that those people who attacked you, destroyed your property,were in a general way themselves protesting against the political intolerancethat was represented by the apartheid Government, and it's ironic that theytoo acted in a violent and undemocratic way.

KHOZA MGOJO: You will have heard Dr Borain this morning talking about whatthe Commission could do for a person like yourself, and you will have heardhim say that the Commission has no power to offer you immediate assistance.Our job is to make recommendations to the President, who will in turn discussthis matters with his Cabinet, and the Cabinet will then request Parliamentto put into effect their policies and their recommendations. So we cannot hereand now offer you any immediate assistance, but we hope, as I have said, thatthe telling of this

KHOZA MGOJO: story has assisted you in some way, and I feel sure that  it has been of assistance to those listening here and aroundthe country. Thank you very much, and we wish you well.

WITNESS: Thank you very much.

MR LYSTER: Can you hear me, Mrs Daseko?

UNKNOWN: Yes, I can hear you.

MR LYSTER: Thank you. Thank you for being with us today.You have come to tell us a story about the death of your son, and you, likemany, many other people who have appeared before this Commission, not only herein Bloemfontein, but in many other parts of the country, have suffered the lossof a family member, very often a son. And we - through the experiences of others,and through the public suffering that they have undergone, we know somethingof the suffering that you too are undergoing. And I am going to ask you to tellus about the death of your son, but before that I'll ask you to stand please,so that you can take the oath. Could you stand up please.

UNKNOWN: (Sworn, States)

MR LYSTER: Thank you, Mrs Daseko. I am going to askone of my colleagues, Dr Magwaza, to assist you in the giving of your evidence.Dr Magwaza.

DR MAGWAZA: Mama Daseko, before I start I would liketo say to you that the saddest thing this morning is to have to listen to thenumber of young people who lost their lives simply because they were fightingfor their rights, and I want to say that the loss of sons is not for you asa mother, but is for all the women in South Africa, because we all are mothersand have sons. And to be humble enough to say that we can never fully understandthe experience and the pain you have gone through, but we are here to supportyou. Mama, can you begin by telling me more about your family? I would liketo get a good sense of who your son was.

WITNESS: My son was Sam Daseko. Your son was Sam Daseko. I would like to know how old was Sam,what he was doing at the time of his death, does he have brothers and sisters,does he have a father? --- Sam was a student. He was my son. He was the onlyone. I have got two children. The other one is older. I was staying with Sam.At that time he was in standard nine. Every Saturday when he was at home heused to get piece jobs, then he would further his own education with the remunerationthat he got. It was on Saturday and I was in Bloemfontein when Sam got injured,and I heard from Brother Montsiwa. Sam was at Mr Groen's farm, at his grandmother'shouse, and grandmother's son came to me. It was on a Sunday. It was late inthe afternoon when I came back from Bloemfontein, and he came to me and he said,"Can we please go to the police station. We have to go and look for Sam, becausethe police came, they took him, and they beat him up. He was already injuredand we tried to stop them. The two policemen left and they came back. When theycame back the kicked the door at Granny's house and they picked Sam up. Oneof them - they held him with both his hands and his feet, and they threw himinto the van and they drove off." When we arrived at the police station on Sundaywe didn't find them, but we did ask them. We did ask a few policemen who werethere. We asked them, "Do you know anybody who is called Sam?" They looked intotheir files and they didn't find anybody by the name of Sam, and they said tous, "No, we don't have Sam on our files." It was Sunday afternoon and we hadto come back home. On Monday we went back to the police station. We wanted tomeet Mr Morakile and Shele. We only got hold of Morakile, and Brother Montsiwaasked him, he said, "Morakile, where did you take Sam, because you pickedhim up yesterday?" Morakile's response was, "We took Sam and we dropped himoff at number one. Brother Montsiwa asked him further. He said, "How could youdrop him off at number one after having assaulted him in that way? You shouldhave taken him home." Morakile said to him, "I promise you we dropped him offzone one." After a while that we've been there speaking to Morakile anothergentleman came in. He was working at the municipality, because he used to drivethese big lorries, these lorries with big tanks to sprinkle the water in ourroads so that there is no dust. And he said, "We've seen a body in the bush,"and he said, "I think it's a boy." I said to them, "I am sure that is the bodyof my son." The police said to me, "No, don't mind, you will go to the hospitalso that you can identify whether is it your son or not." Truly we went withmy brother, Mr Montsiwa, we went to Maroka Hospital, and when we arrived theremy son was there at the mortuary. I think they have been kicking him aroundlike a ball. He was full of soil. You couldn't look at him. (Pause)