Human Rights Violation Hearings — Moutse — 1996-12-02

RUSSELL ALLY: ... not yet arrived.  I just want to check if he is here.  He is the next witness.  Has he arrived?  It does not appear so Your Grace so I am going to call.

CHAIRPERSON: Kleinbooi Mothoa are you around inside the hall?  I think, you are too cultured man.  You should ...

RUSSELL ALLY: Your Grace David Tijane is coming to speak on behalf of his son who was a victim of the abduction in January from Moutse and Wynand Malan is going to both assist him also administer the oath, David of his son.

CHAIRPERSON: Order please.  We are very much grateful that you have managed to tolerate because you cannot hear properly.  The sound is poor sometimes.  Some of them does not speak loudly, but we would like to thank you.  You will see him when he stands up to take the oath.  You will see him.

MR MALAN: Mr Tijane, good day to you.  Will you please just stand and take the oath before you start with your testimony.

DAVID TIJANE: (Duly sworn in, states).

MR MALAN: Thank you very much, you may be seated.  Thank you.

DAVID TIJANE: I swear that I will tell the truth about my sons problems.

MR MALAN: Mr Tijane we know it will be very difficult for
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you.  In fact this is a return to the place where your son died.  Do not think that the audience will all know this, but your son actually died at this hospital according to the statement that you gave us.  We will appreciate if, in your own way, you will tell us what happened and what knowledge you have of what happened.  Please proceed.

INTERPRETER: Interpretation is not able because the speaker is not audible.  The speaker is not audible.

CHAIRPERSON: (Xhosa not translated).

DAVID TIJANE: My son was visiting when the war started and he ran from my brother's place.  He met the police and they arrested him.  They started beating him up and they put him at the back of the lorry.  They took them to the Ndebeles.  They beat them up and they spent the night and brought them back the next day.  They dropped them right on the street and he could not walk.  They transported him by wheelbarrow.  I took him back to the hospital.
 When we arrived at the hospital it was very full, but they attended to us.  They took him by ambulance.  He was hospitalised and I left for home.  His brothers came back from the Ndebeles and they wanted to find out actually what happened.  When the brother came back from him to report to me he told me that the younger brother passed away here at the hospital.  Now I could not do anything, I was helpless. 
 I do not have too many things to say.  We gave a long statement to the Commission.  That is why I am only saying my statement now shortly because we already submitted our statement.  I do not have anything more to say.  My witnesses are around this people.  They all know that my son passed away during the conflict in the Imbokhoto tribe and they buried him.  That is my only problem. 
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MR MALAN: Mr Tijane, thank you very much.  You would not mind responding to, maybe, one or two questions?  Will that be okay if I ask you one or two questions?

DAVID TIJANE: That is okay sir.

MR MALAN: We had earlier evidence here, I think it is the same night.  I just want to make sure, by Mr Simon Mahlangu where he gave evidence to us that he went to the Siyabuswa Hall, but left that night, returned the next day.  You heard him speak.  Was this the same incident?

DAVID TIJANE: They slept there and came back in the morning.  Then when he arrived he was unable to walk.  That is when we take him to the hospital.

MR MALAN: Right.  Do you have any other information?  You gave evidence and we did read your long statement which you talk of.  We see there that you said that the conflict was sparked be the refusal of the Moutse people to be incorporated in KwaNdebele.  Do you have any other closer information as to what actually happened?  Again, you heard Mr Mahlangu talk and he said that there were some attacks by youngsters on some of the senior people the previous day and that this was a reaction.  Do you have any knowledge of that or do you have any other theory to share with us as to how this happened, that the abduction came about?

DAVID TIJANE: The people were camping the whole night at Motete.  Then at that night they were waiting and they put ashes on their faces.  When they attacked the Motete village they knew each other by identifying themselves with the ash on their faces.  They were able to identify their victims.  That is then when they abducted our children to Siyabuswa.  They took them at the Motete kraals.

MR MALAN: Why did they take them, Mr Tijane?  Do you know
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why they took them?

DAVID TIJANE: I will not explain why.  What I know is that there was a conflict, there was a fight.  I did not know what happened before that.  I did not know what sparked these conflicts between Imbokhoto and the Moutse people.  The just came in our village and attacked all the community members and abducted the young boys.  All of them came from Siyabuswa.  They even hit me with a stone on the leg.  I was nearer my house, but I went right inside to my next doors house.  I did not go to my own house.  All my children were outside the house.

MR MALAN: Mr Tijane, thank you very much.  It is, as you have said, we have your full statement which we have read.  We feel with you and we share with you, also, your grief especially where it is twice revisited both by your evidence and by the venue where your evidence has been given.  I hand you back to the Chairperson.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you very much.  Are there any further questions?  Fazel Randera.

DR RANDERA: Mr Tijane, I am sure it is somewhere in your statement, but I have not been able to find it.  How old was your son when he died?

DAVID TIJANE: I do not know exactly how old was he, but he was at school.  He was a little bit grown up, but I do not know how old was he.  So I will not exactly know how old was he.

DR RANDERA: Mr Tijane, that is fine.  We will get that information.  My other question is did you ever make a charge at the police station about your son's death?

DAVID TIJANE: I did not lay a charge there.  I did not lay a charge.

DR RANDERA: Thank you.
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THOMAS MANTHATA: I will try to ask you to understand because I heard when the Mathebe's father and I even heard that in the Ndebele communities or the youth from the Ndebele communities.  I do not know by so doing you are displaying anger or are you just saying those people are from that area?  I would try to understand that.  Do you feel, are you in sympathy or are you in anger with those people?

DAVID TIJANE: I display the pain I have suffered after the loss of my son.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Is the pain, are you talking about the pain from the Ndebele people or are you talking the pain directly from the death of your son?

DAVID TIJANE: My pain is that Motete community, in that Motete community many people were assaulted, but my son was assaulted and died.  That is the pain I am showing.

THOMAS MANTHATA: That is clear.  We thank you, but I thought maybe you are speaking of hatred.  I thank you.

CHAIRPERSON: Joyce Seroke.

MS SEROKE: Mr Tijane, you say your son was at school when this incident happened.  Was he a member of a certain political party or a political organisation at school?

DAVID TIJANE: No, he was not a member of any political organisation, no.  I disagree, he was not a member of any political organisation.