Human Rights Violation Hearings — Venda — 1996-10-04

MS DLADLAMBA: Thank you.  Bohobetsebiwa, was my first borne, it is the one with whom I learn how the woman can give birth.  Mohofe was my son who was very good and listening.
 We were having a very good relationship in talking.  He was interested in God.  Before I could repent to christianity, I was not yet saved, I saw how one could be saved by my son Mohofe.  This son used to visit me at Messina, coming to my place with his friends.
 I used to see Mr Verisane William Drawo and many other friends, coming to my place to deliver some sermon where we were staying.  He was a son with whom you cannot make some arguments, except talking peace and love and the will of God in us.
 Something that surprised me while I was still at Messina is when I was surprised, it was on Friday, when a White policeman and a Black man came into our place, but I cannot remember their names.  They were coming from Beitbridge. 
 Those people came and told us that they want to take my son.  Then I agreed.  When asking them why they just said, no you will hear when he came back.  Then they go with him.
 On Sunday evening, they bring him back.  On that day he continued with his work.  After a while he married a wife and the wife was called Lehentandani Nesengani.  It was in 1979.
 By 1981 she gave birth to a child called Moranga.  Before Sifiwa can get married, he was arrested several 
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times.  If there were emergency cases, Mohofe was usually arrested.  If a minor thing was wrong, then Mohofe was arrested.
 I still remember one day while he was coming from Jo'burg saying that he was Tsetsi Mashaneni, simply because they were looking the same, but he did not stay in jail, but he was released.
 I was hurt by his arrest.  He told me that one is arrested, they used to torture the one who is arrested.  He told me about torturing, it is a very painful story and it hurt me very much while he was relating about his torture.
 He told me where they used to torture him, they torture him everywhere, even in private parts, anywhere where it could make them feel happy.
 And letting plastic bags in his face while he was temporarily arrested.  In that way, while they used to arrest him, I once visited them here at Toyandu, the next day I told them that I am going to visit my cousins because Mr Mpepo was my nephew and Ravere was my brother.
 Ravere told me that your son have joined terrorism.  I will arrest him and tear him.  When saying that, my heart was on pain and I felt that there was something here.  In answering them, do you have the rights, you have got all the rights to take him and sit with him and punish him in any way that you can do that, because you have got powers.
 And you can even tear him into pieces.  It ended in that way, but the answer which was clear, I did not hear it.
 In going home I told Mohofe that if you joined these terrorism, because I don't know it.  Is it not good for you to stop doing this.  Sifiwa told me that if they are saying that I am a terrorist, there is no way I can go and refuse 
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that I am not a terrorist.  What I know is this that I am a son of God, and I know God.
 And what I know myself as a mother, Sifiwa was starting to be the minister and returned back from minister because his health was not good, but he was not working, in fact, but he was unable to cope with the Natal climate.
 In that way after a while, he was arrested, but before he was arrested several times, he was arrested being alleged of bombing the Toyandu police station, the Sebasa police station I mean.
 It is then that Sifiwa was arrested at seven o'clock during the night, between seven to eight his wife telling me.  Early in the morning Lehentandani phoned me and told me that Sifiwa was detained, but you must not worry, I think he will be released.
 When he is released, we will come there at home and inform you what happened and she told me that there is nothing wrong.  That night, at 3 am, the old man, Mr Motsera (indistinct) came to me and told me that we are here to fetch you.
 Then I explained to them that what they are saying, I think no, just tell me if my son have passed away.  In fact they were not prepared at that stage to tell me that my son had passed away.  That day we went to (indistinct) the night, they told me that after taking Sifiwa that day, we have heard nothing about him, except that he was assassinated.
 I was disturbed, not knowing what to do and I tried to tell them who told them, because it is said that these things are usually hidden.  The State Doctor, when he was called in jail, they State Doctor was a friend to this 
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(indistinct) who was in Goldville, but I've forgotten his name, is the one who first told us that Sifiwa is dead.
 They have assassinated him.  It was on Wednesday.  In the afternoon, it is then that we heard that Sifiwa has passed away.  It ended up in that way, but I was hurt by the death of my son, who was my first born and he was the breadwinner in the family, because he was the first born, he was the one whom I thought will assist me in my life and in times, whereby, if I encounter problems, he will be responsible in resolving those problems.
 And I was very hurt by his death.  After a while, I can say maybe three years, or the next three months or the next year, it is then that having reported the case, there was a court case.  It is then that I heard that the one that killed, it is then that I realised who killed my son.  The one who killed my son was standing in the box and the man is called Mr Ramarighera and Mr Managa. 
 Those two are people who stood in the witness box and the things how he was injured, is in the post-mortem and inquest.  In the death certificate it was written that he was having multiple injuries which was done by Mr Ramarighera and Mr Managa and it was also said that they were not found guilty in court and because these people were not found guilty, then what must we do?
 It is then that we decided to go from Messina to Shendima.  My sister, Mr Ravere told my grandmother that you must go and tell your sister-in-law that when she is working in (indistinct) she must never talk about the death of Sifiwa, because she is going to be arrested.
 It is then that I was afraid of jail and I was afraid of talking with people and the people were afraid of talking VENDA HEARING TRC/NORTH WEST
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to me because they said I am the mother of the terrorist.
 But one day when a certain woman was talking to a certain lady, she said, oh, you are letting this mother of a terrorist into your car.  It is then that I realised that no, Venda people are not faithful, because they have killed my son.
 When the court was over, seeing that day the accused were not guilty,  I cried when I was entering Sifiwa's house.  I was crying because I told them that I want Ramarighera, I want him to be my son, because he thought Sifiwa was not fit to be my son.
 I think this Ramarighera, I must go with him, so that he will be my son, but I was crying for something which was useless.  Pastor Corombi prayed very much so that my pressure may go down so that I may feel relaxed and go to the house without crying.
 From that day I felt that I could not cry, I was hurt and they have killed, the Venda's have killed my son in a bad way, that's all.

RUSSELL ALLY: Thank you very much.  Are you okay, would you like ... Could we continue?  Are you okay to continue?

MS DLADLAMBA: Yes.