Human Rights Violation Hearings — Umtata — 1996-06-18

NOMBASA SANGONI: I wish the Truth Commission can discover and investigate for us who were those three ladies who were in that Kombi, why were they hiding them, because obviously they knew something, who were they.

PANEL MEMBER: Is there anything that we have left out that you think we should also touch before we conclude?

NOMBASA SANGONI: No, I don't think there is anything else that I have left out. And moreover, I have a request, if the Commission can help me, I have a child that I am still struggling to bring up and educate.

PANEL MEMBER: How old is the child?

NOMBASA SANGONI: My child will be eleven years in September.

PANEL MEMBER: Thank you, we have noted your request.I am going to hand over to my colleagues, the Commissioners, to see if they have any questions for you.

PANEL MEMBER: Ms Sangoni you said the advocates were advocate Skweyiya and who else was it?

NOMBASA SANGONI: It was advocate Skweyiya, there were two advocates but I have forgotten the other one, he was from Gauteng, but I have forgotten his name.

PANEL MEMBER: Reverend Nkondu, I want to make sure about something - you said there was a Court case - the case was set before the Judge - these people were found guilty?

NOMBASA SANGONI: Yes, they were found guilty.

PANEL MEMBER: How many years were they sentenced?

NOMBASA SANGONI: No, they were never sentenced - it was also said that they were found guilty but they were never sentenced.

PANEL MEMBER: Is it the Judge of the Court that said that?

NOMBASA SANGONI: Yes, it was a Judge from here in Umtata.

PANEL MEMBER: Thank you.

PANEL MEMBER: I would like to know the circumstances around the funeral of your husband Zolile Sangoni.

NOMBASA SANGONI: I wish that Zolile, I wish that the Commission can help me out with Zolile's tombstone, it was very difficult, so I would just like the Commission to help me out with husband's death  ..(tape ends)

PANEL MEMBER: Nombasa, to lose your partner at the prime of your youth and to have the future of your marriage terminated at the time when you were looking forward to being together with your husband must have been very painful to you and I want to say that it was a great sacrifice that you and your husband made. I noticed that when you began to make your testimony your face, your eye, clearly conveyed that you loved your husband very dearly and I am sure that your husband also loved you, but your husband had another love and that was the love for this country and the love for justice and for that love he paid the ultimate price.
 We salute you, we salute your husband, we salute the families -your family and your husband's family that supported you - but if I may on behalf of the Commission, I want to make a call, I want to make a call to those in authority who are still alive, who know what happened, to come forward and tell the Commission what they know.  I think one of the most painful things that keeps on coming up is that the people who are responsible for these things, live in our communities but they are not coming forward and there is going to be no healing, there is going to be no reconciliation until those people voluntarily come up and tell us what happened so that we can then propose a way in which reconciliation and forgiveness can take place. Policemen, especially policemen like us, Black as us, we ask them to please come forward, they mustn't wait until they are being called, they mustn't wait until their names are being called in these hearings, they must come forward voluntarily, they must come and they must tell the country what happened, not only about what is happening here, about was happening in the whole country so that we can attempt to forgive ...(inaudible)  mentioned then that is opportunity, but when they come before they have even been mentioned then indeed they will be showing that they are committed to reconciliation and to the truth. 
 Thank you very much for what you have done and all the sacrifice that you have given, for all what you have given us we would like to tell you and we will give you assurance that we will try to meet and fulfil your wishes and needs and respect of the courage that you have shown as his wife.