Human Rights Violation Hearings — East London — 1996-04-15

NOHLE MOHAPE: Yes we were going up and down, wanting to know where my husband was.  I remember at one time we went to Nqone Police and you'd never find out directly in which jail a person was.  After the seventh mont father Stubbs was a person who really tried to help.  He said I should go to Pretoria but seems as if Mapetla is in Pretoria, they would
EAST LONDON  HEARING TRC/EASTERN CAPE
8 MOHAPE
try by all means to find some means of singing.  We went to Central Prison in Pretoria and then I would stay there for the whole week, every morning going to Pretoria since our prison with my lawyers wanting to see my husband, but never.
 In the second week I was told that I can see my husband for only two minutes, because I said to them, nobody can only disappear without any reason.  We it's things that are happening in our area.  I even told them that we read about people who get hijacked in the showers in the prison.  I just read in the newspaper about a person who fell from a chair and died, but in actual fact you'd have the feeling that the person is still alive.  Then you'd only see the person for two minutes if you are given a chance.  That's what happened during those days, in the seven months that he was inside. Do you remember the Act, tell us under which Act he was detained. What did they say to you.  Every time police would come and arrest Mapetla and they would say, under Section Six of the Terrorism Act. In that section, I knew exactly about it.  As I've already said, some of their things,   (end of tape 1)
(start of tape 2) and it was hopeful that everything was going on so well.  When you were making your own judgement you would say these policemen had been trapped, but when the results came out and nobody was accused and found guilty about this death, it was said Mapetla had committed suicide.   We were not that shocked because we expected that, as we always knew about the courts of South Africa.  We were very angry about this. I could not control my anger, I was so emotional that I vowed that I am going to show these people.  And I was also aware that I have to be protected against myself, but I was helpless at the same time.  I was 
EAST LONDON  HEARING TRC/EASTERN CAPE
9 MOHAPE
dejected, I was hopeless and I vowed to myself as they said that they have finished with me, and that were thinking that this struggle would not continue, I rejected that and I was sure that was going on strongly with the struggle.
 I also emphasised the fact that the plans which were laid out by my husband are going to be carried out.  At times he used to go on Sundays and he would say we must go and scout around for beautiful houses in the town in King Williamstown.  We would go around and look at each beautiful house where he would say, "These Boers, where they stay, we are going to own that house one day".  I was so sure that I will fulfil these dreams and I would make sure that they are fulfilled, and this was very horrible, when it came to this.

MS MAYA: What did they say was the reason for his suicide?

NOHLE MOHAPE: The letters which were available during the inquest, there was one amongst them of which it was said to be the suicide letter.  The writing was very exclusive and it did not belong to Mapetla.  But this one was also written on toilet paper as my husband previously did write, and the experts who looked at the writing confirmed that the writing in the suicide note is very exclusive.  They tried their best and tried to make a good scrutiny.  We waited for the response.

MS MAYA: What was the inquest?

NOHLE MOHAPE: We were surprised about the inquest, that still nobody was accused about this.  There was civic court at Grahamstown, these also went on in Grahamstown and there was a policeman who took out some letters to give testimony about the crime and he confirmed that this man would never take his life.  He said, " We were all supportive, because
EAST LONDON  HEARING TRC/EASTERN CAPE
10 MOHAPE
this man was always going on educating people and policemen he tried to show us that we should be the peoples' policemen."  And he was able to produce the letter.
 The police who gave testimony had already been warned by my husbands' way of talking. He was very good in approaching and conveying his message successfully. We went on looking at the place that he talked about, there was a lot of new information but it was said there was no witness.

MS MAYA: What was the result?

NOHLE MOHAPE: In Supreme Court it was also said that nobody could be blamed about what happened. After that it was said that nobody could be blamed, we were told that we have lost the case and we have to pay the costs. We went home where I received a letter from the court stating that the account which I'm owing was about R250 000.  I cannot remember well but it was approximately that amount which I was expected to pay. They also wrote to find out how they can liquidate me and I would have to write a list of everything, my house included.  But my lawyers were able to support me, stating very effectively that I cannot pay the costs.

MS MAYA: What happened thereafter?

NOHLE MOHAPE: At the end I do not know what happened, we made an appeal in the Supreme Court and the attorney who was responsible for this, for our case, Mr Mqhlange, was also reported dead and his wife went on and wanted an advocate and nobody was to blame even then.

MS MAYA: We take that your husband who was very close to you and was a threat to the policemen. We hope that you are going to stay normally, after the death.