Human Rights Violation Hearings — Kimberley — 1996-06-11

CASE NO: CT/00141

YASMINE SOOKA: Could we have some quite please - could Ms Elizabeth Mokone please come to the witness stand.  Ms Mokone can you hear me?  We'd like to welcome you to the hearings at the Truth Commission, could you tell us who the person is that is with you so that we could welcome him to.

MS MOKONE: It is my husband Abel Mokone - it is my husband.

YASMINE SOOKA: Could I ask that you'd be quite in the gallery, I do not want to be forced to ask that, that area be cleared, but if we want to give people an opportunity to tell their stories, then we need to be absolutely quite, thank you.
 Mr Mokone - Ms Mokone will you please stand so that we can - you can take the oath.

ADV POTGIETER: We'll do it in Afrikaans - you are Elizabeth Mokone.
ELIZABETH MEADE MOKONE Verklaar onder eed

ADV POTGIETER: Thank you Ms Mokone you may be seated.

YASMINE SOOKA: As is customary we have appointed a Commissioner to assist you with the leading of your evidence.  He is Commissioner Dumisa Ntsebeza who is sitting on my left hand side and he will take you through your story.

ADV NTSEBEZA: Good afternoon.

MS MOKONE: Good afternoon.

ADV NTSEBEZA: Ms Mokone as you've heard my Afrikaans is not to fantastic, so I'll speak to you in English.  Now Ms Mokone firstly I would just like to say yours is a sad story also.   Because it is about the loss of a loved one - a son.  And I would like merely to echo the words of Commissioner Sooka that you are welcome here and I would like you to relax and as far as possible to tell your story as full as you can.
Firstly I would like us to hear about yourself, where you grew up, where you worked, how many children you had and then you could then start to tell us about this fateful  day when you heard about the death of your son.

MS MOKONE: I'm Elizabeth Mokone,  I'm married, I have three children.  I live in Vergenoeg.  It was on the 25th of May 1993, I went to a funeral -  my son was on his way to school.   When I came back from the funeral and I asked if my son is not home yet and  they said no.  And I sat and waited and  at about 4 o'clock I asked one of his friends haven't you seen him yet and they said  no.
About half past four  there was a knock on  the door, it was Ms Ruth Mompati the General Mokaba and other people I don't know their names.  They told me that there have  been in a march in town and there was a bomb explosion and my son had been killed in the explosion.  I went with them  to Transvaal Road and I identified my child there - he had a mark on his chest, quite high up on his chest - his  T-shirt was full of holes - were full of holes and his face as well had marks  and holes, and we then went home again.

ADV NTSEBEZA: Do you still remember the date on which Ruth Mompati and Mokaba came to you, was it the - was it on the same day that there had been a march, the 25th May 1993?

MS MOKONE: Yes, Ruth Mompati and General Mokaba came to me on the 25th  to come and tell me about my son's death.

ADV NTSEBEZA: What I wanted to find out, were you told about your son's death on the very day that he died?

MS MOKONE: Yes.

ADV NTSEBEZA: Now what was the occupation of your son, was he a teacher?

MS MOKONE: He was a scholar.

ADV NTSEBEZA: Now after you had seen your son's body what happened then thereafter - after you had identified him at the mortuary?

MS MOKONE: We went home, and people came to us on the 27th -  ANC people and they told me that they would share the burial expenses half of it they would pay and we waited and waited and they never arrived.  And the  week after that on the Tuesday evening there was a night vigil in a tent and while we still sitting there we saw people running into the house - tear gas had been release in the tent and the  people ran into my house - also into my backyard and there was lot of damage caused.  And the next morning we were told that the soldiers had used tear gas and these people never arrive and we then just carried on and buried my child.

ADV NTSEBEZA: Now, you have told us that Ruth Mompati and Mokaba came to tell you that your son had died because there have been an explosion during the march there.

MS MOKONE: Ja - ja.

ADV NTSEBEZA: Did they tell you how that explosion had come about ?

MS MOKONE: No, they didn't.

ADV NTSEBEZA: [indistinct]  had come to know how the explosion came about as you sit  there today.

MS MOKONE: I read in the newspapers and that's how I found out that -  and after the funeral I read in the newspaper again that the matter was proceeding and there would be court case.  I went to court and I went to listen to the testimony and to the case.

ADV NTSEBEZA: [indistinct] who were charged and what was the outcome of that court case if there was any?

MS MOKONE: I saw in court that it was Nkosinathi and Sipho Mbaqa and I also heard afterwards -  I didn't go to court on the last day but I heard that they were given twelve years imprisonment but I wasn't  there.

ADV NTSEBEZA: [indistinct] and now those two people -  do you know where they are now - the people who were in court on the day that you went who were being charged with the death of your son.

MS MOKONE: I saw them, I think they still in prison.

<UNKNOWN>: The interpreters cannot hear the person.

MS MOKONE: I think they still in prison.

ADV NTSEBEZA: [indistinct] or perhaps it is difficult for you to answer the following question, but can you tell us how you felt when you first heard about the death of your son?

MS MOKONE: It was very-very painful I still can't actually believe it, I still can't believe that it happened.  That - that morning when I left home he was still there and he was on his way to school and that was the last time I saw him afterwards I was just heard that he was dead.

ADV NTSEBEZA: It's okay ma'am take your time it's okay.  What would you have felt should have been the attitude of the ANC towards your family which have at least relieved you or eased your pain or don't you have any feelings or attitudes towards the organisation?

MS MOKONE: No.

ADV NTSEBEZA: In your statement you said you were promised to be assisted with funeral expenses by the ANC, is that correct?

MS MOKONE: Yes.

ADV NTSEBEZA: [indistinct]  also made the point that  you never got those expenses is that correct?

MS MOKONE: Yes  nothing-nothing happened.

ADV NTSEBEZA: If it is  possible for the Commission to do anything what would you want it to do?

MS MOKONE: I would  appreciate if the Commission could help me in some way because those told me they would come to me and help me with expenses but nothing happened it's now  three years and  nothing has happened.

ADV NTSEBEZA: Anything else that  you would like this Commission to assist you with if possible.

MS MOKONE: We would like to know who the people were because there's some many confusing stories.  I would - I would like to know who did this to my child.

ADV NTSEBEZA: There are so many confusing stories,  you free to speak out what you have heard whether it is  true or not because that will ease  your pain.  Because if you bottle up anything inside you, you will never find peace.  What is it that confuses you - what are the stories further than the fact that two people were charged,  is there still another  story?

MS MOKONE: Yes.

ADV NTSEBEZA: Okay.

MS MOKONE: Sometimes you just hear no it wasn't them, I can't actually explain.

ADV NTSEBEZA: [indistinct] who it was that it was said it is.

MS MOKONE: No.

ADV NTSEBEZA: [indistinct]  that  true that it wasn't them, it was somebody else, would like to know?

MS MOKONE: No, I didn't actually hear that there was somebody else.

ADV NTSEBEZA: [indistinct] then just finally if in any event there are more stories to be told in order for the truth to be known - you would like that to happen, is that right?

MS MOKONE: Yes.

ADV NTSEBEZA: Thank you - thank you ma'am.