Human Rights Violation Hearings — Johannesburg — 1996-04-29

CHAIRPERSON: I apologise that there was maybe a crossing of wires because we announced that we start at nine and I gather that some were told that we were starting at 9:30.  We are starting now and I welcome you.  I declare this session open and hand over to the Deputy-Chairperson, Dr Boraine.

MR RANDERA: Your Grace before I hand over to Dr Boraine I would just like to read out the name of the witnesses who are appearing in front of us today.
 The first person who is coming today is Marina Geldenhuys, who is going to be speaking on her own behalf.
 After that Mrs Rokaya Salogee will be talking about the death of her husband, Suliman Salogee in detention.
 Mrs Harwa Timol will be talking about the death of her son Ahmed Timol, also death in detention.
 Mrs Sylvia Dhlomo-Jele will be talking about her son Sicelo Dhlomo who was shot dead.
 Gregory Beck will be talking about himself when he was injured in a shooting in Soweto.
 Michael Meyer also will be talking on behalf of himself.
 Lizzie T Sefolo is talking about Harold Sefolo who disappeared. 
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 Martha Maake will be talking about her son Jackson Maake who disappeared.
 Mabel Makope will be talking about Andrew Makope who also disappeared.   
 Finally we have Mamma Gotla Mohale who will be talking about torture in police custody on behalf of herself.
 Thank you.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you very much.  May I introduce the panel.  At the extreme left which is your extreme right Professor Piet Meiring, who is a member of the Rehabilitation and Reparation Committee based here in Gauteng.  Wynand Malan Commissioner and Deputy Chairperson of the Human Rights Violations Committee based here in Johannesburg, in Gauteng.  Hlengiwe Mkhize, Commissioner and Chairperson of the Reparations and Rehabilitation Committee. A brand new member of the Reparations and Rehabilitation Committee from our region, KwaZulu Natal, Free State, Dr Sibongele Magwaza, and Dr Faizal Randera, Commission, member of the Human Rights Violations Committee and coordinator of our Gauteng regional office.  Dr Alex Boraine the Deputy-Chairperson of the Commission and a member of the Human Rights Violations Committee.  Yasmin Sooka Commissioner and Deputy-Chairperson of the Human Rights Violations Committee based here in Gauteng.  Joyce Seroke member of the Human Rights Violations Committee based in Gauteng.  Russel Ally member of the Human Rights Violations Committee based here in Gauteng.   Tiny Maya, member of the Human Rights Violations Committee from our Eastern Cape region.  Dr Mampule Ramashala, Commissioner, member of the Reparations and Rehabilitations Committee.  Chris de Jager, Commissioner and member of the Amnesty Committee.  Hugh Lewin who is a
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member of the Human Rights Violations Committee of this region here, Gauteng.  Tom Manthata, a member of the Reparations and Rehabilitation Committee Gauteng region.
 Thank you.

DR BORAINE: Chairperson in welcoming everybody here today I would like to make special mention of Dr and Mrs Arwag, very pleased to see them here tonight, Noreen and Frans, and also Mr Vardi and Mr Chiba who are members of Parliament in the National Assembly.  Dr Kiesner I gather is also here, I haven't personally seen where he is sitting but wherever you are you are very welcome also.
 Chairperson the first witness for the second day of the third sitting of the Commission is Mrs Marina Geldenhuys and I will ask her please to take the witness stand.
 Marina I am very pleased to welcome you to the Commission hearings.  You are the first this morning.  In one way that means you don't have to sit and wait and wait and wait, on the other hand it's perhaps a little more nervous for you to be right at the very beginning.  So let me ask you to please relax and just take it easy.  Can you hear my voice?  Can you hear the translations?  Thank you very much indeed.  I am not sure who is sitting with you?

MARINA GELDENHUYS: It's my mother Mrs Rautenbach.

DR BORAINE: Mrs Rautenbach you are very welcome and we are very pleased that you were able to come as well.  Marina you were very young, you still are of course, but you were very young, 13 years ago, when your whole life was changed very dramatically and very suddenly and that's the story that you are going to tell us.  But before you do I would be very grateful if you would please stand so that we can take the oath.
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MARINA GELDENHUYS: (Sworn states)

DR BORAINE: Please sit.  I ask my colleague and fellow Commissioner Wynand Malan if he will guide you as you tell your story.

MR MALAN: Good morning Mrs Geldenhuys.  I think that we can take it as read that I assume that you would like to speak Afrikaans?

MARINA GELDENHUYS: Yes.

MR MALAN: As a background to your story we can take it that it's common cause that there was a car bomb explosion in Church Street, that it took place on the 20th of May 1983, that 19 people were killed of which 12 were civilians and 7 were defence force personnel and about 219 people were injured.  You were one of those injured.  So you don't have to deal with the historic background, but we would like to hear your story, what happened that day and how you experienced it from the very first moment that you became aware of it, please.

MARINA GELDENHUYS: As you all know I was very young.  I had just left school and it was my first job, I was working for the defence force, for the Air Force, and my youth was lost very suddenly.  I was forced to grow up very quickly.  ..(tape ends)  ... at the defence force.  It was an act of cowardice which was committed and it damaged and injured more civilians than anybody else.  Up until this day nobody from government actually did anything after this incident, and on the 20th of next month it will be 13 years ago that it happened.  There were defence force members, personnel who received compensation, who are still receiving medical assistance, and I as a civilian who was working for the defence force received medication, medical help and
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treatment and assistance whilst I had a medical aid, but what happens today?  We are growing older, we still have problems, who do we turn to for help?  There is nobody to help us.

MR MALAN: I wonder if I could ask you, could you perhaps just tell us about the nature of your injuries and that might perhaps make it easier for you to tell us what happened?

MARINA GELDENHUYS: My eardrums were ruptured, I now have a hearing problem, I only have a certain percentage of hearing.  I have very deep wounds and scars on my legs, it left very ugly scars.  I don't have the full use of my thumbs.  One is now shorter than the other one.  I have internal injuries.  I had facial injuries which also left scars and of course the emotional damage is incalculable.

MR MALAN: You say that the medical aid covered a lot of your medical expenses but after that no provision was made for your medical costs?  Did you undergo any remedial plastic surgery which cost you a lot of money?

MARINA GELDENHUYS: I had to wait a certain period of time before undergoing surgery.  Tissue had to be grafted and grown on my legs.  Now apparently this operation cannot be performed in this country, it has to be done overseas, maybe things have changed now perhaps after such a lapse of time but assistance for that kind of surgery, financially speaking, I certainly don't have.

MR MALAN: And then lastly, in the information which we have at our disposal I see that you received an amount of R76 000 odd from the President's Fund?