Human Rights Violation Hearings — Soweto — 1996-07-25

CHAIRPERSON: I call Mr Sono, please.
 Can I just acknowledge and welcome all the people who have joined us, especially those whom we had invited to come to Soweto to support the witnesses. I see here that we have now Mrs Suzman amongst us and I will ask her to stand.
(APPLAUSE)
 We are happy again to have Max and Audrey Coleman who -- we are not tired of welcoming Max Coleman.  I will ask both of them to stand, please.
(APPLAUSE)
 We have Rabbie Harris and his wife amongst us, the Rabbi.
(APPLAUSE)
 We welcome Mrs Miriam Mkwe, I don't know whether she is still here or whether she has left, but in absentia we welcome her.  That is Bishop Mkwe's wife, and many others, thank you very much for coming.
 Can I just establish whether you are sitting with Mrs  Sono?

MR N SONO: Yes.

CHAIRPERSON: Ae you both going to give evidence?

MR N SONO: I will testify, I will give evidence.

CHAIRPERSON: Okay.
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MS N SHABALALA: I would also like to say something after my husband has spoken.

CHAIRPERSON: I would ask both of you to stand so that you can take the oath. Mrs Sono, if I can start with you, if you can just say, if you can just take the oath.

CAROLINE SONO: (Duly sworn, states).

CHAIRPERSON: I am coming to you, Mr Sono.

NICODEMUS SONO: (Duly sworn, states).

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you.  Mr Sono, can you please briefly tell the Commission about yourself and your family.

MR SONO: I am Nicodemus Sono. I reside in Meadowlands, 3386, Zone 10. Me and my family got to know many people during the struggle, which were working and helping here and there. I am just here to tell of my son, what happened to my son and ask the Commission to help me find out exactly what happened to him.  I will be very brief.  I will start from 1988.
 In 1988, November 13th, my son was taken away in a blue Kombi which was at my place.  It happens that son was one of the activists with other young men in Soweto, who were highly involved with Mrs Mandela.  So the story in 1988, round about 10 to eight in the evening, it was on a Sunday, when I came back home.  A young man by the name of Michael called me before I entered the house.  He said Winnie wanted to see me outside. I went outside with him.  The Kombi was parked in my street, not very far from my house.  When I got into the Kombi there was Mrs Mandela, Winnie, with the driver Michael and other few young men, which I did not recognise. My son, Lolo was in the Kombi.  He appeared badly beaten, his face was bruised and he was shivering.  
 So Mrs Mandela told me that she is taking Lolo away 
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because they labelled him as a spy.  He was accused of spying because during that week, some time, on the 9th of November there was an ANC commander who was killed at Umzimhlope, with a policeman and my cousin who was also a commander for MK.
 So Lolo apparently went to Mandela to seek for help, because the police were all over us.  So he did not get the help that he was looking for.  He was with the neighbour's son, Sibonisa Shabalala. 
 So after they were labelled spies, Lola was beaten, brought to me.  As I was pleading to Mrs Mandela to leave him with me as a father, saying that they have beaten him up.  I knew for a fact that he was very helpful for the MK people who were coming from exile and I was also forced to help them, because of my cousin, who used me to come to my place for shelter, transport and food.  
 So during those times in 1988 there was no way that I could turn my back on them, because of my cousin who was in the struggle. I had to give all the help that I had, but not knowing that while I am work, my cousin and Lolo and other boys in that street, they are organising to join the Mandela Football Club and they have already joined and they have all kinds of ammunition which has been hidden in the yards around the vicinity of my neighbours.
 That I did not know of, until when the policeman and the commander was killed, the police were all over me.  Some of the friends of my cousin that came from Zambia, were at my house. I gave them shelter, and one of them was arrested by the police one night.  Fortunately they did not search my house.  
 The following days, all sorts of ammunition came from 
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left, right, over the fences. I was given guns by boys to take back to Winnie, because they knew that they are in trouble, and I did not know what to do, but I took that away, back to Winnie.  
 So coming back to my story here. I pleaded with Winnie for more than an hour not to take my son away, but in vain.  They drove off. I went back to the house.  They came back to me, because he was asking for a jersey.  There was this tall hefty boy with an athletic body, who was having a gun, escorting my boy up to the gate. He said he must not come into the house, we must just give him a jersey.  They went back into the Kombi.  I also followed into the Kombi, knowing very well that Winnie is a friend, Winnie is a mother, maybe she will listen to me this time.  She did not.  So the Kombi went with me, until up to the corner of my street, where I tried to plead with her to leave my son.  She refused.  So until they dropped me off at the corner.   I went back home crying, not knowing what to do because  by then the very boys were already going to the Shabalals to look for Sibonisa and his father came to me after they had left and told me that the boys were there looking for his son too. I tried with Shabalala to say stay overnight, and say if Sibonisa come we must not let him go to Winnie, because Lolo has been badly beaten already.
 The following day, on the 14th, I went to the police.  As the police were looking for me in Protea, the security section.  When I got there they said where is Lolo. I told them that Lolo has been taken by Winnie.

CHAIRPERSON: Sorry, Mr Sono.  Please let's not have flash lights and things like that, it disturbs the witnesses.  Let's be very very careful.
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MR SONO: Okay.  Those people at Protea sent me back to Meadowlands, because they did not believe my story.  They asked me if I had reported the matter. I said I could not report at night, because I was afraid, not knowing who is watching me.  Because there were some other cars parked nearby my house, maybe I thought those people are guarding me not go to anywhere with Shabalala.
 So when I got to the police at Meadowlands, I gave in my statement reporting that my son has been taken away.  Nobody believed me there.  There was this captain who came to me and said he doesn't believe my story, and anyhow, they are just taking the statement as a procedure.
 So since then, 1988, 13th November, and 14th, when I reported the case, the police did not help me with anything.  When the Stompie case came up in 1989 it is when that the police came to me.  There was this Capt Dempsey that said he is the investigating officer. I never saw him before.  I only saw him when he said to me he wants me to go to court, and testify against Winnie.  So as an investigating officer, I asked him that what happened and why didn't he come to me to ask questions and the very day I have reported the matter, nobody bothered to go to Winnie to go and search for my son or come with any other help.
 So since then ... (PAUSE).

CHAIRPERSON: Mr Sono, take your time, drink the water.

MR SONO: So there was nobody to help me.

CHAIRPERSON: Take your time, Mr Sono.  Yes, if you can just drink some water, take a deep breath and then once you are ready indicate, we will continue talking.  We will wait for you. (PAUSE).
 You were talking about a person who came and asked you 
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to go and give evidence in court.