Human Rights Violation Hearings — Bloemfontein — UNKNOWN

DR MAGWAZA: Okay, Mama. Take your time. (Pause)

WITNESS: We found him at thehospital. Because I had nothing with me I told my sister's children in Bloemfontein,and they came to take him from the hospital to the - from the mortuary hospital,and they took him to Bloemfontein and they helped me with the burial arrangements.I think we went to court two times, if not three times. When we were supposedto go for the fourth time we were told that the case is no longer there, thecharges have been dropped. And Morakile is still working, he is still a policeman. I stayed with him in the house. I don't have a husband. Hewas the father in the house. I don't know what will these people think today.They are still working and I am starving.

DR MAGWAZA: Mama Daseko, that's a very painful experience. I think youhave been through a very, very difficult time. We would like to know more aboutwhat happened to Sam. I will ask you just a few questions. Could you tell uson what date was Sam arrested by the police?

WITNESS: It was on a Saturday. He wasfrom a temporary job that he was doing. I was in Bloemfontein, and I left himat home. I think he was from home, heading to his grandmother's house, and onhis way the police picked him up. You know, the police wanted to know why didhe have blood on his shirt.

DR MAGWAZA: (Inaudible) ... grandmother's place?

WITNESS: The police pickedhim up and they took him to the grandmother's house, and the grandmother toldthem, "No, this boy was on his way to my home." The police left him there. AndGranny gave him clean clothes, and after a few minutes after he had gone tobed the police came back and they kicked the door. They did not knock at thedoor, they just kicked the door, and they picked him up. The other one pickedhim up with his hand and a leg, and the other one the same, and they threw himinto the van and they drove off.

DR MAGWAZA: Had they harassed him before, or were they known to you? ---When I saw them the first time I knew them.

DR MAGWAZA: (Inaudible) ... they done anything to him before?

WITNESS: Nothing.It was their first time to see him on his way to his granny, and they just pickedhim up. One other thing, Mama. What - he had some bloodstains on theshirt. Where did those bloodstains come from? --- These were the origins, thebloodstains. He was bleeding through his nose.

DR MAGWAZA: (Inaudible) ... by the police?

WITNESS: The police saw him withthe blood on his chest. He was bleeding - just bleeding from the nose, the originalbleeding from the nose, and they accused him of the blood on his shirt and theyassaulted him for that.

DR MAGWAZA: (Inaudible) ... political organisation at that time?

WITNESS: Samused to tell me that he was going to meetings, but I couldn't understand himwhat meetings was he - which meetings was he going to. I think it was fond ofthe ANC.

DR MAGWAZA: I would like also to know at that time when Sam was assaultedwere there other people in the area that were being assaulted? What was happeningat that time in Thaba Nchu?

WITNESS: Sam was assaulted alone on the farm. Hewas on his own.

DR MAGWAZA: But was it a time when other kids were being assaulted at differenttimes at different dates in Thaba Nchu? Was this thing that it was commonfor young kids to be assaulted in Thaba Nchu?

WITNESS: I have never heard of anykids that have been assaulted around Thaba Nchu. Nothing of that kind happened.

DR MAGWAZA: I've heard you more than once refer to this policeman, Morakile,who assaulted and killed your son, and that he is still working. Where is Morakilenow? Where is he working?

WITNESS: He is working at the police station in Thaba Nchu.He is a policeman.

DR MAGWAZA: The last question I would like to ask from you is, now thatyour son, Sam, is dead, and you were saying that Sam was your son who was also supporting you, who is also -who is supporting you now? Are you working, are you getting a pension? How doyou make a livelihood?

WITNESS: I am not working. I don't get pension. I am a vendor.I sell oranges and peanuts.

DR MAGWAZA: Tell me lastly, what has changed in you since the death ofyour son? Are you still the same person? What has changed in you?

WITNESS: Thereis a lot of difference, because at times I would feel my heart shaking, andsometimes - so many things have changed in my life. I get terrible headachesat times.

DR MAGWAZA: (Inaudible) ... doctor?

WITNESS: Yes. I normally go to the doctorafter getting some income from selling the peanuts and oranges.

DR MAGWAZA: Your grandmother is the only witness now, according to whatyou have here, because your brother has died, who was also a witness. Is thereanybody else you can think of who could be a witness to this case? Were thesethe only two people who saw what happened?

WITNESS: Yes, I think those were the onlyto people, because it was in the evening and he was at their place.

DR MAGWAZA: Thank you very much. I would like it over to our Chairpersonhere.

MR LYSTER: Thank you, Mrs Daseko. Can you just confirmfor me when this happened? You said it happened on a Saturday, but you didn'ttell us the year in which it happened. It's important for the purposes of ourrecords that we know which year it was. Can you remember? It doesn't appearin your statement either. Can you remember what year you buried your son? ---It was in 1990. It was in July, on the 8th of July, if I still remember well.
And that happened in Zone One, Thaba Nchu, is that correct?--- Yes, in Thaba Nchu.
Mrs Daseko, thank you very much for sharing your story withus today. We've heard stories similar to yours from so many - particularly somany mothers about the deaths of their children, and previously when we heardabout these things, particularly for those of us who did not experience sufferingover the past years, we would read about it in the newspaper, or we would hearit on a radio that this person or that person had died, and it would come acrossto us as a number, as a statistic. And what is important about your story isthat we realise that for every number, for every statistic, for every personwho died, that there was a mother and a father, and perhaps a family who mournedthose people, that for every person - the person who died was precious to somebodyelse who was left behind. And if we think of how many people like your son havedied over the last 10, or 20, or 30 years, we get some idea of the amount orthe extent of emotional loss and suffering that his weighing down on this countrylike a grey cloud.
And so we hope that just by telling your story, not only tous here, but to those people in the hall, and to the many, many people, thethousands of people who are listening to it on the radio now, we hope that itmakes your burden a little bit lighter, and that it will make those who arelistening to your story even more determined that this sort of thing shouldnot happen again in our country.
The Commission will do its best to try and find out further details about how your son died, and why he died, butthat cannot be done immediately, these things take time, but details will begiven to you when we are in possession of those details.
So thank you again very much for coming, and we wish you welland we wish you strength. Thank you.

MR LYSTER: Can you hear me, Mr Moyhilwa?

MODISI ELIAS MOYHILWA: Yes.

MR LYSTER: Can you tell me how to pronounce your namecorrectly? Is it Moyhilwa?

MODISI ELIAS MOYHILWA: It's Moyhilwa.

MR LYSTER: Thank you for coming to tell us your storytoday. You, like the person before you, will be telling us a story about theloss of a family member in December 1989. Before you tell us your story I'dask you to please stand and take the oath.

MODISI ELIAS MOYHILWA: (Sworn, States)

MR LYSTER: Thank you very much. I am going to ask myfellow Commissioner, Dr Mgojo, to assist you in the giving of your evidence.Dr Mgojo.