Human Rights Violation Hearings — Port Elizabeth — 1996-06-26

MRS MPONGOSHE: Yes, I got this on Monday morning.  I was selling biscuits at the time, so there would be kids who would be knocking now and again, and sometimes I would stop that because I was working night duty.  Then at about eight another knock came, I heard another knock and then I saw these people.  I didn't know who they were.
 The gentlemen and lady from New Brighton and I was surprised, they said they wanted to talk to me, so I came out to the front.
 And then, that's when they told me that my husband had been - he was one of the victims in Lesotho.

MR SANDI: Did you go to Lesotho for funeral arrangements?  Where was he buried, was the body sent down to South Africa or did you have to go to Lesotho?

MRS MPONGOSHE: Arrangements were made for us to go there because they were not allowed to be buried here.

MR SANDI: Who was making these arrangements for you?

MRS MPONGOSHE: Mr Tsume, he was our organiser here with his wife, they were taking us up and down in their car to the Council of Churches to the special - and the Council of Churches arranged for us to go to Maseru by bus.
 We were four families from this end.

MR SANDI: I take it Mrs Mdlankomo was one of these families who went to Maseru?

MRS MPONGOSHE: Yes, she was.

MR SANDI: At the time when you were in Maseru, did you meet any people who had witnessed this incident who explained to you how it happened?

MRS MPONGOSHE: Yes, I did meet some people.  Some I don't know but they know my husband.  I met them and then they explained that this helicopter came in the middle of the
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night and they pointed some houses.  It selected certain houses that they targeted.  And that's how the people were injured and killed.  Houses were pointed out to us, some of them were burnt.

MR SANDI: Anything else Mpongoshe that you would like to explain about this incident?

MRS MPONGOSHE: Maybe more details we can get from Mrs Marwanqana, because she was there when this happened.

MR SANDI: Is that the end of your statement Mrs Mpongoshe?

MRS MPONGOSHE: Yes, that is all but I have a request to the Commission.  If they can investigate for me who the people are who perpetrated this act, because this affected me very negatively, even my health has been affected.  I am diabetic now and I also have high blood pressure and I don't work.
 I am in a very miserable state, so I'd like the Commission to find out for me who perpetrated this act, for what reason, because my husband had already left the country and they were harassing him here and they followed him.  So what was the reason, that's what I would like to know because I am living here in a miserable kind of state in my house.

MR SANDI: Is that the only request you have?

MRS MPONGOSHE: I have a child for whose education I have to pay.

MR SANDI: I am going to ask you whilst we are talking to Mrs Mdlankomo, then we can raise them again.  Mrs Mdlankomo, Ligwa Graham Mdlankomo, who was born in Port Elizabeth.  Did you say he was also one of the victims on the day of the 9th of December 1982, in Lesotho?

BUKIWE MAUD MPONGOSHE MUTIWE NELLIE MARWANQANA THANDIWE MARGARET MDLANKOMO: Yes.

MR SANDI: I'd request that you would please give us the
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reasons why he left the country, when did he leave the country?

BUKIWE MAUD MPONGOSHE MUTIWE NELLIE MARWANQANA THANDIWE MARGARET MDLANKOMO: ; I will start by saying I am Margaret Thandiwe Mdlankomo, I was born here at Korsten.  I was blessed with four children, four boys and one daughter.
 As I am here today, I have come to give an evidence about Mdlankomo Ligwa who was born at Jona, Korsten.  I brought these children up and I encouraged them to attend school.  When I felt that I was struggling, I requested that Ligwa should discontinue schooling so that he can assist me with the maintenance of the other children.  He agreed and then he got a job at Korsten.
 He worked very well there and he had good relationships with the employer.  At some stage I realised that something was wrong with my son.  I asked him what was wrong.  His friend was Linda Mniti, Mbuyiselo Madaka was also his friend as well as Xelongileza.  Xelong was the first to leave the country, he left the two behind.
 He kept on working.

MR SANDI: Can I ask is Mbuyiselo Madaka the one who gave evidence this morning who is the brother to Topsy Madaka?

BUKIWE MAUD MPONGOSHE MUTIWE NELLIE MARWANQANA THANDIWE MARGARET MDLANKOMO: Yes.

MR SANDI: You can continue.

BUKIWE MAUD MPONGOSHE MUTIWE NELLIE MARWANQANA THANDIWE MARGARET MDLANKOMO: They went away.  The other day Ligwa came with three envelopes.  I was working at Donger.  He gave me this envelopes and then I asked what were these envelopes for.  He informed me that he has been expelled from the job, he stated that he didn't know why was he expelled.
 I could realise that it might be the same thing that maybe the employer didn't understand.  He was with this Linda.  He was always busy.  Please, Truth Commission, you
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can please apologise, I do not know the proper sequence of this incidents, because I am mentally affected because of the harassment that I received.  I may make some mistakes.
 He went to the initiation school in 1976, that is when I realised that really he and Linda were just out of hands.
 I asked the other day Ligwa please tell me why are you involved with the Boers, because they always come here.  He said no Mama, just tell them that you do not know them where I was.
 The other day Linda came in, then I used to hide them because I am a parent.  I had PT over there.  I cannot remember the car which came to my place, but I gave them food.
 One day I asked Linda when he visited again, I said Linda what are you doing with Ligwa.  He said, please leave us alone, we won't tell you what we are doing.

MR SANDI: Can I please request that Mrs Mdlankomo, that you could please give me some clarity.  As you have already said, you might have problems because you don't have a proper sequence of the events, I'd like to explain that I have to guide you so that I can highlight the events that I would like you to put emphasis on.
 I would like you to highlight the incident when he left and the way in which you were subjected to the harassment.

BUKIWE MAUD MPONGOSHE MUTIWE NELLIE MARWANQANA THANDIWE MARGARET MDLANKOMO: Yes, sir I will do so.

MR SANDI: Were there people who were looking for him when he left and then I would like you to go further to the incident and tell us what happened in 1982 when you learnt that he was one of the victims in the Lesotho massacre.
 Let's start by asking this question.  Why did he leave the country, did he inform you that he was leaving?
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BUKIWE MAUD MPONGOSHE MUTIWE NELLIE MARWANQANA THANDIWE MARGARET MDLANKOMO: I can state that we were harassed.  I would just like to say that there was a day when it was a rainy day, they came with two big dogs, you could see that outside there were a lot of people, I think it was the police, they had heavy coats on.
 The two dogs were brought inside, they came and rushed into Ligwa's room.  These dogs shook the water from their bodies.  During the period he was taken and the police, he was taken and then he went to  Grahamstown.
 His teammate was here at Kenilbosch.  Ligwa and Mbuyio were at Grahamstown, so they were detained for 10 months without trial.  When they came back they were stronger than before.  They continued with the struggle.

MR SANDI: Was this the period when he left the country?