Human Rights Violation Hearings — Alexandra — 1996-10-29

MS MKHIZE: We greet you Mrs Dora.   We would like to know who you are with.

MRS MKHELE: This is my brother.

MS MKHIZE: I would like you to just stand as you are about to take an oath.

DORA DZANANA MKHELE: (s.s.)

MS MKHIZE: As it is our custom I would like Mr Hugh Lewin to help you as you will give your evidence.

MR LEWIN: We are very grateful to you for coming.  If you could just relax and then the story that you are going to tell us is the story of your son and what happened to him on that day and what has all of today been called the six day war.  If you could tell us in your own words and in your own time what happened to your son, Jabulane. Thank you.

MRS MKHELE: My name is Dora, I am residing at number 1, 18th Avenue.  The deceased is my son Jabulane Mkhele.  He was staying at 9th Avenue, house number 10 at my brother's place.  One day he woke up in the morning and went to work in town.  He was together with his brother.  He wasn't able to reach the bus stop as we were using buses at that time.  Before he reached the bus stop he came across white policemen at 12th Avenue and he was shot by these white people.  These were the SAP members.  There were four of them.  Three of them ran away and climbed on top of a tree.  Some of them ran into some shacks.  Those that were in the
ALEXANDRA HEARING TRC/GAUTENG
2 MKHELE
top of a tree they were shot at until they had to fall on the ground and therefore they followed those who ran to a shack.  They collected all of them, they pulled them on the street.  While they have pulled them on the street one lady by the name of Zuzekele called an ambulance.  The ambulance arrived.  When it arrived the boers refused the ambulance to come near the place of the incidents and then they finished the children by shooting at them.  I heard the following morning, because my brother realised that Jabulani didn't come back from work and he started to worry and he asked him what had happened.  Therefore that following morning we woke up early in the morning to find out at his work place and was told that he didn't report for work.  Therefore my brother went straight to the government mortuary and he found his body.  He came back to tell me the message at 18th Avenue number 1.   After giving me the message I could feel it in my blood that in that morning that something wrong had happened because on that appointed day I saw the boers shooting at people climbing on top of a tree.  I didn't think my son was involved because he was afraid of the whites.  Unfortunately that was the day on which he was shot.  I could feel that there was something wrong so I walked up in the morning to 15th Avenue to see my daughter was schooling there.  It was a Monday and children were chased away from school and beaten.  Unfortunately we were going to the other side, I was leaving behind my son who got shot and I could feel it, my mouth was shaking.  I took my daughter back home because I couldn't hold anything so that they can help me with the housework.  There was this big ambulance which was going around the township calling people to come forward to identify the bodies.  After they had to
ALEXANDRA HEARING TRC/GAUTENG
3 MKHELE
call soldiers to cool down the fire.  It became better when they arrived and then they asked the people they are going to come to some company to talk. I didn't go to the meeting because I could feel that something was going to happen.  I will stop there.

MR LEWIN: Thank you very much, Dora.  If I could just ask a couple of questions.  Could you tell us how old was Jabulani at the time.

MRS MKHELE: Jabulani was 19 years old.  He was born in 1967, December.

MR LEWIN: And how many other children did you have?  You mentioned his brother and a sister.  Are there other children still?

MRS MKHELE: Jabulani is my first born.  The one after him was born in 1974, October.  The third born is a daughter, was born in 1977.  Last one, it is a son, born in 1981.  Sorry, it wasn't the last born.  The last born was born in 1984.  It was a boy.

MR LEWIN: Can you tell us what work was this that Jabulani was doing that he was going to on that day?

MRS MKHELE: Jabulani used to work at Allied to distribute papers at the street corners.  He used to go and fetch papers at Booysens to deliver them at the street corners.

MR LEWIN: When did he leave school?

MRS MKHELE: He left school early.  He was doing standard 2, he was staying with his grandmother. His grandmother didn't like pupils to go to school when it was raining so they didn't attend school very well.  He had to leave and go to Jo'burg to work.  He then was working distributing these papers.

MR LEWIN: We have heard a lot today about what the children
ALEXANDRA HEARING TRC/GAUTENG
4 MKHELE
were doing in Alex during this month in February.  I mean do you think that Jabulani was involved in the activities against the police at the time?

MRS MKHELE: Jabulani didn't involve himself in politics.  He used to go to work every day.  Even when he came across this incident it was surprising because he wasn't an activist, he was a working person.

MR LEWIN: What did his brother say about this incident where he was shot?  Was there any provocation?

MRS MKHELE: Will you repeat the question please.

MR LEWIN: What did his brother say about what happened?  Had they done anything to make the police want to shoot at them?

MRS MKHELE: They didn't do anything.

MR LEWIN: And did you ever discover who the police were?  Can you say who they were, who the police were who shot?

MRS MKHELE: They were white policemen.  We don't know their names.

MR LEWIN: Just one last question.  You mentioned in your statement about the meeting that was taking place the previous day at Alexandra stadium on the same day of the shooting.  Can you give us more details about that and what was happening in the streets at the time.

MRS MKHELE: On that date on the streets the white police stopped people from going to work.  All the streets were blockaded.  Most of the people were injured in 12th Avenue and others were prevented from going to work.

MR LEWIN: Thanks very much.  I have got no further questions.

MS MKHIZE: Is there anything that you still want to clarify, probably you did not.  Thank you very much, we will
ALEXANDRA HEARING TRC/GAUTENG
5 MKHELE
ask other commissioners to pose questions to you so you may clarify further.

THOMAS MANTHATA: If I read your statement well, it seems on that day it was an organised stayaway.

MRS MKHELE: Yes, people didn't go to work.  There was a meeting at the stadium.  All people were called to attend the meeting so that they can discuss, there could be talks between the community and the white police.  I would say it was a stayaway.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Did you get to know what is it they were going to say to the police?

MRS MKHELE: I didn't hear as to what they were going to talk about.  My brother went to the court ... the killing of Jabulani.

THOMAS MANTHATA: (Indistinct).

MRS MKHELE: That is correct.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Can you tell us more about that because it didn't come out as you were relating other things.  What became of his visit to the court?

MRS MKHELE: My brother went to Randburg police station.  They showed him the white people who killed my child.

THOMAS MANTHATA: (Indistinct).

MRS MKHELE: They didn't.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Didn't you get a lawyer to trace the record of his appearance in court?

MRS MKHELE: We had lawyers from Legal Aid.

MS MKHIZE: Excuse me I would like you to say what you know and we will also ask your brother to give a statement so that he can give his own testimony.  We will help you after taking testimony.   I would like you to give me a name, after this session will you please go to Dudu to take a
ALEXANDRA HEARING TRC/GAUTENG
6 MKHELE
statement from you.  What is your name?

MR MKHELE: My name is Fanwell Mkhele.

MS MKHIZE: I didn't get your name very well.