Human Rights Violation Hearings — Winelands — 1996-10-15

WENDY ORR: Ms Robinson we now - it's definitely the afternoon now, so good afternoon to you.  The person who you brought with you, is that a family member?

MS ROBINSON: Yes, my niece.

WENDY ORR: Your niece, welcome to you too.  Thank  you for coming to support your aunt.  Ms Roberson - Ronbinson before we hear your evidence can I ask you to stand to take the oath.
PHEBELE ROBINSON Duly sworn states

WENDY ORR: Thank you very much, I'll now hand over to  [indistinct] Wildschut to help you to tell us your story.

GLENDA WILDSCHUT: Good after noon Ms Robinson, are you going to be giving your evidence in Afrikaans?

MS ROBINSON: Yes, in Afrikaans please.

GLENDA WILDSCHUT: We will speak both English and Afrikaans, if you cannot understand what I am saying please use the headphones.  Just to explain to everyone we just would like to ensure that Ms Robinson understands and hears clearly and that we are able to communicate properly with each other.  Ms Robinson is just putting on her earphones. 
Okay, Ms Robinson you have made a written statement before the Commission involving the story of your husband, Ronald William Robinson, and a story about his faithful death on the 29th of the 9th 1990 - 1992.

MS ROBINSON: That's correct.

GLENDA WILDSCHUT: Would you go ahead please and tell us what happened that night, also tell us from your side how you understand this terrible story.

MS ROBINSON: It was on a Monday evening, on the 28th of September and we were all together as family.  At quarter to 11 that evening - we had friends with us by the name of Maria Keyser and at a quarter to 11 we parted and he took Maria Keyser home.  And I never saw him after that.
 At half past 1 that night I woke up and he was still not home.  At 6 am there was a knock on the door - okay - the morning of the 29th of September at 6 am there was a knock on the door.  I opened the door and thought to myself but  why haven't you got your key, why are you knocking on the door, thinking it was him.
And I went to open but it was his nephew or his cousin who had come.  And I said to him but Ronny is not home yet.  And he said that I should go and call his sister because at that time we did not have a telephone installed in order to telephone Maria Keyser to find out what he has said to her whether he had told her he was going somewhere or not.
And - and then his - Ronny's sister went and phoned Keyser to find out - what had happened to Ronny and all she could say that he had dropped her and told her that he was in a hurry to get back home because he still had work to do.  Because he was working in Stellenbosch for a company called T & G.  
But he never got home that night, I waited and I asked his cousin to please investigate at the hospital or look along the roads if he didn't see his car.  He came back and said
 No there is no sight of his car at the hospital and neither is there 
any sign of it at the Police Station or on the road.  
I think it was approximately half past 8 - between half past 8 and 9 that morning when I phoned Paarl East Police Station to say that he had left the evening and that he has still not returned and that I would like them to try and ascertain for me whether he was somewhere along the road or whether he had been involved in an accident or if he perhaps took ill along the road and pulled off the car and stopped.
 They then promised to investigate immediately.  That afternoon at 1 one of the policemen came and asked me
Madam are you strong enough.
I was so  flattened I didn't ask him - then he said to me
We found your husband's body in the mountain, he has
been murdered.
That was on the 29th when they came to inform me.  He's been murdered, I did not know what was happening.  I did not know of anybody that bore any grudges against him.  I just don't know.
 But what raised doubts in my mind and what raised questions which brought me here is that in the first place I wasn't allowed to go and identify my husband's body.  The police simply did not want me to and since the evening of the 29th they started watching my house.  We were not aware of that because initially there were a lot of people and a boy - my sister's son who I had raised was residing in Wellington.  When he was on his way home that evening, he came back to tell us the people - to tell the people to come and look because the police were watching the house.  
 And when the people went out to go and look the police drove off.  My question is why did they watch the house and if they were worried about me and my condition why did not come to me and say madam we are worried about you, that is why we are watching your house.
Why did they drive off, further more the matter was heard in Paarl.  On the 21st of February we were suppose to go to Paarl Court again after they had apprehended Philander- the perpetrator.  When we were supposed to appear in court on the 21st , we were informed a day before the time that the matter was being referred to the Supreme Court and there was no cross examination.
The day we went to court we were told that the matter was going to be finalized because the investigating officer - Adams - said that the matter was being finalized.  And I said today because this surprised me because my people were far from me and they wanted to hear what was happening.  When we got to the Supreme Court the matter wasn't even ready to be heard in the Supreme Court.  
 On the 11th we went again, the matter started at 10 o'clock and at quarter to 12 it was - had been finalized.  There was no cross examination because the person who murdered him was but 21 years old.  He was still very young and tiny and Ronny was a big man, he was tall and he was hefty built.  That child couldn't possibly have overpowered him and he couldn't even drive.
So if they asked - put one question to him and said you cannot drive a car, how did you get the car away form the Ou Du Toitskloof Road to where it was, I would have been satisfied.  But that question wasn't even put to him.
 It was not put to him and that is why I am dissatisfied, I would like the truth.  Who is behind this whole thing or who was in on the murder because my husband gruesomely murdered.  It wasn't just one stab wound, his arms was slit open, he had several stab wounds on his body and  marks from where the had tortured him.  That is not one persons work, the report is laying there.  I brought it with me who ever wants to read it can read it so that they can see what happened to him.

GLENDA WILDSCHUT: [indistinct] very brave to tell us what you - about your husband's death.  With your permission can we just go back a little bit more so that we can understand the story very clearly.  You were telling us about the person who was charged with the murder of your husband.  Do you know this young man?

MS ROBINSON: I do not know him but his name is Ruben Philander, I do not now him as such.

GLENDA WILDSCHUT: Ruben Philander is in prison at the moment serving a sentence for the murder of your husband?

MS ROBINSON: Yes, he was sentenced to 21 years.

GLENDA WILDSCHUT: [indistinct] you have misgivings about this, you have a funny feeling about this case.  Do you think that Ruben Philander was able to murder your husband on his own?

MS ROBINSON: No, definitely not.

GLENDA WILDSCHUT: Can you explain to us why you think that?

MS ROBINSON: The manner in which he was murdered and the marks that was found on his body.  Philander was  [indistinct]  built, he was young and he wasn't very tall.  He was about - short.  Approximately as tall as the briefer.

GLENDA WILDSCHUT: So you're saying that he was a young man, very small in comparison to your husband who was a large - a big built man, strong man?

MS ROBINSON: Yes.

GLENDA WILDSCHUT: Do you feel that there was some political motivation for the murder of your husband?

MS ROBINSON: Definitely so.