Amnesty Hearings — Vanderbijlpark — 1999-05-17

MIRIAM MOLETE: I was not talking directly to Mr Steenkamp, I was talking to this policeman who was interpreting for Mr Steenkamp and I mentioned that my sister's shack was not built by corrugated iron but hardboards.  All corrugated irons were on top of the shack, they were not used to build the shack.

CHAIRPERSON: The shack that you're talking about in which you were was that your sister's shack?

MIRIAM MOLETE: Yes, that's my sister's shack.

CHAIRPERSON: Florence?

MIRIAM MOLETE: That is correct.

CHAIRPERSON: Is that the one whose roof was made out of corrugated iron?

MIRIAM MOLETE: That is correct.

CHAIRPERSON: But you did not tell the police officer, the Black police officer, who was interpreting for you that someone removed the corrugated iron?

MIRIAM MOLETE: I said there is someone who removed those hardboards and they entered from that opening but I cannot say who removed those hardboards because there were many people there.

MR STRYDOM: Did you see the people who removed the hardboard?

CHAIRPERSON: I thought she said she couldn't say who removed it.  Is that right?

MIRIAM MOLETE: That is correct.

MR STRYDOM: I want to move onto another portion of your statement.
"The door between the kitchen and the room was in the meantime being forced open and I want to flee outside with the kid.  At that stage the candle that burned in the room died or went out and the lamp which was burning in the kitchen fell and broke and there was no light in the house."
Is that portion of your statement correct?

MIRIAM MOLETE: It's not correct.  I said the candle fell in the bedroom but the paraffin lamp in the kitchen was still burning, it was on top of the cupboard in the kitchen.

CHAIRPERSON: And this lamp burned throughout the attack?

MIRIAM MOLETE: That is correct.

MR STRYDOM: So can you give any explanation why this portion appears in your statement that the lamp fell and broke and there was no light in the house?

MIRIAM MOLETE: Well I don't know.

MR STRYDOM: I want to suggest to you that is what you told the person that took the statement?

MIRIAM MOLETE: I told you that I don't know Afrikaans well and you said it's Mr Steenkamp who wrote that statement.  I had an interpreter so I don't know why that appeared on my statement.

MR STRYDOM: The next portion of the statement, just tell me if that's correct?
"In the door between the two rooms a person with a Balaclava over his head, a polo neck jersey and gloves stormed me."
Is that correct?  He stormed towards you.  "Hy het my afgestorm."

MIRIAM MOLETE: Can you please repeat that question again?

MR STRYDOM: "In the door between the two rooms a person charged me.  The person had a Balaclava over his head, a polo neck jersey and gloves."

MIRIAM MOLETE: He was not trying to attack me, he was really attacking me.

MR STRYDOM: I want to put to you is that ...(intervention)

MIRIAM MOLETE: May I have a break?  A short break please?
	We can go on.

CHAIRPERSON: Do you not want to have a short break?

MIRIAM MOLETE: Yes there was something that was disturbing me.
May I please go outside for a while?

CHAIRPERSON: We will take an adjournment and come back at 10 past 3.
COMMITTEE ADJOURNS
ON RESUMPTION

MIRIAM MOLETE: (s.u.o.)

MR STRYDOM: (cont)
	Thank you Chairperson.  Chairperson, in the meantime a better copy of the second page of the first statement was added to all the copies.  I also have now available the original statement if I can just show this statement to the witness to identify her signature on the third page.
	Do you identify your signature on the last page of that statement?

MIRIAM MOLETE: Yes I can see it.

MR STRYDOM: Thank you Chairperson, will it be necessary to hand in the original?

CHAIRPERSON: Are we talking about the second statement/

MR STRYDOM: Ja, the first statement, the one dated the 25th March 1993 where she testified that she cannot see her signature properly.

CHAIRPERSON: Yes.

MR STRYDOM: The first statement.

CHAIRPERSON: That's right, the first statement.  Okay.
Yes, very well.

MR STRYDOM: Chairperson, we'll put the statement back in the police docket, it will be there.
	I'm returning now to the second statement, that is the typed statement on the second page, paragraph 7.

MR LAX: It's the third statement.

MR STRYDOM: Third sorry, I must write that.
	I'm not going to read the full statement to you but what I want to put to you is that again in this statement no mention is made of the people in camouflage clothing and there's also no mention of the Hippo or the Koyoco which you saw accompanying a group as they were leaving towards the factories.  Now do you have any comment why this again does not appear in the statement?

MIRIAM MOLETE: I would not know because this statement has been typed using a typewriter.  When this was done I was not there, they might have added to what I said, I'm not sure about that.

MR STRYDOM: Yes but you signed the typed statement?

MIRIAM MOLETE: The statement was hand-written.  The typed one I only see now at these hearings.

MR STRYDOM: You see in this typed statement you said that after or thereafter, that's paragraph 7, the second sentence
"Thereafter I went outside but I couldn't see my husband.  I looked around but I couldn't see my husband.  I shouted vigorously and Saldana came from the direction of his house and told me I mustn't make so much noise because the attackers will hear me."
Is that correct, did you say that to the person who took the statement?

MIRIAM MOLETE: The whole portion you read is not correct.

MR STRYDOM: ...(inaudible) so I'm sure the person who took the statement did not know the name Saldana, it must have come from you, isn't it so?

MIRIAM MOLETE: When I first gave the statement I mentioned the people who were in the house.  I never shouted.  I went to Saldana's place for help.

MR STRYDOM: And when you went to Saldana's house did you see that that house was in total disarray?

MIRIAM MOLETE: That is at my sister or brother's place there, at Saldana's place, there was no fence at Florence's place, I went through the gate into the house carrying the baby, I did not shout.

CHAIRPERSON: Who is Saldana?

MIRIAM MOLETE: Saldana is my sister's husband.

MR STRYDOM: Is his surname Mnisi?

MIRIAM MOLETE: That is correct.

MR STRYDOM: And your sister is Poleng Mnisi?

MIRIAM MOLETE: That is correct.

CHAIRPERSON: And did they live in Slovo Park at the time of the attack?

MIRIAM MOLETE: Are you referring to the Mnisi family?

CHAIRPERSON: Yes.

MIRIAM MOLETE: That is correct.

MR STRYDOM: Was their house opposite the shack that was attacked where you were in?

MIRIAM MOLETE: Slovo Park is an area of shacks, the whole area.

MR STRYDOM: Yes but my question is this, the shack of the Mnisi's close to the shack or opposite the shack where you were when you were attacked?

MIRIAM MOLETE: That is opposite to number 17 and that place is number 19, it's next door.

MR STRYDOM: Yes.  When you left the shack where you were attacked when was the first time after that when you saw Florence again?

MIRIAM MOLETE: After the attack I went to hospital, I saw them as they came to me at the hospital.

CHAIRPERSON: I'm sorry.  Subject to my interpretation being correct, this sentence says
"I screamed hysterically"
Is that a proper interpretation?

MR STRYDOM: I translate it as "vigorously" or very, very loudly.  Or the hysterical may also be correct, it's very close.

MR BERGER: I don't think it's hysterically, I screamed terribly.

CHAIRPERSON: Okay.  Now what was the response to this statement?

MR STRYDOM: She said she never shouted.

CHAIRPERSON: Okay.  You never screamed?

MIRIAM MOLETE: No Sir, I did not.

CHAIRPERSON: Okay and Saldana did not come from his house and tell you "Do not make such a noise otherwise the attackers will hear you"?

MIRIAM MOLETE: He did not come out of his house, I went to his house.

CHAIRPERSON: Yes.