Human Rights Violation Hearings — Winelands — 1996-10-14

MR VILJOEN: That was all I got.  And out of that he withheld R400.00 and sent a cheque with the difference.

ADV POTGIETER: One more thing, you said that there was a - an inquest into her death and that is where they mentioned her heart and longs which were so badly damaged.  What did the court say about that matter with regards to the person who had actually fired the shot?  Did the court find that person guilty, did anything happen to that person?

MR VILJOEN: No, the case never ever went to trial - it just ended there.  I was never called to court, I was merely informed that there was a cheque for a R1 000.00 and that he was withholding R400.00.  And the R600.00 that I received I dished out to my children.

ADV POTGIETER: So nobody was found guilty or sentenced or anything?

MR VILJOEN: No, not at all, although she had worked for them for years, non of them had the decency to come to me and apologize and say we are sorry, you know, we did not realize that this was somebody that had worked for us.

ADV POTGIETER: Thank you very much.

CHAIRPERSON: Mr Viljoen it is almost ridicules - the - the claim - the compensation that they gave you.  To think that they could give a R1 000.00 for somebody's life and then still you'd only get R600.00 out of that.
It is very difficult to fathom.  I mean anybody that listened to that story like us and many others which we have listened to.  People say that it is unbelievable, it's incredible, it could never had happened that people could just shoot others at - randomly and you would say yes, it did happen and you would hear the evidence of people coming to testify.  
And you think that people still say no-no-no it's impossible, we cannot believe that.  And when you add that Ms Viljoen was working for the police - she used to cook for them - and that nobody thought of having the decency to come to you and say look something has happened and we are so sorry for what has happened.
One always hopes that when there are - it there are people who remember that they were part of this incident, that God will touch their souls because we do not want to talk about hatred and bearing grudges.  We are talking about peace, forgiveness and reconciliation.  And something that could touch a person and that - that person could say that I do not want to be acquitted but I would like to destroy my part or my contribution to this incident by going to apologize.
Because one still has to appear before God even if we as people never realized what the hole truth is, and we say to people like these that if you want to be healed spiritually, this is not about whether you were found guilty in a court of law or not, but knowing what you have done and to please come forward and come and ask for forgiveness.  
To ask for forgiveness and - people will see a miracle.  You will see people who are willing to forgive but we thank you for having come and we hope that God will bless you and that he will be with you.  He has blessed you and he has been with you.  Thank you very much.

MR VILJOEN: Thank you for those beautiful words because as I have said you have repeated what I am so grateful for that we read in The Bible you must be willing to forgive.  If you cannot forgive the next person - although I do not know who it is - God will not forgive you either.  And hence I have forgiven them because I know they cannot give that live back to me.  Thank you very much.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you.