Human Rights Violation Hearings — Klerksdorp — 1996-09-24

DR RANDERA: Mrs Mathlhoko, good morning and welcome.  Can you hear me?

THETIWE JULIA MATLHOKO: Good morning.

DR RANDERA: Mrs Mathlhoko, you have come from Tigane.

THETIWE JULIA MATLHOKO: Yes, I am.

DR RANDERA: To tell us about the death of your son on the 14th of May 1993, which wasn't that long ago.

THETIWE JULIA MATLHOKO: Yes, Sir.

DR RANDERA: Before I ask you to stand to take the oath, will you please introduce the young man who is sitting next to you?

THETIWE JULIA MATLHOKO: The one I am with is my sister's son.

DR RANDERA: I welcome him too.  Mrs Matlhoko, would you please stand to take the oath.

THETIWE JULIA MATLHOKO: (Duly sworn, states).

DR RANDERA: Mrs Matlhoko, Prof Piet Meiring is going to be assisting you as you tell your story.  I will hand over to him.

PROF MEIRING: Mrs Matlhoko, from my side also, very welcome, and I do hope that you find it a healing experience today, sitting here and telling us your story. Before I ask you to tell us about your son, Oupa, would you like to tell us a little bit about the rest of the family, the other
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children you have.

THETIWE JULIA MATLHOKO: At home I have four children, the only son which I had, whom I have come here to testify.  I have three girls and one son.

PROF MEIRING: Thank you very much.  It happened on the 14th of May 1993, that there was a mass funeral and then all the very sad happenings started.  Please tell us in your own words about that day and about the things that happened afterwards.

THETIWE JULIA MATLHOKO: On the 14th of May, it was on a Friday, when I was just coming from work, I went first to Jouberton, to see my daughter.  From there I went home. I found that it was not pleasant.  I did not know anything.  The whole Tigane location was so silent.  When I alighted from the taxi I met a certain boy who told me, he told me are you coming back from work now. I said yes.  When I arrived home, I found my children, they were so sad. I asked them what has happened.  The one lady, Sophie, took me to one of the bedrooms and told me they shot my son.
 At that time I did not know what to do.  The person I came with, he is the person who saw everything that happened.  Because when I came and I found my daughter, he was not there yet, he was taken to the police station.

PROF MEIRING: Please tell us what happened afterwards.

THETIWE JULIA MATLHOKO: After I heard that - the following day it was Saturday. I went to the scene where he was shot.  I found out that that was true.
 On the Monday I went to the mortuary to see his corpse, to see if that is true, if that is my son who has been killed. Yes, it was true.  The one who is sitting next to me, will explain everything which he saw on that day.
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PROF MEIRING: Eventually you did bury your son.

THETIWE JULIA MATLHOKO: Yes, we did.

PROF MEIRING: May I ask you a number of questions just to clarify and to give us a little bit of information, more information that we need.  In your written testimony you say that on the 14th of May there was the preparation for a mass funeral and that was the reason for - that was when everything started.  The mass funeral, what was it all about, can you tell us a little bit about that.

THETIWE JULIA MATLHOKO: The people, three people were killed by the Inkatha group at Tigane.  It was Mr Zitsha, it was Mowa, a certain boy called Mowa, and the other woman, I don't remember her name. It was the funeral for those three people on that Friday when my daughter was shot.

PROF MEIRING: Thank you.  It was during the preparation for the funeral when the corpse, you say, was delivered, that the youth, the young people dispersed and they went to the so-called no-go area.

THETIWE JULIA MATLHOKO: On that Friday, when I heard the comrades were accompanying the Moscow people to go to their places, because they were not able to come to Makwetla area.  It was when the corpse was arriving that the comrades took the Moscow people to the Moscow area.  That's where my daughter met her death.

PROF MEIRING: Your daughter or your son?

THETIWE JULIA MATLHOKO: That's the son.

PROF MEIRING: You say that they went to the area and there was some of the IFP members were there and some of the young people ran away, but some remained with your son.  Then they were shot at. Is that correct?

THETIWE JULIA MATLHOKO: I don't have the whole testimony.  That's why KLERKSDORP HEARING TRC/GAUTENG
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I brought the witness who has seen everything, because he was the one who was writing the statement.

PROF MEIRING: I am afraid that I will have to ask the Chairperson whether it will be allowed that yours ister's son also testify.  She must make a ruling on that.

CHAIRPERSON: Mamma, could you tell me the person sitting next to you, he has not made a written statement to us.

THETIWE JULIA MATLHOKO: He is the one who has written that written testimony, his name is Tame Nmane.

CHAIRPERSON: Mamma, what we are going to do, is I am going to ask him to take the oath and then I will allow him very, very briefly just to tell us what he actually saw. Then we are going to have to ask our statement-takers immediately afterwards, to make sure that he gives us a written statement, supporting what he says her.  But to allow us to get the full picture, I will allow him to tell us what he actually saw. I will ask Dr Randera, first, to ask him to take the oath.

DR RANDERA: Sorry, will you first give us your full names.

ISAAC TIMANE NMANI: My name is Isaac Timane Nmani.

DR RANDERA: Mr Nmani, will you please stand to take the oath.

ISAAC TIMANE NMANI: (Duly sworn, states).

DR RANDERA: Thank you, Mr Nmani.

PROF MEIRING: Mr Nmani, you were there and you are able to tell us what happened on that day.  Please do that.

ISAAC TIMANE NMANI: After we took the corpse to the house, we are supposed to collect people for the Moscow area.  They were afraid to go to Moscow area, because when they got to Moscow area, Inkatha used to threaten them.  When we arrived at the extension, when we were just about to pass, they came with
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vans.   When we were supposed to pass they threatened us.  The Moscow people ran away and we stood.  They followed us.  Thereafter we went back. When we were still there, some members were standing at Pesi Pofole's house.  One member, one Inkatha member from Ottosdal came.  He was having a lumber and behind it there was a gun.  When he was still coming, I told Oupa to watch out.  After I said watch out, he pulled the pump gun and then he shot.  While we were still looking people were falling down.  When we were about to pick him up, he was dead.  When we arrived they came back from the corner.  Then Apie came, then he brought a 9mm and finished him.  Then that's what has happened.  That is what I have seen.

PROF MEIRING: Thank you very much, Mr Nmani.  Maybe we could ask you a few questions and then return to Mrs Mahlhoko to ask her a few questions. But Mr Mnami, can I jus ask you, you say that Oupa was shot twice,  first with a pump gun and then he was shot with a pistol.  Is that correct?  And the man who did that was Apie Seokolo.

ISAAC TIMANE NMANI: Yes, that's correct.

PROF MEIRING: Oupa, why did they shoot him?  Were they looking for him, was he known as a political activist or was he just a person, the wrong person at the wrong place?

THETIWE JULIA MATLHOKO: We were accompanying ANC members to Moscow.  The Inkatha members didn't want to see ANC members in that area.

PROF MEIRING: It was because he was seen as an ANC member that he was shot at.

ISAAC TIMANE NMANI: There was no other reason, Sir.  He was just a member of the ANC and then he was just at the wrong place at the wrong time.
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