Amnesty Hearings — Boksburg — 1998-03-06

MR MADASA: Thank you Mr Chair.  Mr Mohlakwane, in 1993, where did you live?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: Muleleki Extension 2.

MR MADASA: Which Block?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: Block D, sir.

MR MADASA: Are you married?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: Yes sir.

MR MADASA: Were you so married in 1993?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: That is correct sir.

MR MADASA: Were you working?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: That is correct sir.

MR MADASA: Where is your original home?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: Matatiele sir.

MR MADASA: Do you know the ANC Youth League, do you know of such an organisation which existed in 1993?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: Yes.

MR MADASA: Did you know its members?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: I would only count two of those members of the ANC Youth League.

MR MADASA: Sorry Mr Chairman, I didn't get that.  Did he say there were certain members he knew?  Did you say you knew some members of the ANC Youth League?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: At that time, I only knew two of the members of the ANC Youth League.

MR MADASA: Who are those?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: It is Ndlamini and it is Lucky.

MR MADASA: Do you know Lucky's surname?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: I don't know his surname.

MR MADASA: Did you know the SDU?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: Yes, I did.

MR MADASA: Did you know its members?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: Yes, I do.

MR MADASA: Did you belong to any organisation?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: Yes.

MR MADASA: Which one?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: ANC sir.

MR MADASA: Were you part of any structure in the community?  Did you belong to any structure in the community, street committee, something like that?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: No sir.

MR MADASA: Pardon?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: No sir.

MR MADASA: Did the ANC Youth League have a problem with you?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: Yes.

MR MADASA: What was it?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: They assaulted me.

MR MADASA: Okay, before we come to the assault, I mean did they have a problem with you as a person?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: No.

MR MADASA: Listen, don't rush.  Were there any allegations against you emanating from the ANC Youth League members?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: No sir.

MR MADASA: You said they attacked you?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: Yes sir.

MR MADASA: Why were you attacked?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: I can't hear anything.

MR MADASA: Did you understand my previous questions?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: I did not understand you well sir.

MR SIBANYONI: From where did you not understand, because you have been giving answers to a number of questions?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: The last question sir ... (tape ends) ... you mean myself sir?  I did not ...

MR MADASA: Did the ANC Youth League have a problem against you?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: No.

MR MADASA: Why were you attacked?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: My brother-in-law arrived.  He was having boxes, there were shoes inside.  He said I should put those shoes in my house.

MR MADASA: Yes?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: I said to him I have no space to keep those shoes in my house.

MR MADASA: Yes?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: I accompanied him to Mr Zulu to ask for Mr Zulu to keep those shoes for him.

MR MADASA: Yes?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: Zulu agreed that he would keep those shoes.

MR MADASA: Yes?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: On that day it was Saturday afternoon.

MR MADASA: Yes?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: The following day, that is on Sunday, whilst I was still at my house, Ndlamini together with a few boys arrived at my place, with those boxes.

MR MADASA: They came with those boxes?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: Yes, that is correct.

MR MADASA: Yes?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: When they arrived, I did not ask them anything.  I left.  I went to Mr Radebe's place.  Mr wife left to Kumalo.  Whilst I was still relaxing at Rabede's place, my wife arrived with a taxi.

MR MADASA: Yes?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: There was a big truck.  When she alighted from the taxi, a group of boys came from that truck and attacked my wife.

MR MADASA: Who are those boys?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: That is members of the ANC Youth League.

MR MADASA: Did you see them when they attacked your wife?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: Yes.

MR MADASA: You did?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: I was looking, yes, I did.

MR MADASA: Was it during the day?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: Yes, it was during the day.

MR MADASA: I can't hear you.

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: Whilst they were attacking Radebe said to me, that people are attacking your wife.  Then I went there to intervene and say it is better for me to die.  When they saw me, they left my wife and came to me.

MR MADASA: Were they armed?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: Yes, they were armed.

MR MADASA: With what?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: With a short gun and a rifle.

MR MADASA: And what else?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: And some sticks.

MR MADASA: How many were they?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: It was a group, I was not able to count them.

MR MADASA: Did they assault your wife?

CHAIRPERSON: I think he said yes.

MR MADASA: With what?  With what did they assault your wife?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: They assaulted my wife with stones, with all those things and they were kicking her.

MR MADASA: How did they assault her?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: From Radebe's place, the three of us we were taken the three of us, we were taken to a veld.  They were saying they were going to kill us.

MR SIBANYONI: Who was taken to the veld, were you together with your wife?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: They left my wife when I appeared, they took myself together with the other two whom I was relaxing with.

MR MADASA: It was you and Radebe, who was the other person?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: Radebe was the owner of the house, the other one was his brother-in-law, then the other one was his neighbour.  So they left Radebe and they took us, the three of us.

MR MADASA: What did they do to you when they reached the veld?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: We were taken next to the river bank where Ndlamini tied my hands at the back.  When they completed, they set fire and they sent boys to go and buy petrol.

MR MADASA: Were you tied?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: Yes, I was tied.  Then the community came, members of the community came.  They helped us because they called these boys aside, then those men accompanied me home.

MR MADASA: You were saved?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: Yes, I was saved.

MR MADASA: Do you know the reason for the attack, do you know why you were attacked?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: Whilst I was walking, whilst I was being beaten, saying that I am informer Mowenpe.

MR MADASA: You were accused of being an informer?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: People who are called Mowenpe were Inkatha members.

MR MADASA: Were you accused of being an informer, therefore an Inkatha member?  Were you accused of being a Mowenpe and therefore an Inkatha member?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: That is correct sir.

MR MADASA: Did anything further happen to you, after you were saved by the community?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: No sir.

MR MADASA: Is there any other incident that the ANC Youth League caused which you witnessed?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: No sir.

MR MADASA: Did you hear of Majosi's death?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: Yes sir.

MR MADASA: Did you witness that?  Did you see what happened to him?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: Yes.  I saw the corpses.

MR MADASA: Of whom?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: Majosi and his two cousins.

MR MADASA: Do you know who killed them?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: I learnt that it was members of the Youth.

MR MADASA: Who told you that?

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: It was his sister.

MR MADASA: Is there any other incident that you know of besides Majosi and yourself?

CHAIRPERSON: Which would also be hearsay.

MATTHEWS PISTO MOHLAKWANE: No.

MR MADASA: No further questions.

MR MADASA: .