Human Rights Violation Hearings — Mabopane — 1997-05-08

CHAIRPERSON: ...and that you sit down. I have a number of requests. First request - there are quite a large number of ear phones, but not enough for everybody. It may be that some of you don't really need an earphone because you do understand both English and Tswana. If you don't need an earphone, don't take one, and leave the earphones for the people who need translation.
 An urgent request - When you leave for lunch leave the earphones on the chairs and especially when you leave this afternoon when you go home, don't take the earphones with you. We need them, leave them on the chairs, it's of no use to you. You can use it with no transistor, or no CD, it's stamped for the TRC's use only.
 Another request - A number of people came to me during the tea time and said in a quiet way that their is some problem at the back of the hall. The request is if the students could just be a little bit more quiet. I am a teacher, I'm a professor at the university and I know students are students, and it's wonderful to have the young people, we really appreciate your presence but whatever you do, do it quietly please. That will make it easier on all of us.
 Another thing - This is the last hearing in this part of our country, the last public hearing, but that does not mean that we are not taking more statements. We are taking statements. We need many more statements from this area. There are many people who need to come and tell their story who have not done that. We have statement takers with us today. If there are some of you who are sitting here and think "but I should also tell my story, I also want to make a statement" - you can, if you want to do it, you can go out of the hall immediately now. Sello is our communications man and he's waiting outside the door where the communications equipment is and he will show you the way to the statement takers. 
 Throughout the day, you can go out quietly and come in again after you have submitted your statement, but if you need to make statements, you can leave just now quietly, go to that door where Sello will be and he will help you with making statements. Are there more announcements? Those are the announcements and then it is my privilege to call the next witness, that will be Mr Mmasebotse Vinger.
 Miss Mmasebotse Vinge to the fore please.
 Mrs Vinger, as the earphone is being fitted, can I say to you a very warm welcome. We are very glad and privileged to have you with us. You have somebody next to you, who is that sitting next to you at the table?

UNKNOWN: He is my son.

CHAIRPERSON: What is his name?

UNKNOWN: Ronal.

CHAIRPERSON: We want to thank you for assisting your mother.   Dr Randera will assist you in telling your story, but I'll ask firstly of Mrs Joyce Seroke to conduct the oath. Will you please stand and will just raise your hand and just say what she wants you to say.

UNKNOWN: (Sworn states)

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you. Please sit down and feel relaxed and now it's your time to tell your story and Dr Randera will help you with  that.

DR RANDERA: Good afternoon. I welcome Ronnie as well. Thank you to both of you for coming.  You are taking us back to Maboloka in 1993, a period when, as we've heard from so many people in other areas, the Bop government was still trying to prevent the legalisation of the ANC, were not wanting to participate in the elections, there was great unrest and upheaval in the then V.  I know your son was shot on that day. He was eight years old at the time. Can you please tell us what happened?

UNKNOWN: On 13 March 1993, I was at work. When I left, my child had gone to school. When I came back from work, I met his friends and they told me that Ronnie is in the hospital.
 I asked them what was the problem with him, and I was told that he was shot in the head. I put my handbag at home and went to the police station. When I met the senior official, he was called Mr (indistinct). When I asked where my child was, Mr (indistinct) told me that the children were shooting themselves, that they were playing with guns and he wasn't badly injured.
 I then asked him where my child was and then he said my child was in the hospital. I believe it was about 6:30pm. I then rushed to the hospital, he was at O.D. Hospital.
 When I got there my child's head was bandaged. When I looked at his hands, they were burnt. When I asked what had happened, he told me that they had shot him. And then I went back home, because they told me my child would get better. Whilst he was at home, there was no progress of healing with my child. I asked them to discharge him from O.D. Hospital and transfer him to Garankuwa Hospital. They did that.
 At Garankuwa Hospital, he went to theatre and he was operated. The doctor told me that my child's head had swollen. All the stitches have (indistinct). They wanted to heal his wound, because it was swollen by then. They found something like an iron bolt inside.
 They didn't want to reveal that rod to me because they said the police had taken it away and then I went to the ANC because the V couldn't help us. And then I went to the senior ANC officials who took a statement from me and thereafter, they took the statement to an ANC representative. I think it was Mr Moseneke, and then he kept his statement with me until my child was discharged from the hospital.
 My child stayed for two months and two weeks at the hospital and the third week he was discharged and then I took him to the doctor. When I took him to the clinic, they said they couldn't help me with him because his wound was very bad, they couldn't treat him. Every time he complains about headaches and eye pains.
 I didn't have any money to take him to the doctor and my younger brother adopted him on his medical card  and that's the medical card we use to take him to the doctor. They operated his head to see what the problem was and they told me that this child is going to grow up, but he's not going to be mentally stable.
 I gave Mr (indistinct) the documents I had with me but there was no follow on on that case. All they told me is that they would lodge the case and they would let me know, but that didn't happen up until today.

DR RANDERA: (Indistinct)

UNKNOWN: No I don't want to say anything.

DR RANDERA: I just want to ask a few questions. You said earlier on that you met a gentleman after Ronnie was shot and he said the children were shooting at each other and then when you saw Ronnie in hospital, he said that they had shot him. Who was the "they"?

UNKNOWN: It was his friends who told me so. That is his friends, who saw him when he was taken to the clinic.

DR RANDERA: Who actually shot him?

UNKNOWN: I don't know, maybe he can tell who shot him, because he's around. Because by that time I was at work.

DR RANDERA: Sorry, I would prefer if you actually said to us, because I'm sure you have asked him, and if it's possible for you just to tell us who you think, actually, from your discussions with Ronnie.

UNKNOWN: He said that rod was picked up by (indistinct) from school and that it what he used to hit him with. They were going to complain about their leave funds.

DR RANDERA: It wasn't the Bop soldiers?

UNKNOWN: This iron rod fell from the police van. This younger boy picked it up and hit him with it on his head.

DR RANDERA: Sorry, I want to be clear because, you see, our mandate is to look at the political conflicts, alright? I heard that there were soldiers there and they may have actually dropped something on the ground, but who caused the injury to Ronnie?

UNKNOWN: It is this other young boy who he says is Mapela. His name is Mapela.

DR RANDERA: Thank you very much. Can you just tell me what was actually happening in Maboloka at the time?