Human Rights Violation Hearings — Port Elizabeth — 1996-06-26

DR BORAINE: The next three witnesses will appear together because there is a connection between the stories that they will tell, and they are as follows, and I will ask them to please come forward.  Bukiwe Maud Mpongoshe, Mutiwe Nellie Marwanqana, Thandiwe Margaret Mdlankomo.
 Would you please put the earphones on your ears so that we can hear each other.  I would like to test and make sure that you can all hear me and that you can especially hear the translations okay.  All right, thank you very much.  Would you please put the light on and you could leave it on, because it is okay.
 Dear friends, I want to welcome you on behalf of the Commission.  You are the last witnesses that we will be hearing today and we will resume again tomorrow.  
 We are especially grateful to you because you have been here for a very long time, I hope you will have found what you have been listening to, of some comfort to you to know that there are so many others who have shared some of your pain as you share theirs.
 You have a common bond in that all of you have lost loved ones in the infamous raid on Lesotho by the South African Security Forces.  You will tell us about that in a moment.  Before you do though, I must please ask you to
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stand and take the oath.  You can stand together and take the oath together.  Will you please stand.

BUKIWE MAUD MPONGOSHE MUTIWE NELLIE MARWANQANA THANDIWE MARGARET MDLANKOMO: (sworn state)

DR BORAINE: Thank you very much.  Please be seated.  My colleague, Mr Ntsiki Sandi is going to lead you as you tell your stories.  I will hand over to him now.

MR SANDI: Thank you Chairman.  When I read your statements, Mrs Mpongoshe and Mrs Mdlankomo and Mrs Marwanqana, your story is the same.  It is exactly the same, the only difference is that Mrs Marwanqana was there in Lesotho at the time of the shooting and the killing of our people.
 Mrs Mpongoshe and Mrs Mdlankomo did you say you would like to take off from the time, you said from the time of Joseph Pakamile Mpongoshe and Ligwa left and the reasons for their flight and Mrs Marwanqana, thereafter we will want to hear what happened in Lesotho.
 Let's start with you Mrs Mpongoshe.  Your husband, according to the statement in front of us here, Mr Joseph Pakamile Mpongoshe, after a period of harassment, unending harassment and imprisonment by the police, decided to leave the country.  When was that Mrs Mpongoshe?

MRS MPONGOSHE: That was 1975.

MR SANDI: Can you explain what happened?  What was the reason for his flight from the country in 1977, what did he say the reason was and where did he say he was going?

MRS MPONGOSHE: thank you Chairperson.  My husband, one comrade was from the Island who died and they went to the funeral at Elinge, when they came back from the funeral, some Boers came by night, middle of the night.
 They persuaded him, they begged him to be their agent 
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because they could see that he was intelligent and they were his friends they said and he said, no, you can't be my friends after I've spent so many years in prison and in Robben Island without my kids and then you came and took my friends and I can't sell my people out after this prison sentence.
 And they begged him, but then they left because he was at the time working at Spices.  When he got there, they said Joseph we have decided to cut down, reduce staff and he was surprised.  Whilst he was having a position like his, how could he be retrenched, one of those who are retrenched.  But then he came back and he related this.
 He was reading this book outside, about 12 they came.  This was from all directions, they came from all directions, looking for him and I said there he was, outside.  They went to him.  They said we would like to see you at Sanlam at two.
 He said, no, I'll go, I know where it is and so he went on his own.  When he got there at two o'clock, apparently he was questioned, according to what he told me about what was happening at the funeral at Elinge.
 And they asked him not to tell lies because they did have a tape, so he said now if you have a tape, what do you want and they started hitting him, hitting him, then they released him at about four, half past four.  So he went to the Doctor (indistinct).  Before he went to the Doctor, he started with a lawyer, then from the lawyer, he went to the Doctor and then he came at about eight.
 And I was wondering why he was not coming back.  So he said (indistinct) can I see you in the dining room, he said I am not going to put up tonight, I will sleep anywhere but 
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tomorrow morning, let's meet in town, but the kids should go to school.
 Indeed I did that the following morning.  Because he suspected that the Special branch would come and fetch him.  So we waited at eight at (indistinct) we went to one lawyer, he explained everything to the lawyer and also that they should arrange for me to be paid my benefits from Spicer.  So I asked him why are you speaking like this, and he said I am not sure of my situation, but I want to leave having made arrangements for my kids.
 So we went to do our groceries and at home I made him some Royco soup and he drank it.  And then he said I am leaving, I am going to Fort Beaufort.  I'll come back.

MR SANDI: Is that now the time when he left for good?

MRS MPONGOSHE: Yes, yes, he left for good and he never came back.  And when they came to ask for him, I said no I don't know I think he went to look for work.  Until they said to me we will take you in if you don't want to tell us the truth and then I told them that I didn't know where he was exactly.
 He said he was going to look for a job somewhere.  Then one morning they came and then they would come late now and then, they would come the following day again.  So they intensified the search for him and then the harassment started for me because they never gave me a rest.
 I was even taken to Sanlam myself, so I went.  Before I went to Sanlam I went to attend a (indistinct) and from there I went to them and they asked me.  They said you called a lawyer over us, and I said no I called by you and they stared very angry at me.  They said when did he leave, I told them.
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 They said they wanted me the following day and I had to leave the baby.

MR SANDI: Sorry to interrupt.  You say they were moved , you say they were irritated with you at the lawyers office?

MRS MPONGOSHE: Yes, they didn't like that.  They were very angry about it and again on the second time, I started with the lawyers office.  They asked why I went there, I told them that I went to tell, they were angry.
 They asked me the same questions and I didn't have anything to tell them.  That's when they said I could go home and I left.

MR SANDI: Before we come to the actual tragedy, the 1982 tragedy where people, many people died, I would like to ask you to explain to us whether there was any link between you, any communication between you and your husband through messages, letters of phones whilst he was in Lesotho.  Was there any communication?

MRS MPONGOSHE: No there wasn't, although I did receive one note which was quite, in a very mysterious way, I can't say where the note came from.  But the Swazi lady came, she didn't tell me where my husband was, she didn't want to tell me where he was but she said he had sent some money through this lady for Christmas.

MR SANDI: At that time you didn't know where your husband was in Maseru?

MRS MPONGOSHE: No, I didn't know anything.  I didn't know anything at all.

MR SANDI: Okay, now let's get into the 1982 incident.  How did you get the message that your husband was one of the victims of the Maseru attack by the South African Defence Force?
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