Human Rights Violation Hearings — Johannesburg — 1996-04-29

MOLESENG ANNA TIRO: here, and they said no.  I asked the Botswana Government to help us bury my child.  Well they did just that and I buried him in Botswana.  I don't know what to say because I really wanted him to be buried in South Africa but that wasn't the case.  I buried him in Botswana and I came back home.
 Let me say when I arrived home the Botswana police said to me we did some investigations to find out where this parcel comes from because according to the information I got it was from Geneva.  Well Botswana CID told me it was hand delivered, it was never at any post office around.  When I was told about the parcel he was given this parcel by his roommate and he said to him he took the parcel out of a post box and he gave it to a school child.  They were in a mission school, and he gave the parcel to the child and said give it to the man who is sitting on the table writing.  Well he went into the room and he gave the parcel to him.  He didn't open the parcel.  This gentleman came in he said, haven't you opened your parcel?  He said no, not yet.  Well the one who gave him the parcel told me that he said no I haven't yet opened the parcel.  
 This gentleman was telling me he tried to open the parcel and it didn't get open and he said to him well I am going home now take this parcel and open it and he went further to Dinokala.  He said I want to be early at the border gates because they close.  It was about three o'clock and the border gates close at about 830.  Those who were telling the story said he left at three o'clock.  I don't know if it was a bomb or not but it exploded at three o'clock and nobody went in to check.
 The next morning someone called from Lobatse looking for Tiro and he telephoned the next door neighbours.  They 
JOHANNESBURG HEARING TRC/

GAUTENG: 15

MOLESENG ANNA TIRO: sent a child to tell Tiro that he has a telephone call from 
Lobatse.  This child found Tiro's corpse there, that was the following day. Because he was a child he ran away and he said oh there's a man lying on the floor and people started flocking to the house and they discovered that it was true, a man was lying on the floor.  I don't whether I should continue.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Don't you say you know the people who killed Omgepotsi?  But there are names that are in your statement, names such as Mohapi and Ruben Debaga, do you want to say anything about those people?

MOLESENG ANNA TIRO: I am sorry that I didn't mention the name of the person.  Debaga went to Botswana and my son gave the letter to him to pass it on to his aunt.  Mohapi is the person that I referred as the man who gave him the parcel and he said to him well open your parcel.  Well I related the story without mentioning their names I am really sorry.

THOMAS MANTHATA: It's not a fault, I was just reminding you.  Well we understand that you don't know the people who might have sent the parcel to Omgepotsi?

MOLESENG ANNA TIRO: Yes Sir.  Well I was just asking can I continue or not?

THOMAS MANTHATA: Yes you can shortly continue.

MOLESENG ANNA TIRO: Well when I want to carry on with my speech I can say I am really happy to be called here today.  Maybe the Commission might help me with the investigations.  I really  want to know the person who killed Omgepotsi.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Is there anything that you might want to say that would help us?  Did you understand me well?

MOLESENG ANNA TIRO: Yes I have many problems and I would like the Commission to help me.  This was my first child.  I was
JOHANNESBURG HEARING TRC/

GAUTENG: 16

MOLESENG ANNA TIRO: battling to get him educated hoping that when he completed his studies he would help me a lot.  Most unfortunately he didn't manage to complete all the tasks because just after his graduation he died.  Well I am left alone with his younger brothers and sisters.  While Omgepotsi was still at school I tried to send the one coming after him to school.  I sent him to Thaba Nchu, well he sent the certificate as well, even now the certificate has not come back.  Well after leaving his brother died.  He had a problem with his eyes and he cried a lot and he cannot see now.  He doesn't see clearly, he has children, two of them, they are my responsibility.  Two children are left behind.  I am sick as you see me, I am wearing these glasses because I can hardly see.  I am not crippled, I wasn't born this way.  There were stairs at work and I used to fall because I would think of many things. Well that's how my legs were paralysed in this way.  I went to doctors and they told me that I have had a heart attack and I have arthritis.  These are the problems. Well there are so many problems that I can tell the Commission, can you help me with ideas you know of searching who killed my son and maybe help me in this life, if it were possible.   Because if I try to gather some money to take children to the doctors there is a shortage of money.  I don't have medical aid because I am not working.  I was working in the kitchens.   I was just a domestic worker.  I am finished Mr Chairman.

CHAIRPERSON: We thank you very much Mrs Tiro.  Maybe there are people among us who would like to ask you some more questions, are you prepared to answer?

MOLESENG ANNA TIRO: Yes.

CHAIRPERSON: Yasmin?
JOHANNESBURG HEARING TRC/

GAUTENG: 17

YASMINE SOOKA: ... of the policemen in Botswana who helped you?

MOLESENG ANNA TIRO: (...indistinct)

YASMINE SOOKA: Mrs Tiro you said that the police in Botswana were very helpful when you went to go and find his body, do you remember the name of the policemen perhaps who helped you?

MOLESENG ANNA TIRO: There is one policeman I can remember his name even if I couldn't identify him very well.  They called him Mr Nonong.  I found them having done the job they took the body to the mortuary.  Now the very nearest person to me was this Mr Nonong.

YASMINE SOOKA: Do you remember the mortuary that was in Botswana, do you have more details about the town where it was?

MOLESENG ANNA TIRO: He was at the hospital's mortuary and we transferred him to Rapule's mortuary at Lobatse.

YASMINE SOOKA: Thank you.

CHAIRPERSON: Dr Boraine.

DR BORAINE: I won't delay you very long.  You mentioned that your son was buried in Botswana, is that right?

MOLESENG ANNA TIRO: Yes that's right.

DR BORAINE: And that you really wanted him to be buried at home.

MOLESENG ANNA TIRO: Yes I said so.

DR BORAINE: Would you like that still to happen if the Commission could arrange that?

MOLESENG ANNA TIRO: Yes I would like that to happen, yes I would like him to be buried here at home.

CHAIRPERSON: Can you just tell us a bit maybe what did Tiro actually do during the holidays, did he meet politicians during holidays because I heard you saying he was expelled
JOHANNESBURG HEARING TRC/

GAUTENG: 18

MOLESENG ANNA TIRO: from school because of the speech he gave, I just wanted to find out was he involved in politics, what were his movements?

MOLESENG ANNA TIRO: I won't actually know whether he was involved in politics or not because he only had love and understanding.  He preferred to be with us at home even during holidays, not unless he was going out for temporary jobs during the holidays. Well I don't understand anything about politics because I've already indicated that I don't understand English or other language.  I think I have given you an answer.