Human Rights Violation Hearings — Tembisa — 1996-11-28

DUKAKILE AGNES MATHEBULA: I will say that at that time the police were looking for him.  I think someone has betrayed him because these police used to come and harass me and when he went to exile they used to come to me and say what would you say if your husband was taken by another woman, never come back home?  And I said it won't matter maybe he will come back.  TEMBISA HEARING TRC/GAUTENG
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On another day they came they found my son, they beat him in the house, there was a R100,00 on the table and they took the R100,00.  They used to come often and they said we must go to Spartan.  It was Mloto, Twale, Engelbrecht and Borman.  I asked why do you have to go to Spartan?  Aren't you looking for the person you're looking for, are you looking for me?  They said we want to help you because your husband has disappeared.  I told them I never asked for help from you.  They wanted to beat me.  I get into the bedroom and I took out my lawyers card.  I told them to call my lawyer and they asked why do you have to call a lawyer, why don't you call your local police?  Unfortunately I never worked with the police because my husband used to leave my house because police were coming, they said they were police.

MS SEROKE: At the time when Mr Mathebula skipped the country to Uganda, did he write letters to you?

DUKAKILE AGNES MATHEBULA: No he didn't.

MS SEROKE: But how did you hear that he was in Uganda?

DUKAKILE AGNES MATHEBULA: He stayed for some time without writing.  Later at some time some people came with a letter and he told us that he's in Uganda.

MS SEROKE: Did he tell you exactly what he was doing in Uganda?  Was he studying?

DUKAKILE AGNES MATHEBULA: He didn't explain.  He just explained in the letter that he's still busy and he will come back if things are all right.

MS SEROKE: When he came back to the country what did he do?

DUKAKILE AGNES MATHEBULA: When he came back he was an MK member.  He went back to his work and he worked for about three months.

MS SEROKE: When he came back what was his role in the
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community?

DUKAKILE AGNES MATHEBULA: He was an ANC member.

MS SEROKE: Were they trying to cool down the fire?

DUKAKILE AGNES MATHEBULA: Yes they were trying.  He was a peaceful man and he used to encourage people to resolve matters peacefully.

MS SEROKE: Are there some people who witnessed his shooting?

DUKAKILE AGNES MATHEBULA: The people who saw this incident - I won't explain very well because I tried to look this young man who was with him but I couldn't find him.

MS SEROKE: Is he in Tembisa?

DUKAKILE AGNES MATHEBULA: No they say he is in Bloemfontein and he's working there.

MS SEROKE: If you can find his address can you please give it to us because we might try to contact him.  After your house was burnt and your husband was killed did you open a case?

DUKAKILE AGNES MATHEBULA: We opened a case. It was that he was shot because the other one had survived.  When we went to Kempton Park this young man told us that he saw the person who shot him driving a car.  The police said he will take him together with me and look for this man.  This young man said he is afraid to go and point him because it won't be safe because this person was staying at Vusumuzi.  They said this man was Sithole.  But he was afraid to go and point him. And he also saw the car he was driving in.  I don't if there is this procedure like if there is parade where you can identify someone and we agreed that there would be an identity parade.

MS SEROKE: Did you have a lawyer in your case?
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DUKAKILE AGNES MATHEBULA: No.

MR LEWIN: Ms Mathebula I would like to thank you very much for coming.  We will as a Commission follow up on the details that you have given, the information that you have given and on two levels I think, both in terms of the police that you have mentioned, these are names that have been repeated through the testimony of yourself and other people.  We will also try and find out what we can.  We will follow up on the friend's name that you mentioned, and make an appeal.  This is Mr Eezyboy is it that you mentioned?

DUKAKILE AGNES MATHEBULA: Yes.

MR LEWIN: From Bloemfontein.  Follow up on that.  If there is any way that he might hear this testimony let us make that appeal.  Or if there are other people who might have evidence, who might have information please to come forward.  I think in your case there is a particular irony about the pain and the loss that you have suffered, in that here is your husband who was an activist, who was forced to leave the country, and come back at a time when we were all getting ready for the first democratic election, getting ready for what everyone had fought for.  So the pain and the sense of loss must be particularly much greater in your case.
 We feel very strongly with you in that and offer your strength, offer you hope.  The fact that you have come today is a very important step for you in bringing out this particular story.  I would like to thank you very much for that and also thank your family for coming.  Thank you very much.