Human Rights Violation Hearings — Sebokeng — 1996-08-07

CHAIRPERSON: Thanks for coming, please relax and we are all ears, we want to listen to your story, your testimony and Mrs Seroke will help you with that.

SONNY MOFEKENG: (sworn states)

MS SEROKE: I greet you Mr Mofekeng.  Are you going to testify in English or in Sotho?

SONNY MOFEKENG: I will speak in my home language so that I can express myself very well.

MS SEROKE: We thank you for coming before us to tell us your side of your story. We are very happy that we will get a clear balance of the conflict that existed in the Vaal area.  We will request you to briefly tell us what happened on that day.

SONNY MOFEKENG: I will start by saying in July up to the 30th of August I was not present.  I had gone to Copenhagen.  I only came here on the 30th of August.  I stayed, that is Saturday and Sunday the 1st and the 2nd, on the 3rd when I was at home in Zone 3 and I was in the house when I heard some noise outside.  And the distance was about 500 metres.  I went outside to investigate as to what was happening.  I saw a group of people coming towards my direction and they were shouting.  I listened to them and they were saying they wanted Sonny Mofekeng and I tried to get a look at those people.  They were armed with pangas as well as knopkieries heading towards my direction.
 And I went into the house.  I told my wife what was 
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happening outside.  I also told my three children that I had seen people armed and coming towards my direction singing that they wanted Sonny Mofekeng and I warned them that we should escape for our lives.  I opened the car, I put my children as well as my wife in the car because at that time my wife was expectant.  I opened the car for her and we drove out and we took the direction towards Everton.  And at approximately 500 metres I stopped because I wanted to see the people who said they wanted Sonny Mofekeng.  When they got to my house it was quite a distance from where I was and they were pelting my house with stones.  I realised at that moment that it was not safe for me and my family to be in that place.  We had better escape.  And I drove off in my car heading towards Houtkop.  
 When I got to Houtkop I reported the matter to the police.  I told the police that my house was being stoned and I was requiring safety.  And I was lucky enough because they accepted me at Houtkop, and as I was still at Houtkop I heard over the radio, they were announcing that Siza Mucheane and Chakane had been killed.  At that moment I started panicking because I realised at that point that my life was also in danger so it was worth my while to escape at that moment.  I stayed at Houtkop up till the evening.   At about 9 o'clock in the evening I heard another announcement over the radio they were telling the public that my house was on fire and I asked the police at Houtkop to accompany me to my house because I wanted to really verify that it was burning.  They told me that it was not safe for me to go to my house.  But in any case they took me along.  We went to Etan side so that they could take me to Zone 3.  And when we got to Residentia, that is the bridge
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that leads to Residentia, we stopped there and I had a good look.  It was during the night.  I saw the flames, very big flames emanating from my house, and I saw another fire, a big fire just next to my house and that was my father's house.  That's where he stayed next to me.  As we were still watching about 500 metres from my house, that's where my garage was, that is the filling station, I also saw it being set alight and I saw big flames looming at my garage.  And I told the police that they should take me back to Houtkop.

MS SEROKE: Thank you very much for what you have just told us.  I will just ask you a few questions.  Do you want to continue with your story or is that the rest?

SONNY MOFEKENG: My story is very short, that's about the lot.

MS SEROKE: Were you in the ruling party or were you in the opposition party in the Vaal Triangle?

SONNY MOFEKENG: I was in the ruling party, LPP.

MS SEROKE: In your statement you've pointed out that your house was burnt down as well as your father's house who was staying next to you.  They also burnt down your filling station, and that the people wanted to kill you.  Why were the people so eager to kill you?

SONNY MOFEKENG: I can just explain it shortly.  Because at that time we were busy holding meetings but I could not be present because the petrol company kept on taking me out of the country.  I think the community had certain complaints and dissatisfaction.  Basically their complaints was that the rents was rather too high.  Their second point was that they did not want to see people entering into the Local Government election because the people were working within the system.  That is how they phrased this.

MS SEROKE: Now as you knew the reasons that the rent was
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rather too high, as well as the fact that the people didn't want you to work with the system you as the councillors how did you address the grievances that the community had?  Did you feel that the grievances were impossible or they were justified or you felt that you could just continue with your work despite the fact that the community was dissatisfied?

SONNY MOFEKENG: I can put it in this manner, that we had been voted by the community, the very same community that had put us into power the manner in which we were voted into power was that the very same community was supporting us at that juncture, and the very same people who had voted for us their aims were that some of the people were in agreement with us working with the system, but some seemed not to be satisfied.  Some felt that their needs were being addressed but some felt that their needs were not being addressed.  And people who were dissatisfied were quite very few.  Most of them were satisfied with the work that we were rendering.

MS SEROKE: What about those who voted for you, what percentage were they in the Vaal.

SONNY MOFEKENG: I will talk about my constituency.  In my constituency I had been voted by quite a high percentage in Zone 3, and when you look back and check the statistics that is generally in Sebokeng, I had the highest votes, much more than the other councillors as well as the candidates who were contesting our seats as well as our votes.  I had the highest votes.  So this puts me in a position where I realised that in my constituency the people were satisfied, they supported me wholeheartedly.

MS SEROKE: Now in other words when the community required you to resign did you feel there was no reason for you to resign because the community was supporting you and the
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people who wanted you to resign were quite a few people?

SONNY MOFEKENG: That is correct.  There was only a few people that wanted me to resign.

MS SEROKE: Now what about the ones who were burning, where did they come from?

SONNY MOFEKENG: I do not want to start saying things but the people were coming from the direction of Residentia, and I could see them properly because if you are at my place, my place is a little bit higher up and Residentia is a little bit further down and when they come from Residentia I could see them.

MS SEROKE: Was Residentia not your constituency?

SONNY MOFEKENG: Not it wasn't my constituency, it was Zone 3.

MS SEROKE: That is the lot.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you so much.  Mr Mofekeng it seems to me that Dr Randera and Dr Boraine would like to add to the questions.  Dr Randera first.

DR RANDERA: Mr Mofekeng I just want to first of all ask, you lost three properties it seemed in that fire, or the burning.  It was your own home, plus your father's home, plus your garage and a motor spares shop, were any people injured or killed in those instances?