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

CHAIRPERSON: Would you mind responding to a few questions that we may have.  I will put the first one to you.
 In your statement and in your testimony you said that you were shot with a pellet gun.  Is that an air gun or what is pellet gun?  If you will excuse my ignorance and tell me what is this, is it a rubber bullet or what is it?

GAREKWE THEKISO: Actually a pellet is something like a round eye, like the one they use on bicycles.  I can't remember what they call them, but they are similar.  It seems they MMABATHO HEARING TRC/NORTH WEST
7 G S THEKISO
were used to shoot at birds.  Sometimes I hear people calling them bird shots, something like that.

CHAIRPERSON: It was a shotgun, shooting the bird shots.  Lots of pellets with one shot, or was it single pellets?

GAREKWE THEKISO: I didn't understand the question.

CHAIRPERSON: The question is not all that important. Was it one of these pellets that struck you, but more of them fired simultaneously or was it a gun that was firing them one by one - the pellets.

GAREKWE THEKISO: If I understand your question well,  what struck me was a pellet, which was coming from a pellet gun.  It looked liked a R1 rifle, it was big inside.

CHAIRPERSON: Can you tell me were you actively involved in politics at the time or was it simply an incident where you attended or responded to this call to go to the Community Hall?

GAREKWE THEKISO: I was not so active in politics, but what I did was, when our community was dissatisfied about anything they would call us to a meeting.  We would meet and if there was a problem we would try to solve that problem. If the police dispersed us as they usually did by shooting teargas, we tried to retaliate.

CHAIRPERSON: This issue of the type of gun, the pellet gun.  Was it your impression that it was a type of gun that the pellet that was used, could kill people, like a bullet?

GAREKWE THEKISO: I've haver heard that a pellet has killed a person.

CHAIRPERSON: I have no further questions.

DR RANDERA: Mr Thekiso, can you just tell us what are you doing now?

GAREKWE THEKISO: I'm doing nothing.
MMABATHO HEARING TRC/NORTH WEST
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CHAIRPERSON: You say the pellet is still there. Is it under your skin or is it under the bone?

GAREKWE THEKISO: I should think it is under my skin because when I touch it I can feel it.  Therefore, I think it is under my skin.

CHAIRPERSON: Are you totally blind in that left eye.

GAREKWE THEKISO: Absolutely, yes, absolutely.

CHAIRPERSON: So, is it possible that there are other pellets in your eye itself.  What caused the blindness. What did the doctors at Kimberley say?

GAREKWE THEKISO: It is the injury I sustained because of being shot by this pellet and this injury blinded me altogether.

DR RANDERA: I just want to come back to the date you have given us.  We can get over that very quickly.
 Mrs Yakwe when she talked about Mompati Joseph yesterday, talked about the 19th of October when her grandson was killed.  And you are saying it was the 10th of October.  Is it just a difficulty in remembering the dates?

GAREKWE THEKISO: Ja, I told the statement takers it was around that time.  I am not sure about the date, but what I'm sure of is the month only.

DR RANDERA: My last question is.  What are your expectations of the Truth Commission?

GAREKWE THEKISO: Since I have been blinded I started to be a very shy person.  I wasn't able to dispose my deformity to my colleagues and my girlfriend, who would be surprised to hear today that all the time she has been in love with someone who use one eye.  Therefore, if the Commission have those powers to receive a transplantation for me I would be very happy.
 And then another thing that ......
MMABATHO HEARING TRC/NORTH WEST
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     ...... I forgive them or if they would give me a pellet gun so I could shoot at them as they shot at me.
 If it is possible it would be better if the TRC was available at that time.  Knowing by that time the government belonged to the Nationalists I would say the government of the Nationalists should compensate and give me enough money because they are the ones also who caused me to be what I am today.  But fortunately we now have the government that I have always wished for.  Therefore, the Commission can help me in either way they can.

DR RANDERA: We like to thank you.  We heard about your requests. We are the Commission of Reconciliation.  I don't think we will be able to bring forward the people who shot you so that you can shoot them, but we hope that if you meet them you would talk about peace and reconciliation.
 We have heard about the other request about your eye and like we said yesterday and today we don't have the power to promise you a transplant to your eye.  You would be referred to the relevant persons who would be able to help you maybe later.  
 We are happy for you to come here, to come and share with us your story which is very hurting and we would like to thank you very much for that.