Human Rights Violation Hearings — Mooiriver — 1997-05-29

CHAIRPERSON: Good morning, and welcome to the third and last day of the public hearings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Mooi River.  We apologise for the late start this morning.  We were expecting a number of witnesses from the Bergville/Woodford area, but our driver, who went up there this morning, reported that a number of people from that area who were going to give evidence this morning have decided not to give evidence because of a generalised fear and a feeling of intimidation, and they have chosen not to give evidence this morning.  In their place we're going to receive, later on this morning, a short submission from a community worker from the Bergville area, just to give us a background on the political conflict in that area in the late 1980s.
For those of you who are not able to follow the evidence, which will be given largely in Zulu today, there are simultaneous translation earphones, and you will hear the evidence, which will be given in Zulu, it will be translated into English, which you can receive on channel six.  Please, when you leave the hall at lunch time or at the end of the day please remember to leave these earphones behind.  They don't work outside of the hall and they are very expensive.  We do have statement-takers from our - Truth Commission statement-takers here in the canteen area.  If there are people who wish to make statements, who haven't had an opportunity to do so already, they can see one our statement-takers and make a statement relating to what happened to them. We will start then with the first witness, who is Mrs Tryphina Masondo, if she can please come up.  Good morning, Mrs Masondo.  We welcome you here today.  You, like all the witnesses yesterday, are from Brandville township, and you have come here today to talk about the death of your daughter, Alexia Sithole, in December 1991.  Before you give that evidence - Mrs Masondo, we know from listening to many, many other stories like yours how difficult it is to relive those experiences, and please take your time and recover yourself.  We know how difficult it is to speak about the loss of a child.  (Pause)  Before you tell your story you will be required to take the oath, and I am not going to ask you to stand up.

TRYPHINA MASONDO: (Sworn, States)

CHAIRPERSON: Now, just before you tell us that story just give us briefly a background about your family.  How many children did you have altogether?  Aside from your daughter, Alexia, how many children do you have?

WITNESS:   I have one child, one girl.  I have one daughter.

CHAIRPERSON: (Inaudible) ... how many children do you have?

WITNESS:  I have one daughter.

CHAIRPERSON: Is your daughter living with you in Brandville at the moment, or is she married, has she left home?

WITNESS:   She is not married, she is still single, and I am staying with her.

CHAIRPERSON: (Inaudible) ... husband, or are you living just yourself and your daughter alone?

WITNESS:   We are staying together with her children.  She has got two girls, and I don't have a husband. Are you working, Mrs Masondo, or are you on pension?  ---   I am on pension.

CHAIRPERSON: Now, how old was your daughter, Alexia, when she died?

WITNESS:   She was born in 1970.

CHAIRPERSON: And she died in 1991, so she was 21 years old, is that right?

WITNESS:   She died in 1991.

CHAIRPERSON: Now, can you just tell us briefly some background to what was happening in the township of Brandville at that time.  Just give us an idea of what was taking place there.  We have heard from other witnesses that there was violence, conflict at that time.  What was happening in Brandville at the time of your daughter's death?

WITNESS:   There was violence.

CHAIRPERSON: And do you know anything more about that?  What was taking place?  Who was the violence - who was the conflict between?

WITNESS:   ANC and Inkatha were in conflict, and it led to violence.

CHAIRPERSON: And can you just describe briefly in your own words the events on that day.

WITNESS:   Early in the morning, it was still dawn, you couldn't see from far, my daughter was sleeping somewhere, or my granddaughter, and then she came and knocked at the door.  When I opened the door she entered and she said Inkatha people were attacking.  When I looked through the window I saw a flame, and other houses were in flames.  And we woke up, me and my late daughter.  We were sleeping in the dining-room, and I was confused at that time.  When I woke up I took everything that was in the dining-room.  I didn't even see my daughter getting out of the house and running away.  And my grandchildren wanted clothes to wear so that they run away as well, but because I was confused I couldn't help them.  When Inkatha group was next door I realised that they were near, I was the next one.  I opened the wardrobe, I put my grandchildren in there, and when I asked them where my daughter was they told me she ran into the garage.  When I went to the garage I realised that it was locked.  And then I asked them.  They insisted that she was in the garage.  At that time they came.  They didn't use the gate.  They were from my neighbour.  They didn't use the gate to enter my house, and one of them screamed and said, "Here there's no one because the gate is open."  One of them stood there next to the fence and took a stone, threw the stone through the window.  And then I realised that maybe the person saw me.  When I went to the dining-room they threw another stone in the dining-room, and then they left, they continued.  Later soldiers came and they asked me if there's anything wrong, and I told them no, nothing was damaged except for my windows.  And then they came back - now Inkatha members.  When they were at the gate they saw the soldiers.  One of them said, "Here are the soldiers," and then they ran and they disappeared.

CHAIRPERSON: You said that your grandchildren told you that your daughter had hidden in the garage.  What took ... (intervention)

WITNESS:   Yes.

CHAIRPERSON: Tell us what happened to your daughter.