Amnesty Hearings — Vanderbijlpark — 1999-05-13

THABO JOHANNES RAHANTLHANE: As they ran away one of them tripped and fell down and the left the second sharpened object.  There was one that was left on the ground which they used to break windows.  Meaning I had two of these sharpened objects and the one that they used to break the windows with.

MR MALINDI: Okay.  After you picked up these sharpened instruments, what did you do?

THABO JOHANNES RAHANTLHANE: Goldstone requested the exhibits or evidence to that effect, when we went to Pretoria.

MR MALINDI: And what did you do about this request?

THABO JOHANNES RAHANTLHANE: I took them to the courts of law as they were requested.

MR MALINDI: Mr Rahantlhane, just one aspect I want to clarify.  You were testifying about something that prevented the door to your shack from opening fully, what caused it not to open fully?

THABO JOHANNES RAHANTLHANE: I had an iron behind the door.  When they kicked the door - as I said, God works in miraculous ways, the ironing board prevented the door to open fully.  My bed is just next to the door.

MR MALINDI: When this man was stabbing your girlfriend with this ...(Sotho) or sharpened instrument, was he inside the shack or was he outside?

THABO JOHANNES RAHANTLHANE: They were standing outside.

MR MALINDI: And how seriously injured was your girlfriend?

THABO JOHANNES RAHANTLHANE: She was seriously injured.  She spent about the whole year, her wounds bleeding.

MR MALINDI: In conclusion, Mr Rahantlhane, now you've picked up the sharpened instruments, did you do anything to assess the injuries that may have been sustained by people, or damage to the property?

CHAIRPERSON: Mr Malindi, are you referring to the main house or the shack?

MR MALINDI: To both their shack and the main house.

CHAIRPERSON: And the main house, yes.

THABO JOHANNES RAHANTLHANE: I would start first with the house.  They broke all the windows to the house, broke the door.  Although it didn't open, they did break the door.

MR MALINDI: And did you do anything about your injured girlfriend that same night?

THABO JOHANNES RAHANTLHANE: I knocked at the main house.  Although they were scared I knocked at the window and I took her into the main house through the window.  At about 11 o'clock when everything was quiet outside, I went to the shack and got my first-aid kit and tried to stop the bleeding until the ambulance arrived.

MR MALINDI: And was she - what happened after the ambulances arrived?

THABO JOHANNES RAHANTLHANE: I went along with her to the hospital.

MR MALINDI: After your girlfriend was stabbed did you remain with her or did you do anything else?

THABO JOHANNES RAHANTLHANE: I still stay with her at the moment.

MR MALINDI: I mean on the same night, immediately after she was stabbed.

THABO JOHANNES RAHANTLHANE: I didn't go anywhere else, I took her to the house and waited for the ambulance.  As it arrived we went along to the hospital.

MR MALINDI: Mr Rahantlhane, on Mosheshwe Street, what is the nearest corner to 684 Mosheshwe Street?

THABO JOHANNES RAHANTLHANE: It is Thaba Baseu.

MR MALINDI: So in other words, house 684 Mosheshwe Street is on the south of Boipatong?

THABO JOHANNES RAHANTLHANE: That is correct.

MR MALINDI: Thank you, Chairperson, no further questions.
NO FURTHER QUESTIONS BY MR MALINDI

ADV SIGODI: Sorry, what is your girlfriend's name?

THABO JOHANNES RAHANTLHANE: Christina Matlhodi Moremi.

ADV SIGODI: Christina?

THABO JOHANNES RAHANTLHANE: Yes.

ADV SIGODI: Can you spell that for me?

THABO JOHANNES RAHANTLHANE: M-A-T-L-H-O-D-I, Matlhodi.  Moremi
M-O-R-E-M-I.

ADV SIGODI: Thanks.

CHAIRPERSON: In terms of Section 20.2 of the Act, this Committee, regardless or whether or not it grants amnesty, it is obliged to refer a person who in its opinion is a victim of a gross violation of human rights.  That is the position regardless of whether you grant or refuse amnesty.
	Is there a schedule that has been prepared, which indicates in somewhat detail what each of the victims, in particular those who will testify, sustained both in terms of the injury or the damage?  Is there such a document? - so that we don't have to go through ...  I've seen it in the memo.

UNKNOWN: Chairperson, there's a proforma form which we handed out some time last years for all the victims to fill out, which sets our those particulars, which we then forwarded to the Committee on Reparations.  What we will do is, if we furnish you with copies of those proforma forms, then all the details will be there.  We can do it that way.

CHAIRPERSON: Will be there.  Okay, very well.  Yes, very well.
	You've concluded your examination-in-chief?

MR MALINDI: I have concluded my examination-in-chief, Chairman.

CHAIRPERSON: Any cross-examination, Mr Berger?

UNKNOWN: None, Chairperson.

CHAIRPERSON: I beg your pardon, points to clarify.

MS CAMBANIS: Nothing, thank you, Chair.

CHAIRPERSON: Very well.  Mr Strydom starts, and if there's anything left we may call Mr Lowies and the remaining ones.

MR STRYDOM: Thank you, Chairperson.
	Do you know if your girlfriend, Ms Moremi, laid a charge after the incident?

THABO JOHANNES RAHANTLHANE: I do not know if she did lay a charge.  I do not know.

MR STRYDOM: Do you know if she testified at any other, or at any forum at any stage in connection with this case?

THABO JOHANNES RAHANTLHANE: It may happen.  Maybe it is concerning her injuries, but as to what happened, I am the one who knows that.

ADV SIGODI: Do you know if she did testify concerning her injuries?

THABO JOHANNES RAHANTLHANE: I cannot say I know the evidence she gave.  You will find she does not attend a lot of meetings.  After the 17th we left for Sebokeng for about a week or two.

ADV SIGODI: No, but the question is, do you know if she gave any evidence, whether in a court of law or in a Commission, did she give any evidence, do you know?

THABO JOHANNES RAHANTLHANE: That may be the case, that she got injured in the attack.

MR SIBANYONI: Mr Rahantlhane, the question is, do you know if she did give evidence?

THABO JOHANNES RAHANTLHANE: She was present at the Johannesburg City Hall's TRC hearings.

MR SIBANYONI: The other one?

THABO JOHANNES RAHANTLHANE: It was in Pretoria, where I accompanied her.

MR SIBANYONI: What happened in Pretoria?

THABO JOHANNES RAHANTLHANE: We took this sharpened instruments to hand them in as evidence at the Goldstone Commission.
MACHINE SWITCHED OFF

CHAIRPERSON: Mr Strydom, do you have any further questions?

MR STRYDOM: Yes, Chairperson.
	Apart from the occasion that you went to Pretoria to the Goldstone Commission, did you ever go to Pretoria, to the court in Pretoria?

THABO JOHANNES RAHANTLHANE: I have never been there.

MR STRYDOM: Do you know if your girlfriend went to Delmas at any stage to give evidence?

THABO JOHANNES RAHANTLHANE: She has not been to Delmas.

MR STRYDOM: You testified that your girlfriend was injured and then she spent approximately a year in hospital, is that correct?

THABO JOHANNES RAHANTLHANE: Please understand me.  She was injured so much that her wounds were still bleeding although she was discharged from the hospital.

MR STRYDOM: You see I want to put to you that it seems to me, if I look at my records, that she was not a complainant at the criminal, when the criminal case was heard.  So what I'm putting to you is that she never laid a charge, can you comment on that?

THABO JOHANNES RAHANTLHANE: She did lay a charge.  I was present when she testified at the Truth Commission's hearing at the City Hall and she did say, she was asked what she would say if the Truth Commission asked her what must be done for her as a compensation.

MR STRYDOM: But what I'm putting to you is, she never laid a criminal charge against the people that attacked her.  Can you give us any information or not?

MR LAX: Mr Strydom, perhaps you should explain what you mean by "criminal charge".

MR STRYDOM: Yes, I will do so.