Human Rights Violation Hearings — Louis Trichardt — 1997-04-09

THOMAS MANTHATA: If I understand well, Mrs Madiba, is Andrew the only person who can tell us actually what happened.?

MALITE MADIBA: I do not know, Sir.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Are you saying you no longer have children at home?

MALITE MADIBA: Do you mean my children?

THOMAS MANTHATA: Yes.

MALITE MADIBA: I have them.  My three children died and I am only left with three, with one actually.  I had two girls, one boy and ...

THOMAS MANTHATA: Is the one who is still alive a boy?

MALITE MADIBA: Yes.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Your boy, did he make some efforts to meet ANC people in order to find out what actually happened in 1964 in connection with you husband's death and about ANC's issues at the time?

MALITE MADIBA: If he can, I did not stop him.  He can do it.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Would you like it if your son could go to Shell house or to assist us and try to advise us who can we talk to, to ANC people and maybe try to search for the old ANC records and try to guide us where we can make some investigations?

MALITE MADIBA: Do you mean I should tell to my girl that she should help you?

THOMAS MANTHATA: Are you saying it is a girl or a boy?

MALITE MADIBA: It is one, one girl, our last born.

THOMAS MANTHATA: I hope that she can be able to help us.

MALITE MADIBA: Yes, she would be glad to do that.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Thank you.

DR RANDERA: Ms Madiba, sorry, I should have asked you this before.  You told us earlier on that you had four children and that three of them died.  Can you tell us how your children died?  Can you tell us what they died of and how old were they?

MALITE MADIBA: Do you mean the ones who died?

DR RANDERA: Yes.

MALITE MADIBA: One passed away when he was twelve years and the other when it was fourteen years and the other one was six years.  They all passed away.

DR RANDERA: What did they die of Ms Madiba?

MALITE MADIBA: They were sick.  Actually after their father passed away, I was suffering.  I did not know how to treat them, how to take them to a doctor, because they were very ill after their father's death.  The other vomited until he died.  The other one passed away when she was at school, when she was twelve years old.

CHAIRPERSON: When you were burying your husband in Gauteng, where did you actually bury him?

MALITE MADIBA: From Pietersburg, we buried him at my sister-in-law's place, Sara Madiba, in Meadowlands.

CHAIRPERSON: Is Sara Madiba still alive?

MALITE MADIBA: Yes, she is still alive.  She is back from Johannesburg.  She is around.

CHAIRPERSON: Does she know anything about the death of your husband?  Can we call her to come and give us a statement?

MALITE MADIBA: Yes, you can.  Yes, you can call her.

CHAIRPERSON: Did you say you have forgotten who actually came to the burial of your husband?

MALITE MADIBA: It was lots of people.  Some came all the way from Cape Town to the funeral.  I cannot even tell the number.  There were lots of police and soldiers.

CHAIRPERSON: They felt - they say he hanged himself from, was it John Vorster or which prison was that?

MALITE MADIBA: I do not actually know.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you very much, Ms Madiba, for coming here and telling us about this bad news.  We sympathise with you and we wish we had people who can actually tell us the clear story of what happened that day, during your husband's death.  Please try to send us your sister-in-law.  Maybe she could have some more information about this case.  We would love to question her.

MALITE MADIBA: She was here.

CHAIRPERSON: We will also try to ask ANC people in Gauteng.  Thank you very much.
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