Human Rights Violation Hearings — Bloemfontein — UNKNOWN

KHOZA MGOJO: Thank you, Mama. It is a really painful experience indeed.Did you have any chance maybe of knowing the contents of this telegram fromJoe?

WITNESS: No, it just said, "We are coming on the 6th."

KHOZA MGOJO: Up until now you don't know who this Joe is?

WITNESS: No, I don't.

KHOZA MGOJO: You don't know him. When they left, Mpho and his other colleagues- can you name these other people who were his friends?

WITNESS: The only one I rememberis the one who died with him. It was Mohale. This other one I can't remember.

KHOZA MGOJO: Did you know of any person called Portia Shabangu?

WITNESS: Portiais the one that they picked up at Nelspruit, Mpho and Mohale and this Portia.They picked up at Nelspruit Training College from Johannesburg. I don't knowwhat made them go to Swaziland from Johannesburg.

KHOZA MGOJO: Do you know where Portia Shabangu is now?

WITNESS:  She died together with Mpho and Mohale.

KHOZA MGOJO: So when they left they left in a car, is that true?

WITNESS: Theyleft in a car, and the people who went to identify them, who went over to Swaziland,said the car was in a forest in Swaziland with the three bodies. But the bodieshad already been taken to the mortuary, so these gentlemen from the SACC officesasked the policemen, "All these three children are not from Swaziland. If yousay they were running away because they had a fight with another group in ahotel, how do you think they could run to such a place when they don't knowSwaziland?"

KHOZA MGOJO: You say that there was a report from The Sunday Times thatthree students have died?

WITNESS: Yes, Sir. I still have the cuttings.

KHOZA MGOJO: And they are not named?

WITNESS: They were named, but Mpho's namewas wrongly written.

KHOZA MGOJO: Thank you. Did the report say what has caused the death ofthese students?

WITNESS: No, the report - yes, the report said they were found deadin a forest in Swaziland, but the death certificate that we got was that thebody was riddled with bullets.

KHOZA MGOJO: Thank you. Did you say what part of Swaziland? Swaziland isso big. What part were the bodies found in Swaziland?

WITNESS: They just said ina forest. I don't know whether it's in - I can't remember whether it was Mbabaneor - I don't know.

KHOZA MGOJO: The name Mbunya, does it say anything to you?

WITNESS: Mbunya?

KHOZA MGOJO: Mbunya Forest, does it say anything to you?

WITNESS: I can't rememberthe name of the forest, Sir.

KHOZA MGOJO: /DR BORAINE

DR BORAINE: Thank you, Dr Mgojo. Are there any questionsat all? Yes.

MRS GCABASHE: I do notice that you are in real pain,and what has touched me a lot in your statement is when you said, "My wholelife changed since his death." Can you tell us exactly how did your life changeafter the death of your son?

WITNESS: I took time before I went to church, becausehe was a church choir member. So the church choir sits in front. For about threemonths I couldn't go to church because I didn't want to see that empty spacewhere he used to sit.

MRS GCABASHE: So that was the main change that happened to you?

WITNESS: Thatwas the main change.

MRS GCABASHE: Okay. The other thing which I wanted to clarify was that youwere not aware that he was an ANC member until ... (intervention)

WITNESS: UntilI saw it in the newspaper.

MRS GCABASHE: ... you saw it in the newspaper.

WITNESS: Otherwise I knew thathe was a SANSCO member.

MRS GCABASHE: Have you made any attempt to speak to the ANC organisationor members?

WITNESS: About?

MRS GCABASHE: In case they would know about whatever happened to him, becausehaving been an ANC member?

WITNESS: No, I haven't made any attempt.

MRS GCABASHE: Okay. Ja, I think that's all I would have liked to clarifyfrom you. Thank you.

MR DLAMINI: Thank you, Mr Chairman. May I know, Mrs Mashoang,whether you know the parents of the other two students who were with Mpho, whetherthere is any contact?

WITNESS: Well, when we met at Nelspruit we were with Mohale's father from Johannesburg, and Portia's uncle,because Portia happened to be an orphan who was being educated by her uncle.Otherwise I saw them there for the first time, and I have never seen them thereafter.

MR DLAMINI: Do you perhaps have their contacts in case we want to findout from them whether they have any information that could assist in the investigation?--- Unfortunately no.

MR DLAMINI: Thank you, Mr Chairman.

DR BORAINE: Thank you very much. It's difficult to knowwhat to say to you. To lose your only son is very heavy.

WITNESS: Sorry, Sir, hewas not my only son, he was my first-born.

DR BORAINE: He was your first son? Your first son. I am so sorry I madethat mistake. It's still a very, very heavy burden to lose your first-born,or any member of a family, and not to know what happened and how he came todie is an added burden. We have found many times that sometimes when peopleknow what happened it helps. It doesn't heal entirely, but it helps to carrythe burden, and we will see what we can try and find out from the various reportsthat have been made. And we will have to inquire from the Swaziland Police tosee if there was a record in their files as to any information which they mighthave.

DR BORAINE: You mentioned that you feel - in your statement that is, nottoday, but in your statement - that somewhere there should be a monument toremember, particularly perhaps, the young people who died during the struggle.--- Yes.

DR BORAINE: This is something which we have been thinking about very deeply, and we will certainly try and consider and thenmake a recommendation to the President that somewhere, somehow, and some place,there should be a visible sign of the nation's gratitude and the nation's memoryof people who died during the whole time of the great struggle and conflictin our country.

DR BORAINE: We thank you again very warmly for coming. You've been verybrave and we trust that the experience of coming here today will in some wayassist you. Thank you very much. Thank you.

MR LYSTER: Bhaki George Morake, okay. Thank you, Mr Morake.Before you give your evidence I am going to have to ask you to take the oath,and I'd like you to stand to do that please. Can you hear me sufficiently? Canyou hear me well?

BHAKI GEORGE MORAKE: (Sworn, States)

MR LYSTER: Mr Morake, you are here to tell us your story,which relates to the attack and burning of your house in August 1987 in Botshabelotownship. Thank you for coming to Bloemfontein today to tell us that story.It's a sad story, and it speaks of political intolerance, which was the orderof the day, which was very common in this country at that time, and of courseis still very common in many parts of our country notwithstanding the politicalchanges that we have seen. I am going to ask one of my colleagues, Mr Mdu Dlamini,to assist you in taking you through your statement today.

MR DLAMINI: Thank you. Good morning, Mr Morake. ---Good morning, Sir.

MR DLAMINI: And again we are faced with a situation where, because of differencesbased on political and ideological affiliations, people had to suffer, and youare one of those cases. And we are grateful that you have offered to share yourexperiences with the people of South Africa so that we know what has been happening,and as one of the objectives of the Truth Commission we make sure that thingsof this nature should not take place again. It is a sad thing to experienceloss of your property at an age of 50, when this happened, and with your wifewho was 49 when she suffered the injuries and all the pains. Would you like to tell us what happened on that particular day, andall the subsequent events?