Human Rights Violation Hearings — Tembisa — 1995-11-27

MS SEROKE: Mrs Manana this is a painful story.  You lost your husband and all the things that you went through during the funeral.  I would just like to ask you a few questions.  You told us that you received a call from Mr Duze, is that the Duze who has been mentioned by the other witnesses?

MS MANANA: No. This Duze he wasn't on good terms with my husband, especially during their meetings.

MS SEROKE: It means, therefore, that it's not the Duze who accommodated Toasters, is he the one?

MS MANANA: Yes he is, he is the Duze who gave the Toasters accommodation at the hostel.  But most of the time when they had meetings they were not on good terms and they were not of the same view as my husband.

MS SEROKE: He called you and threatened you and told you that something would happen?
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MS MANANA: I would say that this Duze himself he was doing these things underground, because when my husband was still alive he knew about him and he could tell me about all that was happening until he was killed.

MS SEROKE: You also told us that your husband has worked for the community and you also mentioned the TRA, can you tell us more about the community and what is the TRA and what was his involvement in the community?

MS MANANA: The community is the community, and this TRA is what is called Sanco at the moment.  He was also a member of Sanco, so they were dealing with everything that concerned the community, the rents and other matters.

MS SEROKE: You also said in your statement that they were looking for him and he was a wanted man, what did he do?

MS MANANA: They were saying that he was very brilliant, he was an intelligent man.

MS SEROKE: I don't understand you.

MS MANANA: They said he was an intelligent man.....

MS SEROKE: You also say that they also wanted to kill your son, is this the very same son sitting with you?

MS MANANA: Yes they were looking for him, desperately looking for him.

MS SEROKE: You said he was 16 at the time?

MS MANANA: Yes that's correct.

MS SEROKE: Why were they looking for him, to kill him?

MS MANANA: They said if a tree dies it's roots have to die, because they said when they see him they see his father.

MS SEROKE: This Mr Setu as a neighbour was he also a member of the TRA?

MS MANANA: Yes they were working together.
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MS SEROKE: Why did you start suspecting him in connection with the death of your husband?

MS MANANA: I discovered at the time when he came to me to ask about the statement, so they had to leave my husband outside, all of them get into the house.

MS SEROKE: At the time you were going to bury Mr Manana was it a civic funeral or it was just an individual funeral?

MS MANANA: Yes it was a family funeral.

MS SEROKE: So you told us that you left the grave uncovered?

MS MANANA: Yes the situation was so bad we couldn't.

MS SEROKE: Didn't they interfere with the corpse?

MS MANANA: They couldn't because some people tried to push the soil while lying on their stomachs.

MS SEROKE: This is a painful story because your son was also young at the time.
(Tape ends.....)

MR MANANA: My name is Sipho Manana.

MS SEROKE: I would like you to stand up and take an oath and thereafter when you leave here you can go to our statement-taker to give her a statement.

SIPHO MANANA: (sworn states)

MS SEROKE: I would like you to explain before us as to what happened as we know that you were standing outside when all this happened.  Just help us as to what you can remember until the time your father was killed.

MR MANANA: Yes I will try and do that. It was Sunday on the 23rd.  My father was coming from a meeting.  All the people in the house were asleep.  I just finished washing the car outside.  I took it and put it in the garage.  It
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happened that a Sentra, a car, came towards us, it was silver-grey in colour and it happens it collided with the pre-cast wall.  Thereafter they catch hold of Jackie who was a Toaster member.  The other two ran away.  The other one from the Tsotsi family ran to call Wings, a man by the name of Wings. When Wings arrived he didn't ask anything he just started shooting.  When he entered the garage this Wings he shot the first shot, the second one, I got out of the yard when I heard the second shot.  I just went to find out as to where my dad was.
 When I arrived I found my father lying on the ground and I took him. Mpakamsem's mother said to me Sipho get into the house because these young men are shooting outside. I told here that I can't get into the house if my dad is lying outside here.  I said if they are shooting then they had better shoot me together with my father.   That was the time my mum and my brother and sisters came.  I went into the garage and took the car out.  As I was taking the car out of the garage the young men were busy kicking the car and breaking the windscreens.  I didn't take notice of that, I just took out the car, I took my dad and put him into the car and we drove to the hospital. From that day my heart was so painful even today it is still painful because I lost the person that I loved very much.  I used to take him as a friend.  Every time when he arrived in the house he will always ask where I was.   I don't think I will ever forgive these young men because they did a very bad thing.  If they want to come back into the township and if they want peace they should bring back all the people that they have killed.  Maybe then we can talk about peace.  Before they bring all the people who passed away it was a battle between a cat and TEMBISA HEARING TRC/GAUTENG
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mouse.  Even the community of Ntombeka I don't think they will allow any Toaster member to enter the township because these Toasters have terrorised them.  I will stop there.

MS SEROKE: I would like to thank you and I will give a chance to other Commissioners to ask questions to both of you so that we can clarify the matter.  We hear the painful experience that you have gone through as you tell us that your father was your friend and we hope that when you speak out this will help you and you will find yourself in a different stage.
 We would like to thank you for the story or evidence that you have given before the Commission.  Your story gives us the names that we got here today, we will take them forward for further investigation.  However, we are also with you in the pain that you are going through today.  As you also explained that even when it came to his funeral it wasn't a proper funeral as you expected it to be that a man who worked for a community should be buried in a decent manner.  They didn't allow you to bury your husband in a decent manner.  
 As it was said yesterday by Mr Mabena that there should be a day where all the heroes could be remembered and also those who were killed.  The killers should also be contacted and talk about it.  We also know that the community cannot just reconcile without doing anything.  We want the spirit of the struggle to come back to the community and try to unite the people.  Thank you.