Human Rights Violation Hearings — Pretoria — 1996-08-14

MRS SHONGWE: As I was still astounded the police came and took me, told me that there was a combi accident in town.  So you please come and see if you can see your child somewhere.  I said to them how can you ask me that, why do you want to take me with because you have your pictures, you have his pictures and also you have everything in records and you every single information, but they insisted, they were adamant.  They said please come along.  I left with them.
 On the road I was thinking, I was even saying, you know, I do not even trust these people because that is just how my son disappeared.  I told this man that, you know, I have a heart attack and if we get to the scene of the accident I might even collapse, you might be facing problems. Please let us go and get another person to accompany me.  They kept, the other one said, no, Captain Bard we shall bring you and you alone.  I said, no, I am going to collapse, I can be sure and certain of that. They were adamant and I was also insisting that, no, let us go back and get someone to accompany me.  
 We went to Killer.  Killer, the owner of the combi and Killer woke up and we took him with.  When we were supposed to be headed for town, as they have said the combi, the accident was in town.  Instead our direction was going to Britz.  I was surprised.  I said why are we going to Britz?  They said because you said you have a heart attack, we are taking you to Britz.  They said you shut up woman.  They 
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took a lamp, a lamp, they said to me you shut up, you better keep quiet because we know where we are going.  The car was rushing and when we got there, when we got to the place, the destination, some policemen came inside and they were saying why did you bring this woman so quick.  The other black police said you said we must be snappy, we must be fast in everything that we do.  So we had to be snappy, we had to do everything quick, quick.  They were busy having altercations at the same time among themselves and also screaming at one another.  
 One man asked is there any mortuary around.  The other answered, no there is no mortuary and that, but you know what, I was told that, the other man said I was told that David has died and he was killed in Britz.  When they gave me some, a blanket wrapping, a corpse and I was like, what is happening.  Do you want to tell me that David has died and the room was filled with many people, hefty men, both black and white.  They took me with and we went to the mortuary and we got there.  After half an hour they got back and they sent one black guy to come call me so I can also go into the mortuary.  They said, no, only the woman must, is allowed inside.  Killer must be left outside.  Then I said, no, I want Killer to come with me inside.  
 The man went back to tell them that she, I am insisting to come in with Killer.  When we got inside, eventually they allowed us.  We could see the corpse on top of the table.  You know, they made things in such a way that I should think that the corpse was from the mortuary, was already in the mortuary.  They said to me you open the blanket, that blanket, blanket that was covering the corpse.  They said you look at this corpse.  I opened it and I said, no, but 
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this is not my son.  They said, but this is your son.  Just concentrate, are you sure, look properly.  I did exactly that.  What I discovered that there was a zip in the, and I tried to open this zip.  You know, I could identify this corpse. I could not tell that this is my child.  The way he was so brutally injured and the way they have fatally injured him.  I pulled down the zip to look at the whole body of this corpse.  This white policeman refused, he refused for me to open up the zip all the way down.  He said, you know, you have already seen and you are already sure that this is your son.  So there is no point in opening the zip all the way down.  
 I insisted, I opened the whole zip.  I discovered that there was, they had stuffed some things in front of him and he had no underpants on.  They had just covered him with some cloth.  I screamed, I cried and I collapsed.  When I regained my consciousness I was right next to Killer.  Killer, and suddenly a doctor came in and the doctor said to me, you know, he held my head way up to my knees and after that he said I am just playing around with them, I do not have heart attack at all.  One suggested that we must get an ambulance and take me to the hospital.  I refused, I said I am not going to the hospital.  You killers, you marauders, you murderers, you have killed my son and I am not going to that hospital.  I refuse, I do not want to be taken anywhere else.  You have killed my son, you know better.  This, my son, was killed in Pretoria and you are just framing up a story here.  They said, you shut up, you think you know so much, you think you are better and I collapsed instantly.  
 I was taken into a car, into a black car, to a car with black people inside.  We did not go back to Pretoria with 
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the same route we used going into Britz. We took another route, a different one.  Inside the car I kept asking this black man, tell me, truly, what has happened.  Where did you recover that corpse.  They said you have already, you also saw.  There is nothing we can tell you and we went to Compol in Pretoria Street.  
 When we got to Compol we went into the lifts way up the stairs and there was a bad room that we got into.  It was so dark you could not see and recognise anything.  We could just see some red lights, on the tables there was just some strings hanging and red globes.  They said to me we want you to sign. They gave me a form to sign, you know, that paper had nothing on it.  They said you better sign on this paper.  I said why should I sign, why and why.  They said, no, you are signing so we can be able to give you some funds to bury your son and also we will support you and your family and take care of you.  I asked them just like, whenever did you try and do that.  Whenever did you try to be so kind.  Why would you want to be that kind to me.  They said, no, you know at times we are like that although people mistake us to be so evil.
 On that very Saturday or that happened on that very Saturday and we inside that room, dark as it was, I was asking Killer, Killer why do you think this is going on and on.  Killer said, you know what, I think you must be quiet now. Just keep quiet because they are going to keep you, they are going to kill you now if you keep asking questions.  Well, I said, okay Killer, I will take your advice, I will be quiet and I just shut up.  They said to, they came back again in the room.  They said you now have to keep quiet about this.  What you have seen and witnessed, you must keep PRETORIA HEARING TRC/GAUTENG
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quiet about it, you must not tell any person that also how brutally he was injured and killed.  You have a big mouth, you must try to keep your mouth shut because that will be detrimental to you if you talk anything.  
 We were taken back home and at home they asked me what did you see.  I kept quiet since I was warned to keep quiet because if I say anything that will be detrimental to me.  In the afternoon that day there was a TV, we were turning on the TV and we saw something that was astounding and we were like, what it is that they are saying.  They say a corpse was discovered in Britz and it is not known who the killer, the marauders were.  We cried and some Comrades came in to ask what has happened.  We have seen on the TV what has happened.  
 On Monday morning I went to the police.  When they came into the house they could not see us.  They got so mad for the fact that they could not find us home.  You know, every now and again they could come into my house.  So many cars would be parked outside as if they were running after some animal of some kind.  When we went with Killer to the attorney in town I said to them, you know, I have seen a lawyer of the Human Rights, let us go there.  They refused, they said, no, we have our own lawyer, let us go to our own lawyer.  I do not know whom they have sent there, you know, to trap us or something because we are always under surveillance.  They knew every single action that we were doing.  My girl said she saw a white man fidgeting with the telephone receiver as is there was something they were putting inside the telephone.  
 We went to the lawyer to give statements and also what we have witnessed.  They were there.  There, you know, I was PRETORIA HEARING TRC/GAUTENG
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like a bunny of some kind, an animal because they were always running after me.  You know, we each, at times I would even try to hide and they will just pass not seeing me where I have hidden.  That was the kind of life I was under those days.  People would ask me what is happening, you keep running and so forth.  I said, well, that is the kind of life I am leading now. We eventually went to the lawyer and the lawyer also came outside and told me that, you know, someone broke into my office as well.  I think this statement of David's must be kept under serious conditions because they are looking for this statement.  
 When we were looking opposite of the lawyer's office there was a parking space for the vehicle.  We could see them in that parking area, parking lot looking direct to the office of the attorney.  You see they could not see us inside the office, but we could see them outside.  One of them ...