Amnesty Hearings — Vanderbijlpark — 1999-05-17

MIRIAM MOLETE: It could be four to five months if I'm not mistaken.

CHAIRPERSON: Four to five months after the attack?

MIRIAM MOLETE: Yes.

CHAIRPERSON: And did you tell the person who took down the statement about the White man that injured and attacked you?

MIRIAM MOLETE: I told him everything.

MR STRYDOM: Including the Hippo you saw?

MIRIAM MOLETE: Yes.

CHAIRPERSON: What was the second question?

MR STRYDOM: Including the Hippo she saw.

CHAIRPERSON: Yes and the answer was?

MR STRYDOM: Yes.  Chairperson, I've got the exhibits ready.

CHAIRPERSON: Now would there be any objection if at some point somebody makes available to us speaking for myself, the photographs of these various motor vehicles, the suitcase, the microwave, the Koyoco?

CHAIRPERSON: Chairperson, we would have no objection, in fact we've been speaking amongst ourselves and we thought that Mr da Silva might be the correct person to bring along a chart of these different vehicles or perhaps the police, I don't know.  But we would welcome that, definitely.

MR DA SILVA: Mr Chairman, I'll try and make enquiries and I'll try and make a chart or documents available.

CHAIRPERSON: This one has a sense of - you don't have to worry about Nyala, I know Nyala.

MR DA SILVA: I'll try and do them Mr Chairman.

CHAIRPERSON: Okay.  Will there be any objection on this side?

MR STRYDOM: Not from our side Chairperson.

CHAIRPERSON: Okay.  Yes, okay very well.  Alright then.

MR STRYDOM: Chairperson I just handed out a document, unfortunately it's not paginated but it's got an index and I think we'll endeavour to paginate it during the course of the day but I'll try to point to places without paginating at this stage.  This document contains statements of witnesses my learned friend intends calling.

CHAIRPERSON: Very well shall we mark this bundle of statements by various witnesses who might be called by and on behalf of the victims GG?  Yes very well?

MR STRYDOM: Thank you Chairperson.  The first statement I'm going to refer to is the statement of this witness which is the middle of this bundle, Miriam Molete.  There are three statements made by this witness in this bundle.  On the right hand corner of this first statement, you'll find the numbering 150 to ...(intervention)

CHAIRPERSON: Does the first one follow the one by Petrus Manyika?

MR STRYDOM: Yes Chairperson.

CHAIRPERSON: Alright.

MR STRYDOM: Chairperson, you'll see that some of these statements have got lines through them, that is how we found them in the docket, I think these witnesses weren't called, it's just sort of a - I think it's marked to indicate that they were not going to be called, that's why there's a line through some of these statements on the first page.

MR LAX: Mr Strydom, is this a three page statement, the first one you're referring to?

MR STRYDOM: Yes Mr Lax.

MR LAX: Because my second page is cut off unfortunately.

MR STRYDOM: Yes unfortunately all of us, we will have to find the original again, I only realised this this morning that we've got a problem with that one but we'll try to get the original again out from the docket and then replace it in due course.

MR LAX: Can I just ask something, is the next one something like 1607 or something to that effect?  1609, it's cut off at the top.

MR STRYDOM: Ja, that's the first one I have Miriam Molete in the bundle.

MR LAX: I've got two so one comes after?

MR STRYDOM: Ja.  I want to...(intervention)

MR BERGER: If I could just - Ms Molete has indicated some problems with some of the statement so if you could just confirm which ones are and which ones are not?

MR STRYDOM: Let's start with the - I've got three statements here, the first one I want to refer you to is the statement that's only on one page which has got I think 1609 at the top.
It's a one pager.

MR BERGER: It doesn't appear 1609 at the top I think it's been just cut off.

MR STRYDOM: Ja but it's a on page hand-written statement.

MR BERGER: Perhaps if you could go by date of statement at the bottom?

MR STRYDOM: Ja, that statement is dated the 20th April 1993.  Do you see a signature on that page?  Is that your signature?

MIRIAM MOLETE: Yes it's mine.

MR STRYDOM: Now if you turn to the next page that's a further statement that's got 1502 on the top and it has three pages, it's a statement taken according to this statement on the 25th March 1993.  You see although but vaguely, but you see the your signature on that page as well, the third page?

MIRIAM MOLETE: It is not clear.

CHAIRPERSON: I think it's the one that's below paragraph 6?

MR STRYDOM: That is so Chairperson.

CHAIRPERSON: Ms Molete, can you see that, it's very faint but can you make out that signature?

MIRIAM MOLETE: I cannot see the first letter but the surname is mine.

CHAIRPERSON: But can you tell whether that is your signature or not?  Mr Berger, will you make sure that she's looking at the same?  We're looking at paragraph 6, there's a very faint signature below that.

MR BERGER: Yes, she's looking at that very one.

CHAIRPERSON: Now can you tell us what appears there is your signature or not?

MIRIAM MOLETE: Yes I can see the surname clearly but the name is not clear, yes it's mine, where there is written Molete is my surname.

CHAIRPERSON: But is it your signature?  If you can't say let us know.

MIRIAM MOLETE: It is because it's not clear but on the first page yes it's mine.

MR BERGER: The witness is talking about the first statement.

MIRIAM MOLETE: Yes indeed.

MR STRYDOM: Chairperson, we have the original available, it's just my attorney, I see he's not in the hearing now, we'll show her in due course the original.

CHAIRPERSON: Okay very well.

MR STRYDOM: Then I want you to have a look at a further statement which is a typed statement dated the 9th November 1993.  On the second page of that statement just underneath paragraph 10 there's also a signature, would that also be your signature?

MIRIAM MOLETE: Yes.

CHAIRPERSON: Wait a minute.  You see after the statement which is dated the 25th March 1993, alright, what follows here is yet another statement dated the 20th April 1993?

MR STRYDOM: Yes Chairperson, that's unfortunately the same statement has been included twice so that's the first statement and the third one would be the same.

CHAIRPERSON: Perhaps the first statement should not have been included as I see it they were intended to follow the date order.

MR STRYDOM: Ja so I will ask the first statement be deleted from the bundle.

CHAIRPERSON: Alright and then this statement is then followed by the typed one?

MR STRYDOM: That is correct, Chairperson.

CHAIRPERSON: Alright.  Okay.

MR LAX: Sorry what was your answer?  Did you ask her about her signature on the top one?

MR STRYDOM: Yes and I think she confirmed that, let's make sure?

MR LAX: Just to get the answer clearly?

MR STRYDOM: Do you confirm your signature on the last typed statement?

MIRIAM MOLETE: Yes that's mine.

CHAIRPERSON: Yes.

MR STRYDOM: Now before I cross-examine you in more detail, I just want to put it to you that in neither of these three statements do you make mention of the two people which you said were Whites with the camouflage clothing.  Can you give any explanation for that?

MIRIAM MOLETE: I don't know whether they have written that here but I told them everything that happened even though I was sick but I could remember everything.  Even now I still remember everything but I did not read the statement.

MR STRYDOM: And I also want to put to you that the Hippo you saw and the people walking with the Hippo does not appear in any one of these statements?

MIRIAM MOLETE: It is so, I don't know what is written here because I did not read the statements.

MR STRYDOM: Why did you sign the statements?