Human Rights Violation Hearings — Zeerust — 1997-05-06

MR SEREKO: May I start ?   In 1989, in December, there was confusion in our village.  We were attacked at night.  There were knocking at people's doors.  They were taking roofs off the houses.  We negotiated, as the youth, that it's painful whilst we're asleep, we would hear our neighbour screaming and we do nothing about it.
 It happened that on the 12th, it was on a Friday.  A certain neighbour was screaming and running towards our house.  We woke up to see what was happening.  We went out to her house, we saw a certain man running, we chased him but we couldn't catch him because it was at night and there were no lights.  Then on that Friday again, we agreed that we should mobilise ourselves to protect our community against the police and even against those people who are attacking us.  We did that, we as a youth went to the tribal councillor.  We asked him to take us to the Chief to explain of what was happening.  We told him what was happening, that people were disappearing, that we as a youth, we tried to trace those who had, who have disappeared.  That tribal councilor explained to us that he's experiencing the same thing because he was saying his son has come back home from his shack house.  He told us that it is during the night, we cannot go to the Chief but he said again that because he's working with the Chief, he would explain to the Chief of our problem and again he allowed us to go on with our work to protect the community.   After that we went to the village to request the youth.  All of us agreed, mobilised ourselves and we went to the road to Mafeking, others on the entrance to Nteqwana, others to the road leading to Sepere so that we would observe all cars which are coming inside our village as whether are they were coming to attack us or are they coming peacefully.  We who were  at the entrance to Zeerust, met a Hippo, then they asked us what we were doing.  We were explain to them that we have problems.  We are protecting our community because there are people that are attacking us at night.  Those policemen asked us, what authority, who gave you the authority to protect your community?  We explained to them that the tribal councillor gave us the go ahead to protect and then again he's going to meet the Chief to explain him of our problem.  They asked us about a certain car which has proceeded towards our direction but we told them that we did not see that car.  
 We patrolled our village the whole night and then in the morning until, in the morning we didn't see any car coming towards our village.  The following day, on a Saturday, we called  a meeting of all community members and to explain to the Chief of our problem.  During  that  meeting,  we  explained  the problem but adults said to us, we are children and we don't know anything and we will not achieve everything.  They told us that there are police who are doing that work and that work is for the police only.  We, we could see the attitude of the police, that they were not, they were against the idea that we should protect the community, but because the Chief and his tribal council agreed with us, therefore we were willing to protect and to help because in many instances we were see people who left their houses to work, their families are not protected.  In our discussions with the Chief and the community, the Chief and his Councillors rejected our offer but we told them that we understand what they're saying but we said to them, we are going to continue with our work whether you like it or not, because we don't want to hear any person, or we don't want to see any person being attacked by any people we don't know.  It will be our responsibility to arrest any person who is attacking anyone who is in our community.  
 Then our Chief agreed that he was going to meet Chief Monamere on the Tuesday to tell them about our problem.  We told them that it is now Saturday, if you're going to tell us on Tuesday, if anything happens during the interim, that any person disappears or somebody is killed, whose responsibility is it going to be?  But we were not answered but alternately Chief and his Councillors instructed us that they will address us on Tuesday to tell us of their reply.  But we told that the very same day, on Saturday, we will continue with our work.  During that night on a Saturday, we offered that we will patrol our village.  
 During the night, it might be around 10 o'clock, we were on the road towards  Dinogama.  A car came towards us and the owner of that car, he was our neighbour and he was a policeman, together  with his wife.  We stopped that car, we spoke to the driver,  we  asked  him, where is he going,  but he said to us he's going  to the restaurant, but we said, for us to believe that you're going to the restaurant leave your spare wheel and go with some of us, so as we may certify as whether you are going there or you're using this reason as an, as an excuse.  
 After that, after some time they came back and we agreed, we saw that he was a visitor and then we saw him that he was innocent.  A certain car was owned by Mr and Mrs Legotlo.  When we looked at that car, he was together with the Chief and together with his town council.  All of them were seven in that car.  We asked them, where do you come from during this time of the night?   They answered that, as we said that we're going to the Chief on Tuesday, we saw it fit that we should meet the Chief now to explain to him all your problems, but we asked them, why do you hold this meeting at night?  Then they said, we went at night because we were at work, then now, after knocked off, we decided that we should go there during the night.  We asked them, as you are going to the Chief were you not at work, but they told us that they wanted to do their tribal responsibilities first, then thereafter they would go to the Chief.  We told them that because you come from the Chief at night, you'll take the responsibly that those people who are attacking us at night.  It seems you are the very same people whom we are looking for.  
 After we said that  some  of our group wanted to fight with the Chief and his council, but we reprimanded them that these are old people.  We will talk with them the following day.  We stayed there patrolling the village.  We patrolled the whole night.
 Then on Sunday, as I'm a citizen of Kutswana, that's staying at the end of the village, in the afternoon of that day, whilst I was pre myself to go to the sports ground the police came and assaulted some of the people in our village.  Some people were arrested who were selling liquor.  Even  the  person who is sitting next to me, he, since he was beaten from  that Sunday.  Our parents supported us and went to the police station to plead with the police for our release.  We went to play soccer until late in the afternoon.   Our induna, who's Jack Tobe, came to us and said we should not patrol on that Sunday, we should sit down with him and discuss this problem, but we told him that we will talk whilst we are still patrolling, because if you're going to sit down, many things are going to be wasted.  He tried to negotiate with us, but some of us told him that we saw the Chief in the evening  and now we see you again, so we don't want to see you in the evening.  That Sunday passed by.  
 On a Monday, Mr Isak Moloi, who is our neighbour who was the police  officer in our local police station came to the village and they were armed with guns, with four cars and one private car.  Their intention was that they had a list of people who were written on that list and they were coming to collect those people that appeared on that list.  Ultimately, all of us we were taken by those police cars, even if he didn't appear on the list, but they would make you to go into the car.  Then they took us to Motswedi.  When we alighted at those police cars we arrived among the police.  The police they did  torture us at that time.  They did to us many things, terrible things.  I don't believe that if something can do those things to them, they will stand for it.  They tortured us from Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  They were torturing us all the time, even when they were taking statements from us, they were assaulting us too and forcing us to write what they want us to write, not what we want to write.  We completed writing those statements on Wednesday, but we knew that we were arrested because we were patrolling, but they said we are overthrowing the government.
 On Tuesday, we appeared in court.  We were prosecuted in court, then the Magistrate gave us a free bail.  We went home at that time, on Tuesday, on Thursday.  On Friday we were taken to Dr Koch in Zeerust and he gave us medical treatment and gave us medication.  Dr Koch gave us a lawyer who'd defend us in court.  We had our meeting in Wimberbag, at the Lutheran Church.  From there we went home.  After that we started being prosecuted then up to 1992.  At the end the case was dismissed because we were not found guilty.  
 Then, thereafter we talked amongst ourselves knowing that we don't have the future for us because we wanted  to lay a civil claim against the police.  Ultimately, we didn't, we didn't have money to go forward with the civil claim.  We said, because we were not found guilty, we'll try that all community meetings, we should look for authority, even if the Chief can write us a letter and call us to his office, we will not go there.  All of us who were arrested, we were twenty one, agreed that we would not go to any tribal meeting, we'll not associate ourselves with the Chief.  That's all what I can testify to.  
 We stayed from 1989 up to now.  Some of us are infected with TB's and we are affected by many diseases and we are not able to find work because, if you go to Slurry, our neighbours would say we are the people who are overthrowing the government, therefore there is nowhere where we can be employed.