Human Rights Violation Hearings — Mmabatho — 1996-07-08

THOMAS MANTHATA: What were you in the student organization?

UNKNOWN: I was an activist and I was a representative on the SRC.

THOMAS MANTHATA: You said they hit you and then you ultimately agreed to what they were saying.  How did they assault you?

UNKNOWN: They were kicking me with their boots. They were hitting me with their fists and some of them were fiddling with my private parts.

THOMAS MANTHATA: You say here, you agreed with Van Rensburg.  How did you plead yourself?

UNKNOWN: They said if I know of anything that the youth organised I will have to meet him and every time we would meet at the Kimberley Road.  And I would see his lights and then I would know that it was him.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Now, did you fulfil those promises?

UNKNOWN: No, I did not.

THOMAS MANTHATA: They said they told you to make a petrol bomb.  Did you know how to make a petrol bomb?

UNKNOWN: No, I did not, but I knew how to mix it.
You know, the thing that I couldn't get right - you were suppose to put a cloth in it and then light it.  But I thought you just take the matches sticks and just put them into the bottle and seal the bottle.

THOMAS MANTHATA: You said they took you to the doctor?  Do you remember the name of the doctor?

UNKNOWN: I can't remember if it was Gurio junior or senior, because it was on a Saturday and we went to his MMABATHO HEARING TRC/NORTH WEST
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home, it was in the afternoon.  I am finished.

MR RANDERA: Malebu, can you just tell us what your expectations from the Truth Commission is.

UNKNOWN: I would request the Commission - I don't know many of the perpetrators, I know only a few, the ones that I have mentioned.  There were many of them.  They would come in shifts and I am requesting that they would come forth.  And I have lost my teeth and I would like to be compensated so that I could fill the gap in my mouth.

MR RANDERA: Malebu, one more question please.   We have heard so many people today talking about the system of informers.  The police seemed to be using this method very often and you yourself through your torture was asked to become an informer.
 Can you tell us your impressions of that period and about the informer system particularly.

UNKNOWN: To be an informer you were supposed to go to the gatherings and take information and give it to the police.  According to me that was very dangerous, because the end of it would be a conflict between you and your fellow comrades.  Because they would even go to an extent of injuring you or at the end you would put people's lives in danger.

MR RANDERA: I want to ask one last question.   What were the police offering people to become informers?

UNKNOWN: They gave you money.

MR RANDERA: Thank you Malebu.  We want to thank you with your sacrifice, you're the youth.  I think I have already mentioned when we were talking to the previous speaker that you think of the pains that you have been through and if you think of the freedom that we have - we have the President of MMABATHO HEARING TRC/NORTH WEST
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our choice and we are free. 
 Now the pains that you have been through today we are reaping the fruits thereof.   If we decided that you are a victim they will see whether it is possible to buy you some teeth so that if you laugh we don't see that gap.  Thank you very much.
 I think it is a wonderful thing that we are able to joke, but when you think that many of these were children at the time when they underwent some of these traumatic things.  And maybe it is the gift that God has given us to be able to laugh.   Perhaps if we did not laugh we would cry.
 And that is part of the miracle of this country.   That very many, I mean it is not just Malebu, many of our children underwent sometimes unspeakable things and we want their stories to be told. To be written in our history books.    But also for those stories to be known so that we don't become guilty of the kind of things that were done to them.  We should say never again in our country will anyone, but especially children be expected to pay such a price.
 And we salute them.  We salute many who have paid a very heavy price.
 And our freedom was not cheap.  And that is why we must nurse it and not allowed it to be spoiled.