Human Rights Violation Hearings — Piet Retief — 1997-05-21

THERESA MALINGA: First of all I would like to say thank you for this opportunity that has been afforded me. I also thank the Truth and Reconciliation Committee for the time they've spent and coming to listen to us, how we've been harassed and tortured in 1993. As Rose has explained everything it was a painful year to me.  But what I'd like to pass on to the community of Thandukukhanya is that we thank them in the  special way they've worked with us, because those days were difficult and scary days but they supported us through and through, and we were able to face the whole situation.
 That's the first think that I would like to thank the community of Thandukukhanya for in that they were very supportive in the whole thing.
 Secondly Rose has said almost everything, there's nothing much that I will add because we were together when they were killed and to the end what.  What I would like highlight shortly is the way things changed after 9 June 1993 to date. I faced difficulties after my husband's death because the boy came in an sat in my husband's house and when I heard from the kids they said he arrived at about three and I got home only about five. Seeing that he was Magudulela's relative that we were staying together with, I could not tell the boy to go away but I let him stay and wait for Mr Magudelela.  I prepared tea for him until I started dishing up supper and I served him supper.
 These I things I did for this guy and that bothered me after that.  It appeared to my in-laws that I knew the boy and it appeared as if I arranged the whole thing and yet that was not true. That was just a practice at my house that each person who comes to my house, a visitor, we would serve him tea, and my husband was a peoples' person and liked socialising and I respected his friends as well. As I was faced with those difficulties as we were also preparing for the funeral there was no peace at all because I was being suspected as if I had arranged this whole thing.  So the preparations were not smooth at all but I thank God that he has made an opportunity like this, that we can pass all that we want to say to the community and also to my in-laws as well.
 It also got to the extent that the perpetrators admitted and came forth.  I'm summing up the whole thing. I can't go back as to what happened because Rose has already said everything.  What Rose has said is exactly what I would have said.
 My husband's death was such a tragedy to me, even to this day.  We miss him a great deal and at times we are so scared because we don't know what tomorrow holds. On the 6th May we were called in Nelspruit when the perpetrators appeared in front of the Amnesty Committee and they were asking for forgiveness and showed remorse.  One other difficulty that I face is the fact that it's not quite clear who killed my husband.  I was attacked by thugs at work and one gentleman came with three people and others were standing by the gate and he got inside my office in the clinic and he introduced himself as a relative of my husband.  As I took a look at him I could not place him anywhere.  I didn't know him but as we were conversing  thanked him that there is somebody in the family who can still reach out to me even though others are suspecting me. As we were talking about what happened in June something touched him as he was wrapping up his conversation. He said he was brought to kill me but what he had asked for from those who brought him was that he wanted to talk to me first, but he thanked me a lot because he had heard me and he won't kill me anymore.
 Confused as I was I said that maybe he should go ahead and kill me and kill my children as well and just finish the whole job.  And he said he won't do that but what he does, he kills people who are wrong and perpetrators but as for me I was innocent, so he won't go on ahead with the operation.
 After this guy left the office I was so scared and I was admitted in the hospital and discharged the following day.  My life changed because I was no longer free at all.  Even going to and from work I was no longer a free woman but I thank God that He protected me to this day where I am brave enough to lay my story and tell the Commission that God has kept us safe to this day.  It is not because we are wise or smart or better but it is because of His grace and also the fact that our husbands have been, God knows better and only He will look into our needs.
 What I would like to mostly thank is that there a times when things go bad and one doesn't think properly but today the truth has come to the surface and we are happy about that and we do trust and hope that the community has already heard and seen the perpetrator today.  That's all I will say.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Thank you Theresa. Are you saying that this Dhlamini was arrested.  Was he ever brought before the court?

THERESA MALINGA: Yes he was brought before the court.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Was he sentenced?

THERESA MALINGA: Yes he was sentenced to twenty years.

THOMAS MANTHATA: And he then applied for amnesty?

THERESA MALINGA: That's what I will say because on the 6th on the 6th of May he appeared before the Amnesty Committee.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Theresa where are you working?

THERESA MALINGA: I'm a nursing sister at Piet Retief Hospital.

THOMAS MANTHATA: You and Rose are nurses?

THERESA MALINGA: That's correct.

THOMAS MANTHATA: I have no further questions.  One can only thank God that you are regaining your strength and confidence in the community. Thanks for the person who told you that he does not kill people.  I will hand the whole event back to the Chairperson.

CHAIRPERSON: Hugh.

MR LEWIN: Thank you Mr Chairperson. Rose or Theresa, if I could just ask a few questions to confirm what you have said because I want to be absolutely clear about it.  You say that Dhlamini confessed that he had been sent to kill your husbands.

ROSE MAGUDULELA: That's correct, he admitted to that but his surname that we know now is Msibi.

MR LEWIN: And who did he say had sent him?

ROSE MAGUDULELA: I won't be able to disclose his name.  I'm not free to disclose the name.

THERESA MALINGA: Do you feel free to mention a group if not the name?

ROSE MAGUDULELA: He said he had been sent by and IFP member but I'm afraid, I won't mention his name.

THERESA MALINGA: And did that become clear at the Amnesty Hearing as well?

ROSE MAGUDULELA: Yes he did disclose the name of the person in front of the Amnesty Committee and also made mention of the fact that he was given money to undertake this operation and also that the person was an IFP member.

THERESA MALINGA: And can I confirm that both, Rose your husband was a civic leader was he not?

ROSE MAGUDULELA: He was the chairman of the Civic Association.

THERESA MALINGA: And a known member of the ANC?

ROSE MAGUDULELA: Yes that's correct.

THERESA MALINGA: Could I ask because your experience is unique in the hearings that we have held of people who come forward to make a statement and who have been called to an amnesty hearing. I think that it would be very useful for all of us to share your feelings, not only how you feel about coming forward to make a statement, how did you feel at the amnesty hearing when Dhlamini was making this confession?

ROSE MAGUDULELA: I felt terribly bad.  I saw him the second time around and another thing that was hurting is that the people he mentioned are people that are from Thandukukhanya and what was most painful to me was that I could tell that we are not secure at all. And also the people who sent him were not arrested.  That is why I'm saying we are not secure, myself and Theresa.  Maybe even our families are not secure because we do not know what they have in mind, especially myself.  I went to point at him in hiding, I don't feel secure at all.