Human Rights Violation Hearings — Pietersburg — 1996-07-17

MRS MADISHA: They were friends from the same school.  dudu usually wrote notes.

MS SEROKE: Dudu wrote notes, can you please explain to us what was written in his, the notes that he left in his jacket, what were they saying?

MRS MADISHA: No there were lots of notes in his jacket.  First of all he wrote poetry and others were just after effects that he was relating that in custody he was being tortured and he wrote about the policeman, van der Merwe, Abraham Makai, Langa Byebye and the other one whose name I forgot to write, Mr Meni Mpunana.  Those four were the police.  They said Rapulo was MK.

MS SEROKE: Was Dudu as well?

MRS MADISHA: I should think so, I'm not sure but I should think so now.

MS SEROKE: In your statement you said Colin Matlaiele was given a message that she must tell you that your son was tortured.  Did he explain to you how he was tortured?

MRS MADISHA: Colin Matlaiele told me after my son had died because I think he was afraid to tell me what really  happened.  And then he said to me, Dudu said, if he saw someone going home, they must please tell his mother that people are killing him there.

CHAIRPERSON: Your son was detained in January 1990.  This was just before the unbanning of political organisations, and he was kept in detention until the first of June 1990. On what day was it said that he died?  Do you have any idea for what the reason was for this detention, was there anything specific that the police wanted to know or were they questioning about anything specifically?

MRS MADISHA: I didn't know why he was arrested but they suspected that there were bullets.  And I went to his bedroom, I found some dry cleaning which I didn't know to whom it belonged.  They just told me that he had hanged himself with his shirt.

CHAIRPERSON: You've got those notes that your son kept and wrote down?

MRS MADISHA: I still have some at home, because I told myself that I'm going to give them to his son, the one that his mother was expecting at that time. So I kept them to give to my grand child.

CHAIRPERSON: Is it possible for you to let us have copies of that so that we can also try and piece together what happened?

MRS MADISHA: Some of those notes were taken by the inquest people but I still have some and I can bring them to you.

CHAIRPERSON: We'd appreciate that, and also, we did manage to get hold of the inquest records, one of our investigators, and according to the inquest records, the district surgeons who were on duty at that time, they were seen to be negligent in their conduct, because apparently the night just before your son died, the feeling of the inquest record is that the medical practitioners should have behaved more responsibly, but we do have copies of inquest records and if you can give us whatever other information you have, I'm sure it will be useful for us to try and piece together what happened.  But thanks for your testimony.  I don't know if there's anyone else who would like to ask some questions.

MR MALAN: You said that when you went to Potgietersrus, that you asked whether your son was there, they said, "No we don't hold politicians here, look for him in Pietersburg", is that correct?

MRS MADISHA: It when I was in Pietersburg that they said they don't keep politicians there and they sent me another police station which is near to Radio Bantu.

MR MALAN: You have no information which can help us a little bit more about your son's political activity and involvement?  Are you sure he never held any position in any of the organisations?

MRS MADISHA: I just knew that he was a politician.  As I said he was a member of the UDF and then afterwards, possibly MK, but I didn't know that they brought bullets into my house.  I just realised when police came and took him.

PROF MEIRING: One follow up question, we will be hearing evidence a little later in the afternoon from Mrs Maditse about her son William.  He apparently got involved four days before your son first disappeared.  He was shot and killed.  Were they friends?  Your son and William Maditse?

MRS MADISHA: I don't know, because two boys came and I didn't know whether they were friends.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you very much for your testimony
Hearing adjourns.