Human Rights Violation Hearings — East London — 1997-06-09

MR MOSE: Thank you for this opportunity to speak about my elder brother.  As my father just said, it was in 1983.  He disappeared on the morning of the 31rst of October.  We used to share a bed.  He would wake up before me whilst our parents were still sleeping and warm up some water to have a bath and then he'd go to my parents room to get money for the Daily Dispatch Newspaper and a loaf of bread.  He did that as usual.  He was given money to go and buy the Daily Dispatch and bread at Nogos.  This was when the Lennox Sebe building was still there.  My brother never came back from the shop.   Years passed and we did not know where my brother was.
 In 1989 or '90,  Balulwana from Lusaka wrote to us as the family saying that my brother is in exile at the ANC camps in Lusaka.  I'm sad when speaking of this letter.  This letter was taken by a Comrade from exile who was going to look for my brother.  We could not find this letter yesterday or to-day.  After Luyanda's disappearance we were never happy at home and there was never peace because the Special Branch and the soldiers would come to my house looking for Luyanda and we did not know where he was.  We also wanted to know where he was.  
 On day when I was at school and my father was at work, the Special Branch came, according to my mother.  They searched the house upside down and they found a COSAS card on which was written Luyanda Eric Mose.  This card was an identification that he was a COSAS member.  They found his album and looked for photographs.  They would ask my mother why my brother would have his fist up in all his pictures.  They left the album behind.  It was their mistake because after they left, my mother thought that they'd come back for these pictures so she dug a hole in the garden and hid it.  
 As we were looking for my brother in those years, the soldiers came the one night at about midnight I think.  They surrounded my yard.  It was myself, my father and my mother at home.  My father asked who it was and they demanded that we open the door.  As my father was about to open the door he put the light on outside and they demanded that he should switch it off.  There was a multitude of soldiers around the house.  One of the soldiers badges fell and we kept it at home.

MS MAYA: What soldiers were these?

MR MOSE: The Ciskeian soldiers.

MS MAYA: What did they want?

MR MOSE: They searched, looking for Luyanda and we told them that Luyanda disappeared.

MS MAYA: After how long did they leave.

MR MOSE: After quite a while.  They said that if Luyanda comes back we'd have to inform them.  We didn't know exactly what they wanted from Luyanda.

MS MAYA: Lundi, how old was Luyanda when he disappeared?  When was he born?  Do you remember?

MR MOSE: He was borne in 1966.

MS MAYA: Was there any conflict between Luyanda and the police before he disappeared?  Why did he go into exile?

MR MOSE: Luyanda was a very quiet boy, even my parents didn't know exactly what kind of person he was because he wasn't a person who opened up.  He liked to go and visit my maternal grandmother.  My grandmother would chase him away after he found the COSAS documents because my grandmother did not know about these things.  This is why he was harassed.  We were shocked when my grandmother explained to my mother that my brother was a COSAS member.
 In 1990 we got a phone call at my mother's place.  We do not have a phone at home but my mother's place is very modern so there was a phone.  My brother phoned, saying that he'd gone to London to school.  My uncle asked who took him to London to school and he said, the organization.  He said he was an MK therefore he was an ANC member and he'd gone to study in London.

MS MAYA: Lundi, according to your statement you said that Luyanda disappeared and organizations were unbanned.  People came home but Luyanda never came home.  What do you know?

MR MOSE: We only know of the last call saying that he was in London.  People came back from exile, there were elections and we were still searching for my brother.  We'd go to the ANC offices together with my father. We'd go to Human Rights attorneys and they'd send us back to the ANC offices but we got no information about my brother.  As I read in the media, I thought that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission would be the correct channel for me to come and make a statement about my brother.  Perhaps there could be a lead as you would investigate his whereabouts.  My father, Mr Mose searched for my brother and he was called to the Majaga offices this year where they filled in forms.  We received a reply from the Department of Finance in Pretoria for a special pension fund also referring to my brother as a deceased.  We were in turmoil because they were speaking about both the pension fund and about the deceased.  I made a copy of this letter and took it straight to the Truth Commission's offices at the N.B.S. to discuss it.  I reported this matter and we then got this letter whilst we were waiting to appear before the Commission.  I asked the people at the Commission to interpret for me.  They said that we must go back to the place where my Dad had filled in the form.

MS MAYA: Excuse me Lundi.  You're talking about the Majaga offices?  What offices are these?

MR MOSE: They are ANC and PAC offices.

MS MAYA: So up to this day you do not know what has happened to Luyanda Mose?  What is your request before the Commission?

MR MOSE: As I made my statement before the Truth Commission, I requested that if, especially in the African National Congress, the Commanders that were in exile could please reveal my brother's whereabouts.  I highlighted that point.  Especially Ronnie Kasrils and Modise because they were the people that were in charge in exile.  Even the late Chris Hani.  I'm concerned that he left us because he's one of the people who passed away and how they died whilst in exile.  If my brother passed away whilst in exile, we need a proper burial, a memorial.  Perhaps the reason why things are not going well at home is because we don't know what happened to my bother.  Maybe he's still alive.

MS MAYA: Thank you, both of you.  I only have one last person.  There's a man called Cindele Mfazi who's the last person to have seen him in Lusaka.  Have you spoken to Cindele?

MR MOSE: Thank you.  Cindele is the person I talked about.  The letter that Luyanda wrote whilst in Lusaka.  Cindele was requested by my parents to investigate about Luyanda.  He said he would and he'd seen my brother in Angola in 1986, not in Lusaka, in Angola in 1986.  We gave this letter to Cindele who was going to investigate amongst other -   It was evident then that my brother was in exile because Cindele had seen him as well.

MS MAYA: Can I proceed with Lindiswa?   Lindiswa you are also going to give testimony about yourself.  Is that so ?

MRS NGWENYA: Yes, that is so.

MS MAYA: You were also shot on this particular day when people were shot because of the bus boycott in Mdantsane?

MRS NGWENYA: Yes, that is correct.

MS MAYA: You're story is different because you were shot inside your house.

MRS NGWENYA: Yes.

MS MAYA: Please tell us exactly what happened to you.