Human Rights Violation Hearings — Krugersdorp — 1996-11-14

CHAIRPERSON: Mothers and sisters, we welcome you all.  We will ask you to take an oath from Dr Randera.  We will ask Mrs Selebi to stand up. Since they are here to talk about the same thing, they should rather be here on the stage at the same time to tell us about the same event, relating to what the previous victim has just said.
 Whilst we are waiting for them to come to the stage we will welcome Mr Bafan Kholosi, who is the deputy mayor of Krugersdorp TLC and who is a councillor of Ward 14.  We will request him to stand up so that you can recognise him.  
 We are happy at your coming here and happy that you are with us today.

DR RANDERA: Mrs Selebi, good morning.

UNKNOWN: Good morning, Sir.

DR RANDERA: You are going to tell us something about your brother, Bimbo, is that right?

UNKNOWN: That's true, Sir.

UNKNOWN: (Duly sworn, states).

DR RANDERA: Thank you, ma'am.

MS SEROKE: We will ask Mrs Gumede to stand up.

DR RANDERA: Mrs Gumede, welcome.  Can you hear me?

UNKNOWN: Yes, I can hear you.
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DR RANDERA: You are also going to be talking about your brother Fanjana.

UNKNOWN: (Duly sworn, states).

CHAIRPERSON: I will request Mrs Lebakeng to stand up, please.

DR RANDERA: Mrs Lebakeng, you are going to be talking about Peter Matabane. Is that right?

MRS LEBAKENG: Yes, that is correct.

MRS LEBAKENG: (Duly sworn, states).

CHAIRPERSON: We will ask questions about these children, and that each and everyone should, concerning each and everyone, what kind of a person and how you as families felt after this incident happened. In that regard we will ask Mrs Selebi to start.  If Commissioners have any questions, they will ask those questions, but for now, we want you as relatives and parents, to tell us about the lives of your children.

UNKNOWN: I am Mada Selebi, I am here today to talk about my younger brother Bimbo.  Bimbo was very young in 1982.  He was 14 years old.  He was going to be 15.  At that time I was away from home. I was in a college in Tembisa Hospital, training as a nurse. Most of the things what my brother did I was not aware of. Because of his age I never thought that he may be involved in politics.  The information relating to his death came as a shock to me, because I was not aware of his involvement in politics.  I could not understand how such a young boy of 14 years could be bombed in a mine.  His death was very painful to our family.  My mother was disturbed by this.  She was a diabetic.  After his death she started suffering from cardiac problems. Thereafter her situation, her health deteriorated until she passed in 1986.  KRUGERSDORP HEARING TRC/GAUTENG
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That will be the end of my story.

CHAIRPERSON: Mrs Gumede, if you can come closer to the microphone and tell us about your brother.

UNKNOWN: My name is Emily Gumede. I am here on behalf of my brother and what happened to him before he died.

CHAIRPERSON: Can you bring your chair closer so that we can hear you clearly.

UNKNOWN: It was on a Monday.  I met him somewhere next to my grandmother's house. I asked him where he was going. He said he was coming back, he was going to Colloseum.  The following day we didn't see him.  When I was at school my uncle came and said something is wrong at home, we must go home immediately.  His death was very painful, because he was not a person who liked to walk all over the place. He liked his books. He was also helping me in my studies, if I had some problems.  I used to trust my brother.  When he passed away I failed at school because he was helping me.  My grandmother suffered from a heart attack.  She died immediately after his death. I will end there.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you very much, Mrs Gumede.  How old was Fanjane at the time, you didn't tell us?

UNKNOWN: He was 16 years old.

CHAIRPERSON: Can you give Mrs Lebakeng the microphone so that she can also tell us her story.

MRS LEBAKENG: I am Zolifilo Lebankeng. I am here on behalf of my brother Bimbo Matabane, and relating to his death.  My brother Matabane left on a Friday, after finishing his Std 10 examinations. He said he is going to the Colloseum.  I refused, but he said he was being accompanied by Bimbo, I cannot disappoint them, I have to go with them.   I did not want him to go, but I could not convince him.  Seeing that
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he was accompanied by friends, I allowed him to go.  We did not see him on the Saturday and the Sunday, but on Monday policemen came to find out from us where he is. We told them we don't know but his best friends are Bimbo and Zandi.  They said to us these children went to the mine with the intention of robbery, but they are dead, and we must make sure that at eight o'clock we must be at the Government mortuary in Krugersdorp, and a minute after eight we will not be able to find them. We did as they said.  When we got to that Government mortuary they were placed on top of a table.  Their bodies were torn apart.  His leg was broken off, it was placed next to his body. If you didn't know Bimbo you wouldn't be able to identify him.  We were also not certain at some stage.  We were sure because we knew what clothes he was wearing when he left.  That the one thing that made us certain that that was his body. 
 As time passed the policemen came to ask us where he is.  Mr Nkosi came in and I said to him you killed him, what else do you want.  The white man who accompanied him said you are a wise kaffir. I just kept quiet.  During the night vigil they came again and they said to my father he must come and tell them where his child is.  I said to him leave my father, he knows nothing.  At that time my father was travelling all over the country, he knew nothing about Nthingu.  
 Time passed and we went to court.  When we got to the court their lawyer was Priscilla Jana.  We don't know how those children got to the mine, but how can children try to rob a mine because there is no money at the mine. That was the first question we asked ourselves. At the court they had his watch and a ball-point pen.  They said that those are 
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the things that showed us that this is Nthingu who had an intention to rob the mine.  When we asked how were they going to rob the mine.  Then they decided to change their statements and they said to us they had bombs and these are the same bombs that killed them, because they were trying to test them.
 Mr Nkosi came back later and when he came back - I don't remember what happened afterwards, but I told Mr Nkosi that please leave us alone, because we don't know what happened to that child.  That was the end.

CHAIRPERSON: In the beginning we did not ask who is accompanying you, so that we will be able to know if they are parents or relatives.

UNKNOWN: I am with my father.

CHAIRPERSON: Is that your father at the back?

MRS LEBAKENG: Yes, that is my father.

UNKNOWN: I came with my grandmother.

MRS LEBAKENG: I came with my aunt, she is behind me.

CHAIRPERSON: We welcome you, father and mothers, that you are able to come regarding this terrible incident.  I will hand over to my fellow Commissioners.  Those who want to ask questions will do so.

DR RANDERA: First of all, can I just express my deepest sympathies at the death of all these young people, to all of you who are here today.  We thank you very much for coming.
 My first question is in fact related to what Zandile Musi had to say, that the suspicion that seemed to have been engendered by the death of your respective brothers. Can we ask all of you to say something in response to that.

CHAIRPERSON: Who will reply first? I want to understand whether you did understand Dr Randera's question?
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UNKNOWN: Can you please repeat the question.