Human Rights Violation Hearings — East London — 1996-04-18

MIKE KOTA: While I was sitting it wasn't long after she went into the house I heard a knock at the door.  It was knocking, "Michael, Michael open the door. My house is
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burning, my children, open it's me I am burning".  I opened the door.  When I opened the door I saw Sister Mahonga.  Her chest was burnt, her hair was burning.  She said to me a bomb was thrown at my chest.  Well I went out, I understood that these are people, people who did this are really from around, they are not from far.  Well I went out of the kitchen door because there wasn't anybody, Mr Betane was not at home that day, I rushed out of the kitchen door and I saw this house burning, it was aflame, smoke coming out of the windows.  
 I saw two people running away.  They were taking the direction heading the police station.  The police station is about 200 metres from Sister Mahonga's house.  Those people were wearing balaclavas heading for the police station.  They went into the car that was close to the police station.  It was a Toyota 16 valve, the registration number was CB, and they sped off.

MR SANDI: Do you say the car's registration was CB, didn't you realise the numbers?

MIKE KOTA: No, I couldn't get the numbers.

MR SANDI: Was it at night?

MIKE KOTA: Yes it was because it was at night.  The car sped off and I said to Nonkuthalo can we try to take the children out of the house.  I think there was a child of about eight years.  She was sleeping while the house was burning.  This child really cried and we went in to fetch her.  People came out.  The response that night was very promising.  They were flocking to the house to come and help us.
 Well when the people passed near the police station shots went off.  They were shots from automatic rifles.  These people trying to help were shot. 
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MR SANDI: Were you saying the police were shooting people who were heading to help put the fire out?

MIKE KOTA: Yes, those people were being shot at.  Well they went back because they were fearing for their lives.  They kept on shooting and shooting and shooting. Well this continued.  When we tried to put the fire out, just before the fire could be ...(intervention)

MR SANDI: Are you telling me that they took another alternative way, was the road next to the police station the shorter way to the house?

MIKE KOTA: Yes, they took the longer alternative route, because this other one was very short.  They couldn't pass because they were being shot at.

MR SANDI: Now did they arrive and could you manage to put the fire out?

MIKE KOTA: Yes, they managed.  The police were already standing outside at the verandah.  They were saying "that is good for you".  Well we didn't realise at that time that those were very heavy and unacceptable words.  When we tried to extinguish the fire this time the shots were now directed at us.  We ran for our lives.  The Reverend was also there, and then we tried to hit, police were still shooting at us.

MR SANDI: The house was still burning at that time?

MIKE KOTA: Yes the house was still burning at that time.  The police were just standing there, they didn't come to help us, they are killing people, they are shooting people, the people that were supposed to help put out the fire.

MR SANDI: This thing that is (...indistinct) "serves you right", how did you take that?

MIKE KOTA: Well it gave me the impression that the police were involved in this, because according to what I heard
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they were supposed to lend a helping hand, not to say "serves you right".
 Now during those times the conditions about politics, you know there were harassments, many harassments directed at Sister Mahonga, she was detained by those police.  I wasn't really expecting them to come and help, but that was a condition that was needing urgent attention.
 Well we managed to extinguish the fire.  Sister Mahonga was taken to the clinic.  The sisters on duty called an ambulance urgently and it took her to the hospital.  The sister on duty that day received a telephone call threatening her why did she call an ambulance.  Sister Mahonga went to the hospital that is when she was transferred to East London, and she passed away here in East London.

MR SANDI: Did she die on that same day or the next day?

MIKE KOTA: I think she died five days after that.  It was after comrades went to visit her and members of the organisation.

MR SANDI: According to the doctor's report was she severely burnt?

MIKE KOTA: According to the doctor's report that bomb really had an effect on her, she was burnt.

MR SANDI: Can you explain a bit to us about the post mortem, what does the report say?

MIKE KOTA: Even if I didn't get a chance to read the post mortem or to have a look at it, we heard that she was killed by the wounds from burning.

MR SANDI: After her funeral what happened at home?

MIKE KOTA: After she was buried the police were just around, even before they were going up and down.  You know during
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prayer sessions the security police were coming to meet the people from the prayers, they were making jokes saying, "now have a look at your struggle".

MR SANDI: Were there problems on the day of the funeral, I mean from the police side?

MIKE KOTA: As there was an organisation ANC Women's League Comrade Stofile was supposed to address the masses. The police and the soldiers were in large numbers there.  They were very armed and they were surrounding us.  Even on our proceeding to the cemetery the police were there and the soldiers as well, heavily armed.

MR SANDI: Mr Kota can we go back to the car that was CB, was there anybody in the car?

MIKE KOTA: That car I saw in the day.  As I have said before Seymour was not such a big town, it was easy for me to see that car during the day, because there were few cars during that time at Seymour.  This car I saw during the day it was driven by Mhlungisi Willi, Constable Mhlungisi Willi, and he was together with people that I couldn't recognise because they were wearing balaclavas.

MR SANDI: Constable Mhlungisi Willi that you saw on that day was he the one driving that car, did you see him driving and others wearing balaclavas?

MIKE KOTA: Yes, I saw him driving and others wearing balaclavas, no he wasn't wearing a balaclava.

MR SANDI: There is a person who confessed seeing the car, can you tell us and explain exactly what this person said?

MIKE KOTA: Yes this is Nonzi Mayike, she saw the car twice, it was very close to Sister Mahonga's house and it was being driven by this that I have now explained.  When Nonzima explained she said Willi said to her there were two
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handgrenades in the car and a big rifle.

MR SANDI: Is Nonzi Mayike here today?

MIKE KOTA: Yes she is around here today.

MR SANDI: Would you make a request that she comes up to also ...(tape ends) ...someone saw this car.

MIKE KOTA: She saw the car at the Post Office site.  It was driven by the same person that I have already mentioned.  He's also here.

MR SANDI: Was there a case taken to the court of law with regard to this whole matter?

MIKE KOTA: Yes we went to open a criminal case at the police station.  The police said to us there is not enough evidence about the death of Sister Mahonga.  Well we went to see our advocates.  We were using Linden Dorrington at that time. They tried their level best to meet with the Attorney General so that an inquest might be opened.  Now the Attorney General permitted the inquest to take place, now that inquest it put everything clear about the investigations, that Constable Willi and others are the killers of Sister Mahonga.