Human Rights Violation Hearings — Empangeni — 1996-11-04

WITNESS:  It was on a Saturday morning at about nine.  I don't know what was there in that place.  He was sitting with his mother as well as his brother and there came a certain person wearing a copper hat - balaclava.  We could not identify him on the face because he was wearing a balaclava.  He asked my husband that he wanted to speak to him and his brother indicated that he wanted to speak to Aaron.  This man came and said that he wanted to speak to my husband and my husband asked as to why he wanted to speak to him, but he nevertheless went to him.  When he went to him, instead of this person talking, he went away and left my husband standing there and my husband ended up following him and they went towards the forest.  My husband kept on following this man and they went away.  His mother realised that they were now getting into the forest and she decided that somebody should follow and she spoke to his other brother and said he should follow them and see what was happening and what were they talking in the forest and why weren't they talking anywhere else except in the forest.  And the elder brother followed him.  Then we just heard gunshot immediately thereafter and we heard the second gunshot.  Then we saw this man - the elder brother - coming back, and telling us that they had killed Aaron.  That was the end.

MRS GCABASHE:  Let me just find out.  What's the name of that brother?

WITNESS:   It was Moses Mthethwa.  Moses Mthethwa is staying at KwaSokhulu, but is presently working in Johannesburg now.

MRS GCABASHE:  According to your own opinion, why do you think your husband went into the forest with this man?  Why did he follow him into the forest?  Was it a person known to him or what was happening?  Why did he follow him?

WITNESS:   He did not know him because he had disguised himself.  He had hidden his face under this balaclava, but when he called my husband, according to his mother, he said he wanted to speak to Aaron.  He wanted to say something and he was going to come there.  Then when he stood up and went to this man, this man did not stop there, but he kept on walking away and my husband kept on following him.  We don't know whether this man said, "Come and follow me", because we never heard anything.

MRS GCABASHE:  At that time at KwaSokhulu, were there any riots or was there any tension between the residents?

WITNESS:   Yes, there was a lot of tension.

MRS GCABASHE:  What sort of tension was there?  Were there riots, school boycotts, political organizations fighting against each other?  What was actually happening?

WITNESS:   I think it was some riots, but I think there were some criminal elements in it.  It started off with political organizations fighting each other off.  That's how it started, but at the end of the day it culminated to a violent and criminal situation.

MRS GCABASHE:  Now, according to your opinion, was your husband killed because of political involvement or criminality or anything?

WITNESS:   I think it was more of a criminal situation than political organizations, but I'm really not positive.

MRS GCABASHE:  You said this man he disguised himself.  You could not see him properly.  Thereafter did you hear anything as to where this man was coming from?  Did he belong to any political organization or what was the significance of his presence at that place?

WITNESS:   His other brother went to see him.  Immediately when he got to him this man said, "You must go away" and he hit him with the back of his gun and he said he must go away and not come to look.

MRS GCABASHE:  Have you ever heard anything thereafter as to where that man came from and why did he kill your husband?

WITNESS:  At Sokhulu, whenever anything happened or if a person was killed that was the end of it.  No people would be arrested, so we don't suspect any political organizations or any elements, but we just don't have the slightest clue as to what was happening.

MRS GCABASHE:  Did he belong to any political organization?

WITNESS:  No, he did not belong to any political organization.  He was a Christian.  He believed in going to church.  He was a Zionist member.

MRS GCABASHE:  What about your brothers?  Do they belong to any political organizations?

WITNESS:   I wouldn't know, because we did not stay at the same place.  For instance, his brother, the one who went to look when he was killed, he doesn't stay at home, he works in Johannesburg.  Even now he's not around.

MRS GCABASHE:  Nobody witnessed the incident besides the elder brother?

WITNESS:   No, nobody saw.  His name is Moses, the elder brother is Moses. Now, what did you do thereafter?  Did you enlist any help?   ---   We asked another man who had a car to phone the police at KwaMbonambi Police Station - Mr Nklego.  We asked him to assist us.

MRS GCABASHE:  Did Nklego take you to the police?

WITNESS:   Yes.  We saw the police come.  Mr Nklego went to the police to report the matter, so the police came to our place.  The police came into our house.

MRS GCABASHE:  Was there any inquest that was held?

WITNESS:   When I got there my husband had already died and they took the corpse, as well as his elder brother, Moses, and say what he saw and he submitted the statement.  They took the corpse and that was the end of the story.

MRS GCABASHE:  Were you ever given the court case?

WITNESS:   We were never given anything, nothing whatsoever.

MRS GCABASHE:  When a person has died, he is taken to a State pathologist for a post-mortem.  Did you know anything about the post-mortem or was there any inquest held thereafter?

WITNESS:   No, we were given a death certificate, but I don't remember any inquest.

MRS GCABASHE:  What was the cause of death, according to the death certificate?

WITNESS:   I do have it with me, but I never read it, so I don't know what was said in it.

MRS GCABASHE:  Was it the end of the case?  It never even proceeded to court?

WITNESS:   No.

MRS GCABASHE:  You say his mother was present when this happened.  How did she feel about this?  How did it affect her?

WITNESS:  When my husband had died my mother-in-law also died after a year.  She got very ill.  She died from a heart attack.

MRS GCABASHE:  Now, let's come to you as the wife, you personally.  In this trauma that you've gone through - your husband was killed.  He was not ill.  It was not an accident.  How do you feel?  How did it affect you?

WITNESS:   Ever since my husband died I was traumatised because he left me with a very big house that was not yet finished, because he was still building the house and when he died he left everything and I was left all by myself and after Mthethwa died I suffered from heart disease.  I had heart problems.  Yes, I do have heart problems.

MRS GCABASHE:  Have you ever gone to see any doctors?

WITNESS:   I do take some herbs.  I take some, "Muthi".

MRS GCABASHE:  Have you ever been to the doctors?

WITNESS:   No, I've never been to the doctors, because I do not have the money to go and see the doctors.

MRS GCABASHE:  Have you ever gone to the clinic to seek help?

WITNESS:  Yes, I know that it does happen, but I have never been to the clinic to seek medical help.

MRS GCABASHE:  You said you've got these two children now.  You got them after Mthethwa had died.  Is their father present?

WITNESS:   Yes, he is.

MRS GCABASHE:  Is he helping you in any way?

WITNESS:   No, he's not helping me.  He's not employed and he's staying at his place - his mother's place.

MRS GCABASHE:  Is he employed?

WITNESS:   No, he's not employed.

MRS GCABASHE:  He's not helping you in any way?

WITNESS:   No, he's not helping me in any way.  I'm struggling all alone to raise up the children.

MRS GCABASHE:  In your statement you said there was going to be a rally that was going to be held, where Mr Buthelezi was going to speak.  Just tell us briefly about this rally.