Human Rights Violation Hearings — Soweto — 1996-07-23

SOPHIE THEMA: Yes.  On the 15th of June 1976 I was working for Weekend World.  At about four thirty I was preparing to go home because it was not a very busy day for me.  Ten minutes SOWETO HEARING GAUTENG PROVINCE
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before I left my office a young girl came into our office dressed in a black and white uniform.  She had an envelope in her hand and after entering our office she enquired from my colleagues who Sophie Thema was.  I heard her mention my name and I stepped forward and I told her that I was Sophie Thema.  She handed me the letter.  She did not wait for me to open the letter and read the letter.  She turned back and ran out of the office.  I remained reading the letter. It was a short note informing me that the following day there was going to be a march by students from the Naledi High School.  The letter mentioned that they were going to end up at the Orlando Stadium.  I took this letter to my news Editor who was a Mr John Miscally and we immediately make arrangements that a car pick me up from home the following morning on June 16 and six thirty.  A photographer was also dispatched together with a driver.  
 The following morning at half past six I, the photographer, Dan Kletekle, the driver who is now deceased, Stanley Mojale, left our homes and proceeded.  We were hoping to get to Naledi High, but we did not because we met the students at Sizwe Stores as they were coming from Naledi towards Lebonie.  Lebonie is just opposite the Sizwe Stores and that is where we met them.  The students were in a jubilant mood.  They did not give the impression that they were going to be violent or that they were violent in so much that at one stage I and Dan actually marched with them.  Dan particularly for the reason that he could get, you know, the best pictures and I was just marching with them for the fun of it.  We finally got to Orlando West.
 When we got to Orlando West I immediately saw a contingent of police coming up from the eastern side of 
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Orlando West.  They turned into a street which actually caused them to come face to face with the students.  The students were now facing east and the police were facing west.  I then positioned myself in such a way that visibility was clear, that I could see everything that was taking place, I and Stanley Mojale.  At that time Dan Kletekle was moving around somewhere so that he could also get the best of pictures.  At no time did I hear a warning being sounded to the students to disperse and the students were standing there like children who do, I mean, children do taunt.  They taunt one another and they were there taunting the police.  Some of them picked up little, what I would call, little pebbles, stones, little stones and threw them towards the police.  That is what actually angered the police.  To me it was like a movie unfolding before me.  I did not really think that they were going to shoot at those young children, but they did.  In so much that I stood there and I do not think they heard me, but I was screaming, do not shoot our children, but they were shooting.  
 As I and Stanley were standing there helpless, not knowing what to do, a young man came running up to us.  He was shot in the leg.  I asked Stanley to take this little guy and rush him to the nearest clinic in Orlando West.  Then Stanley said to me I cannot go alone, go with me.  I got into the car with Stanley and we rushed to the clinic, dropped this guy there and drove back to Orlando West.  As we were driving back to Orlando West, that is when we noticed this young girl with agony and anguish on her face come running up the street.  Next to her was this young man in an overall and carrying a young boy in his arms.  I was with Stanley in the car, we were driving down the street.  
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When I saw that I said to him, Stanley, stop and he immediately stopped the car.  I said to them, come into the car, Stanley please take these people to hospital or to the clinic, wherever you can.  Stanley managed to get the three of them that was, I later came to know that it was Antoinette, Hector's sister, it was the Makoeba boy and it was Hector.  I realised that as they were going into the Volkswagen Hector was already gasping, but there was nothing I could say, I was just hoping and praying for the best.  Stanley and the three of them drove to the clinic.  At that time there was shooting all over and it did not dawn on me at that time that a stray bullet could hit me or anything.  I just wanted to get to the clinic myself.  I ran up to the clinic on foot.  
 When I got to the clinic there was confusion in the clinic.  Everybody was just asking what is going on, how did it happen and nobody could explain to them at that time.  We just, all we said was the police shot him.  I realised that he had a wound in his throat and to me it indicated that it is where the bullet had gone in.  A doctor came forward and he said to me, Mama, is this your child?  I said to him, yes doctor, he is my child though I am not his biological mother.  He is my child in that I saw him, he got injured and I brought him to the clinic.  He said to me, I am sorry, it is too late.  He has been shot in the throat, the doctor said and, you know, Antoinette was besides herself and everybody was just besides themselves and later in the afternoon we took Antoinette to her home together with some members of the staff and other people who had gathered at the clinic.  It was only when I got to Antoinette's home that I realised that I had known that family even before 
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that day, but I did not know that Hector was their child, but I was pleased that at least I had rendered a good service because on that day I felt that I put away my journalistic ethics and my motherly instinct to control.

YASMINE SOOKA: How did you feel about the fact that the police made no efforts to issue warnings, to throw teargas canisters, to shoot with rubber bullets or buckshot, but actually fired real live ammunition.

SOPHIE THEMA: It made me feel very angry, but I was not surprised because as a journalist I had experienced so many atrocities and so many injustices that had come from our police, it was just unbelievable.  Not only from the police, but anybody who had to do with the Government of that day and the Government of that time was bent on hurting, frustrating and, you know, causing pain to other people.  We were so use to that already.

YASMINE SOOKA: Yesterday Dan Montsisi in his evidence actually said that prior to Hectors being shot, the march was a peaceful one.

SOPHIE THEMA: Yes.

YASMINE SOOKA: The students were jubilant, but that once Hector had been shot the mood of the students changed and, of course, this morning you have heard Janet Goldblatt describe how her father was caught in the crossfire.  Did you manage to see any of that or capture any of the change in mood?

SOPHIE THEMA: Yes, it is true.  Soon after Hector's death all hell broke loose.  I remember I remained in the area until late afternoon and by the time I left that area everything was on fire.  Vans were burning, cars were burning, buildings were burning.  It was just mayhem all over, it was chaos.  It is true that the mood changed after Hector had
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died and after other children had also been killed and injured.  You see, Hector was the first victim of police shootings on that day.

YASMINE SOOKA: You mentioned in your statement that you testified at the Cilliers Commission.

SOPHIE THEMA: Yes.

YASMINE SOOKA: What was your experience of that?