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

CHAIRPERSON: Mr Lesotho, can I just stop you there for a moment?  I wonder if I can, actually, just ask you to come back to where and how your wife was killed.

SPANKIE LESOTHO: I am on my way to that point.  For us to be deeply involved in the attempt to bear solution there, when we attended the funeral of this Kosi Maseko, brought many problems because we were screened when we attended the funeral.  When we went back from the funeral we were attacked.  That is when the fight started between us and the group called Gadaffi.  At that time it was a fight between the Mazimzim and the Gadaffi group.
 My parents at that time were out of the township.  They went to stay at Potchefstroom.  I had my younger brother.  His name is Klaas.  He was working at Doornfontein.  He was a karate instructor.  He had a gym at Sebokeng and Khutsong.  They were hunting for him because if they were looking for you and did not find you, anyone who they would find at home they would kill him.  
 My brother was a second dan in karate.  At that time he got a sponsorship from Anglo American to go to Japan to train for karate.  Around July, August he came back from work.  He said he is going to his wife.  He had a wife and child.  Unfortunately, the wife was staying around the Gadaffi enclave.  I said to him I do not want you to go to that resettlement area because these people are looking for you.  Then he said to me, I use to meet these people and they know that I am not involved in the problems in the township.  They know that I am only involved in karate.  Then I said they are tracking you because the day they are 
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going to get you, they will make it a point that they kill you.  Then he said to me, do not worry, I will protect myself.  
 One Saturday he was riding on a BMX.  He was taking money to his wife, just on the entrance of the resettlement area.  When he came back he told me that he had met this group and there were seven.  Then they said, where is your brother?  He said, I do not know.  Then they said, let us kill this one.  Then they put pangas and all kinds of arms they had.  Fortunately, he was able to defend himself.  Then he went straight to his wife.  He arrived there, he returned.
 On a Sunday, a certain lady arrived from Everton visiting from brother.  During the week whilst he was coming back from work he went together with this lady to go and see his wife and child.  I said to him he can go.  When he get the story about his wife, he said he arrived safely.  Then he said a certain boy arrived and said, Klaas, they are going to kill you.  They are on the way.  You had better go. I know these people.  I know what they are going to do is going to be true.  Then Klaas listened.  On his way, around 150m from the house, then a certain combi arrived full of people.  They fought him.  He was able to protect himself.  Then a certain combi arrived.  They were able to tie him with wires.  From there they even tied this lady.  Whilst we still there, around the houses where we were protecting.  
 On the following day I found out that Klaas has not arrived at home and he must go to work.  Then I phoned his boss and said has this person not yet arrived.  He said no.  Then I was surprised to find out that he had not arrived.  We went to Klaas' wife house.  Then he said the boy who came KRUGERSDORP HEARING TRC/GAUTENG
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to say they are going to kill Klaas told us that it seems they have killed Klaas.  We went to the police station to go and search for his body.  The police told us that they will not be able to go with us.  They are afraid that tomorrow they are helping us.  Then I said to them, we are afraid to go to that resettlement area.  The best is for them to protect us so that we can go and look for his body.  We went there and the police went together with their dogs.  We went around the township, approximately eight hours.  When we wanted to give up, around two kilometres away from the township, we found the body of this girl.  It seems she was strangled and stabbed with knives and her body was bent.
 Whilst we were in that veld when we arrived at the old cemetery, we saw three people standing, raising their hands. We found Klaas where he was lying.  The used something like a pick which they used to him on his head and it seemed his skull was broken and his brain was exposed.  When I saw him, then I returned.  They took his clock-card and put it on his chest.

CHAIRPERSON: Can you just?