Human Rights Violation Hearings — Duduza — 1997-02-04

MRS SEROKE: Is Sipho Sokhela present, around?  Sipho Sokhela.  My IFP friend.  He is definitely not in.

CHAIRPERSON: We shall, we hope the Sokhela family will be with us when we come back after tea, because we sincerely desire that everybody be here present, because this gives us a full picture of what we are about and the truth that we are seeking for, but for now we are going to adjourn for tea, but we shall first let the witnesses to stand and walk out and as they walk out, we shall be standing and we are requesting those with ear sets, earphones to leave them at the entrance.  Let us not get out with them, let us leave them where they belong.

RUSSELL ALLY: Start at eleven.

CHAIRPERSON: We shall come back at eleven, please at eleven.  Can the witnesses stand and walk out first.  ... to discontinue before they stop we are chasing time.  So, thank you for coming back once more.  Thank you for coming back once more.  We shall start with a few announcements and observations with regard to our policies with regard to certain groups and this I will leave to Dr Russell, just to give us an idea of our operations.  Over to you, Russell.

RUSSELL ALLY: Thank you, Chairperson.  Just to welcome some more people.  The Mayor of Heidelberg, Ms B, Ms Molosokeng. It seems that the East Rand probably have the most woman Mayors
and Deputy-Mayors than anywhere in, in the country and the Deputy-Mayor of Springs, also Ms Antie Nakitela, Deputy-Mayor of Springs and the Mayor of Heidelberg.  Welcome to you.  
 We have statement takers here with us today for those who still want to make statements who have not made statements yet.  Our statement takers are at the back of this hall in the Administration Block.  Now, I want to emphasise that in the work of the Commission, what is most important is the process of making statements, that all the work that the Commission does is based on the statements which come to us, that we go through every statement as carefully as possible, we try and investigate as far as we can, we try to find out as much of the truth as possible and at the end of the work of the Commission we have to make findings as to whether people are victims of gross human rights violations as defined in the Act.  This is very important because on the basis of those decisions the Reparations and Rehabilitations Committee makes recommendations to the President and through him to Parliament as to a policy for victims of gross human rights violations.  
 Now, I know that many people who have made statements become very angry when they are not asked to appear in public hearings and that is, I think, because people may have the wrong idea that those who appear in public hearings are more important than those who do not.  That is certainly not the thinking of the Truth Commission.  When we select people to come to a public hearing what we try to do is select cases which give us some idea of the nature of the conflict.  So we try to use cases to give us some insight or a window into the nature of the conflict.  We do not choose people because we think their stories are more important or because they are more important.  We also try, we also try to cover the period that the Commission has to look at which is 1960 to 1994.  We also try to give as balanced a view of the conflict as possible because we know that the conflict was many sided.  
 In the East Rand, for example, we know that the conflict often involved members of the UDF and later the ANC and people who were seen to be members of Inkatha and later the IFP, Inkatha Freedom Party.  We have tried to get statements which show the other side of the conflict as seen from those people who may have been members or thought to have been members of the IFP and we hope that we will hear some of those cases during the course of the week.  We also hope to hear from people who were involved in local councils, in those structures which were set up by the Government so that we can get side of the conflict.  So, we want to ask people to please understand that if we could, if it was possible in terms of time and resources to, to hear everyone in a public hearing, that is what we would have done, but we cannot do that.  We do not have the time and we do not have the resources.  So we, so we have to select cases, but simply because you have not been selected for a public hearing does not mean that your case is any less important because we use the statements to make our decisions and recommendations.  
 So, again, I want to repeat that we have statement takers in the Administration Block and I would encourage those who have not made statements, to please make statements.  Thank you, Chairperson.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you Russell.  You could observe from this statement how difficult the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission is and how the best way to achieve all this, we require the co-operation of each and everyone of you here and each and everyone of the citizens of this country.  So, to proceed, ...

MRS SEROKE: The names of those who are not here.  We will ask Sokhela Sipho and Masesi Mqoma and Zondo Ntisingila, are they present, are they amongst us?  If they are, please come in front.  We do want to listen to their side of the story and give their testimony.  Sipho Sokhela, Masesi Mqoma and Ntisingila Zondo.  Thank you.

CHAIRPERSON: Okay, whilst waiting for them to come to join the other witnesses, can we have Moloko Evelina Puleng to come to the podium, please.  We welcome you.  Who is Moloko? We are happy to see you.  Can you please introduce the people who are with you today?

EVELINA PULENG MOLOKO: I am with my sister here, this is Girlie.  This is the wife to my brother, Mrs Maureen Skhosana.  On my right we have the daughter-in-law, Dora Moloko.

CHAIRPERSON: We welcome you and we please ask you to give sufficient support to each one of you in the process as we have been, as you have been able to maintain one another right through the ordeal that befell the family.  I am going to request Dr Russell Ally, Moloko, to lead you and starting with the taking of an oath.  Over to you Russell.

RUSSELL ALLY: Thanks Chairperson.  Mrs Moloko, will you please stand and raise your right hand.

EVELINA PULENG MOLOKO: (Duly sworn in, states).

RUSSELL ALLY: Thank you very much and welcome.  You are coming to tell us about something which is particularly painful and also very gruesome.  You are going to tell us about the death by necklacing of your sister Maki Skhosana.  May I ask you to please relate what happened to Maki in your own words and in your own time and if, at any stage, you feel that you want to take a break, please feel free to do so.  Thank you.

EVELINA PULENG MOLOKO: It was on the 20th of July 1985, but I would first like to start where the whole issue started because there were certain rumours that they wanted to kill Maki and they also stated the reason as to why they wanted to kill her.  There were rumours that they wanted to kill her because she caused the death of certain youths who died due to being blown up by hand grenades.  Now, those youths who were allegedly killed by hand grenades were three and the whole three died next to my place.  Now, when the hand grenades exploded we were all asleep and Maki was in the house also asleep and she had, she was going to start work at two and she was going to knock off at ten.  At 20 past ten she arrived home and I was the one who opened the door for Maki and we slept thereafter.
 When this explosion took place we were also not on the know as to what was exploding outside because we were asleep inside and when I checked the time it was at about 12, midnight.  Maki as well was together with us and she did not know what caused the explosion because we were in the house, all of us.