Human Rights Violation Hearings — Messina — 1997-04-08

MR MORABA: Yes.

MS SEROKE: And what about these other teachers.  How did they die?

MR MORABA: I do not know but one of them was reported to have vomited blood but I don't know about others.  The other one I said, he had vomited blood but I want to remind the Truth Commission that I did not say Pops is a witch.  I said there was a rumour that Pops is a witch.

MS SEROKE: In your statement you are saying Pops drop us the spot where the accident occurred and was he killed because he didn't help or I did not understand well?
When you say your uncle was normal and he could not just stop on the train spoor, don't you think his car stalls there and stuck there or that something stalled there?

MR MORABA: His car was from service.

MS SEROKE: He'd just serviced his car?

MR MORABA: He'd had literally just fetched from the service and when he came back that's when that accident happened and the car was still new and it didn't have any problem.

MS SEROKE: So the car just mysteriously got stuck there?  And if a person sees that the car doesn't go and the train is approaching wouldn't you have opened the car and  javoid the train coming to crash into his car?

MR NORABA: That is exactly the reason I say why it was mysterious because  I also don't understand.

DR RANDERA: Mr Moraba, I don't want you to get the impression that all these other questions we're asking you, takes away what actually happened to you.  The torture that you suffered, electric shock treatment, punched, kicked and the detention you were, that you underwent.  Can I just ask you, what do you do yourself?

MR MORABA: I am a welder at home.  I do some welding  works at home.  Are you talking about jobs?  I do welding at home and carpenting and part of mechanic.  Those are the things I do.

DR RANDERA: The only other question I have for you is, in your statement you say that at the time of your arrest, it was not only the SAP, the South African Police who were there but also the South African Defence Force.  Is that right?

MR MORABA: Yes, that is the truth.

DR RANDERA: Was that common in that time that the South African Police and the SADF actually operated together?

MR MORABA: Yes, it wasn't the first time that if there were such kind of incidents, they would come together with the soldiers.  It wasn't the first time.  Sometimes they used to come with the police and sometimes when they were arresting people, it would be a combined force of the police and the soldiers.

DR RANDERA: Besides your brother, Baldwin, who was arrested with you, there were other young people who were also arrested.  Can you remember their names?

MR MORABA: Yes, I can still remember their names.

DR RANDERA: And were these all political activists in the, in the community?

MR MORABA: I don't understand the question.

DR RANDERA: Were they all political activists in the community?

MR MORABA: Yes, they were except my father.  He was not interested in politics.

DR RANDERA: Thank you very much Mr Moraba for coming here to-day.  We are going to listen to another person talking about this very incident before lunch.  Thank you again.

MR MORABA: Thank you.