Human Rights Violation Hearings — Middelburg — 1997-06-04

JOHN M MELATO: Before, could I ask before, before you do that, Mam, I'm just wondering, was it not possible that, it would have been a very great comfort to me, if some of the people who had gone with him and those who came back, come just to indicate that they were with him and he fell or he went, he died or whatever.  I'd like to get something from those who were with him, than just to be a closed book on that.
 I mean if people are together travelling in a vehicle and their involved in an accident, some die and the survivor must go back to indicate, to give an account of how the accident happened.  It pleases those who listen.  But with me it was just a closed book.  
 There's where, for instance, I could tell there was something that I couldn't, it was something that I couldn't understand.

CHAIRPERSON: Mr Melato, thank you very much.  Thank you Mrs Sooka.  I may just, for your information, again confirm, it may help you Mr Melato, that the hearing's procedures here has been nation wide broadcasted.  So your evidence has been broadcasted over radio and we also with you hope that some of the people that might have been with him, would have heard you now and could cast some further information on this.

JOHN M MELATO: I'd be happy.

CHAIRPERSON: So if they could either contact you or the Truth Commission we'll appreciate that.  Dr Ally has a further follow up question.

RUSSELL ALLY: Mr Melato, I don't want to keep you much longer.  Just one or two brief things.  Just to clear up things that you said when you were giving an account of what happened to your son.  You said that the documentation that your son obtained, he got it from the special branch.  Did I hear you correctly?  Were you referring to the Department of Home Affairs or Internal Affairs or did you mean special branch?

JOHN M MELATO: It was then special.  Today, later it became special securities.  They were the people conducting the outgoings and comings, for instance, like you wanted to go to this or there, you would have to get your travel document endorsed at the Commissioner.
 And I don't know how they were working hand in glove with them to find out whether, are you a person who is, who should not be allowed to go.

RUSSELL ALLY: So everything had to be vetted by die security branch?

JOHN M MELATO: In a way.

RUSSELL ALLY: If you wanted to go out of, into a neighbouring, into Swaziland...?

JOHN M MELATO: That's right.  People were suspected of being ...  Because I confronted them, to answer you further, I confronted them that you are the people who allowed my child to go.  He says, no, we signed the statement and when we check we found that there was nothing to which we could say he could not go.  So we are not in a way responsible.

RUSSELL ALLY: Okay.  Thanks.

CHAIRPERSON: Professor Meiring.

MR MEIRING: Just a brief question about your grandchild.  You say that your grandchild is staying with you at the moment.

JOHN M MELATO: Yes.

MR MEIRING: How old is he?

JOHN M MELATO: He's twenty, he could be twenty.  When he wrote matric he was eighteen, nineteen, he could be twenty now.  Twenty, twenty one, somewhere there.

MR MEIRING: Thank you so much.  That is, is that the same child referred to.  No, let me put it the other way.  In your written statement, you say that you heard that your son also had a son, a baby son in Lusaka.

JOHN M MELATO: Yes.

MR MEIRING: What happened to that boy?

JOHN M MELATO: I don't know anything about it.  My brother was told and when I wanted to make a follow up on that, they said, no, there was no such a thing.

MR MEIRING: Thank you.  And coming back to your grandchild of twenty years old.  His mother, what's happened to the mother?

JOHN M MELATO: The mother has married another man.

MR MEIRING: Thank you very much.

CHAIRPERSON: Mr Melato, thank you very much.  What really moved me was the statement you made when you said the corpse is needed not by the family, but really by the generations to come, according to custom.  I think that inclusiveness, that concept of wholeness, that organismic approach, there's something, even if taken out of context, that we all can learn something from.  And I want to extend also my thanks for that.
 Thank you for having come to us.  Thank you for having shared with us.  We wish you well.  We can't promise you anything, but our energy and efforts to try and further follow up on this and report to you.
 Thank you.

JOHN M MELATO: Shall my, the corpse, the bones of my child, the remains of my child, be brought home?

CHAIRPERSON: If we can at all find it, we will certainly see to something being done.  Thank you very much again.
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