Human Rights Violation Hearings — Alexandra — 1996-10-28

YASMINE SOOKA: We would like to welcome you to the hearings of the Commission.  Is that a member of your family who is accompanying you?

IRENE TUKIE MARCH: We would like to welcome her as well.  Before you begin to tell your story could I ask you to stand so that you could take the oath please.

IRENE TUKIE MARCH: (s.s.)

YASMINE SOOKA: Mama, as is customary we ask a commissioner to assist you with the telling of your story.  In this instance it will be Hlengiwe Mkhize on my left-hand side and she will be helping you.

MS MKHIZE: I would just like to welcome and if I may ask what language do you speak, here it is not indicated.   Do you prefer English?

IRENE TUKIE MARCH: Yes please.

MS MKHIZE: Okay, thank you very much.  As a Commission we can see you are one of the people who are coming with their difficult stories in terms of our history.  I will ask you first of all to tell us a little bit about yourself and your family, especially the birth of your sons.

IRENE TUKIE MARCH: I would like to start by talking about my late son, Philip March who died in 1976.   He was shot at on the 18th and he died on the 20th.  He was shot at with three bullets and he was taken to hospital on the same day.  Then he survived from the 18th and died on the 20th.
ALEXANDRA HEARING TRC/GAUTENG
2 MARCH

MS MKHIZE: You indicated that you would like to tell us about your son Philip.  Was Philip at school at that time?  How old was Philip in 1976?  If he was at school which school was he attending.

IRENE TUKIE MARCH: Philip was still a student and in 1976 he was 16 years old.  I beg your pardon again, the other question?

MS MKHIZE: Well I had just asked whether he was still at school and I also asked you to think about ....

IRENE TUKIE MARCH: Ja, he was still at school.

MS MKHIZE: You mentioned that he was shot at on the 18th.  Can you just tell us about his activities at that time, especially around the 18th, did he wake up early in the morning at home, did he tell you where he was going?

IRENE TUKIE MARCH: On the 17th - not actually on the 17th, nearly every night he used to go out telling me that he is going to a meeting.  What meeting those were soccer meetings.  On the 17th still he said he was attending a soccer meeting again. I asked him as Soweto is in riot what is going on every night you go out for soccer meetings are you not attending these meetings which ended up in riots and then he told me no, no, no I mustn't worry, he is just attending soccer meetings.  So in the morning of the 18th I was still working by then. I woke up, prepared myself to go to work.  Usually I used to leave them still at home before they go to school.  Then when I was at work we were told that Alexandra is on fire.  Then I personally approached my employer telling him that look I am not coming to stay here when Alexandra is on fire, I am going home.  He wanted to know why because I am at work, it is not burning why should I go away.  Then I told him that look I have got boys and boys are always up and down, they would like to go and see.  They would like to
ALEXANDRA HEARING TRC/GAUTENG
3 MARCH
go and see what is happening.  As you people say the municipal buildings are falling off, they would like to go and see what is going on.  I might be unfortunate, one might be shot at. And secondly my baby is at the creche, the creche is just behind the hostel, if it collapses it is going to reach the creche.    So I said if it collapses it is going to fall on the creche in Sixth Avenue so I must go home.  So then I was let to go and I went home.  Since I was born I never saw a battlefield, I personally but when I reached First Avenue I saw camouflaged clothing there and at First Avenue it was really burning.  Gunshots were fired, people were going up and down.  We were told to make a salute, a fist and if we salute then you get a sjambok behind by the police, you are aimed at.  So it was a chaos.  What you were to do it is up to you what are you doing.  Are you lifting up your fist or are you prepared to be shot at.  Okay, I proceeded down.  When I was opposite his school yard I found some of his friends and then they told me that Philip was shot.  Then I wanted to know boys now where is he.  They told me he was taken to hospital.  Then I asked them why are they on their way - why are they lingering about when they see shots firing from left and right.  Then they told me that they knew that I will come down home.  They are actually waiting for me.  So to show me where my son was shot at.  They have shown me a black spot in the school yard and they told me that is Philip's blood there.  The black spot was Philip's blood.  Then I walked down as far as my house.  When I reached home I asked the eldest brother where is Philip, then he told me he didn't know where Philip went to because he rushed from school, the elder one rushed from school to go and fetch the baby at
ALEXANDRA HEARING TRC/GAUTENG
4 MARCH
the creche.  So he doesn't know what happened to Philip.  I told him that I learned that Philip went to hospital so that was that.  Philip was going to hospital.

MS MKHIZE: I can understand how difficult it must be for you to try and revisit that horror day.  I will assist you.  You had just mentioned that then you went to the hospital to visit.

IRENE TUKIE MARCH: Ja, I went to hospital to visit him.  By then he could still talk.  When I asked him what happened he told me that he was shot at by the police and I asked him why, what  was the problem.  Then his answer was that don't you worry, a day will come for them.  What he wanted to know was to know whether his soccer team will be playing over the weekend and they must bring the results to him.  But unfortunately on Sunday before he got the news he was dead.  He died on the 20th at 7 o'clock a.m.

MS MKHIZE: You mentioned that you visited him at the  hospital and he could still talk.  Did he give you the details of what was done to him, if he was shot how many times, where.  Please tell us whatever you can remember.

IRENE TUKIE MARCH: He just told me that he was shot at by the police.  When I asked him what was the reason his answer was just that the boers will get their chance.  They will get their time.  But I went on, I went on and I asked him are you not in the students group.  He told me that of course he was.  He told me that never mind he is attending an Afrikaner school.  If it happens vice versa that when doing your education in Afrikaans medium all of a sudden you are told that you must use maybe Zulu as a medium when you are already at standard 10 or standard 9 how will (indistinct) to you so he is also with the students that Afrikaans was
ALEXANDRA HEARING TRC/GAUTENG
5 MARCH
not good for them as it was not their medium from scratch.

MS MKHIZE: So there were problems around the language, the use of Afrikaans as a language.  So you have indicated that ultimately your son passed away on the 20th June.  Can you just tell us about his burial, before we move on and talk about other people that you have written down here as people whose rights were violated.

IRENE TUKIE MARCH: His burial was disturbed by the security.  During the week when we were still preparing everything those people used to visit us every now and then.  The day of the funeral they went with us as far as the graveside.  The coming back still was not a nice coming back because traditionally we cook food for people who come and then from there people were not at ease because of tear-gas was being thrown all over and a lot of people had to scatter around.

MS MKHIZE: But ultimately you were given an opportunity to bury him and ...

IRENE TUKIE MARCH: Ja, we buried him ourselves.