Human Rights Violation Hearings — Bloemfontein — 1996-07-04

KHOZA MGOJO: Ma'am, just relax and be free to tell all what you want totell the Commission. Don't reserve anything. This is your only chance whereyou can tell your pain. Can you please tell us about your family and the background,and when you have finished then tell us about this story, what happened? ---I was married in Zeerust. I am talking about something that I didn't declarein my statement. My surname was Mnisi. As I was married in Zeerust I stayedat home for 11 years, staying with my mother. After my mother had died - duringthose 11 years of staying at home I had a person that I got involved with becausemy husband had left me for quite a long time. That is Lindikile Mnisi. I hadtwo children. As I was still at home after my mother had died I asked my boss- there was absolutely no life at home, so I asked my boss to get me a housein Rockland. My boss couldn't get me a house in Rockland until I got this partnerthat I got involved with. I ultimately got divorced. Thereafter I went to stay in Rockland with my partner. We had a child, ason. Thereafter my son, Lindikile, I don't know whether he realised that wedidn't have a life, so he wasn't very impressed. My son disappeared. Duringthat time of his disappearance I heard stories that he was in Botswana. Theyused to name it Munsiwa at that time. I think my child was staying quite wellwith his stepmother. When he came back he was totally destroyed. When he cameback I tried to do some cultural cleansing so that my child could be fixed.That is our culture, it's part of our culture. Then he became fine. He wentto night school, he attended night school, because at the time he left he wasin standard seven or eight. As he was still attending this school he disappeared,and we didn't know where he went to. That was in 1976. That is when he starteddisappearing and reappearing. He would disappear for quite some time withoutus knowing where he was. At some stage I heard that he went with his friends.That was two children, Mr Madiba's children. They went with my son, they wentto Lesotho. As I was preparing myself to go to Lesotho to go and see my sonI met Mr Shele. He told me that he had met my son and my son had asked me tosend him a denim or a jean. He told me I mustn't go to Lesotho any more becausethey had gone to Tanzania. That very night I just couldn't sleep, I was crying,because I was preparing myself for Lesotho to see my son. Since then I haven'tseen him, since they said he went to Tanzania. The very same year I was surprisedwhen they inaugurated the President Mandela they said our children who had gonewould come back. I was looking forward that my son would also come back. I sawall the children had come back to Bloemfontein. I went to ask. There is another one who was afriend to my son. I asked this boy as to whether my son was coming back or not,because all of them had come back. I wanted to find out where my son was. Thisfriend told me that I shouldn't actually bother myself, because if my son wantedto contact me he would contact me, because he is alive. Then I went to Mrs Muthibiat UB Centre. I asked Mrs Muthibi whether they couldn't help me to look formy son, because since he went to Tanzania all the other children had come back,but mine hadn't come back. Way back in 1990, especially 1995, my younger childtold me that she had met Basi Muwadira. She told me that my brother had died.I felt very had because I didn't know what was happening, and apparently ourchildren do drink or take intoxicating liquor, so I didn't know what happened.Now, as we were told that we tried to make a follow up. I met Basi. Basi toldme that my son, Lindikile, had died. I tried to ignore him, and I told him thatall the children who had died were brought back to be buried by their parentsand their loved ones. How come my own son wasn't coming back to be buried? EvenBasi's relative - all the children were buried in Bloemfontein, so my son shouldalso come. I want to bury him, so I don't believe that my son is dead, or mychild. Muwadira came to me. He explained to me. He said he was always scaredto come and tell me. He told me that he didn't have a good life because he wasn'tworking. Then he tried to get work. Then he even got a partner. Then now hehas joined the police force. On that day, it was quite a few months ago, I feltmy shoulders going down, I felt very depressed. I prayed that the Lord wouldtry and heal me because I felt as if there was a hole in my heart,because now it was dawning on my that my child had died in 1985. But what surprisedme was I didn't know what had killed him. They alleged that he was killed bymalaria, but now how come I didn't get a report as to where he died? That surprisedme quite a lot. I don't have anything further to say.

KHOZA MGOJO: Thank you, Mama. Thank you for your narrative. I am just goingto ask just a few questions. You spoke about a certain Machel who brought amessage to you from your son in Lesotho. Who is this Machel, or who was thisMachel?

WITNESS: His name is Shele, but I have forgotten his surname. Shele, that'sthe name. I just made a mistake because I never went around looking for theirnames or trying to get their names. I didn't get enough time because I had tocome to the Truth Commission, and I just didn't have the energy or the means.Even at yesterday my bosses released me so that I can prepare myself for thehearing. I was a little bit mentally disturbed. I feel like I am going mad becauseI don't know where my son died. Maybe if I could know where his corpse is andwhat killed him I could rest. (Pause) I have got no more questions. I just wantto know how can you help me to know the whereabouts of my son or his corpse,because since he died in 1985 I don't know anything about him.

MR LAX: Thank you, Mama. Just one small question please.You mentioned a friend of your son's that told you that he was still alive andthat had known him in Tanzania, but you didn't tell us the name of that friend. Could you please, if you can remember, tell us that name? ---That friend is Basi Muwadira. He told me that my son had died in Tanzania. Hesaid he had heard it from the other ones. When I think I just cannot understand.It's as if they are trying to hide something, as if my son had been killed orsomething had been done to him, but nobody is prepared to own up. They saidhe was killed by malaria.
(Inaudible) ... try and look into the matter for you.
There are no words that we can use to heal your wounds, andthere are no words that we can use to heal a broken or wounded spirit, but wewould like you to accept our comfort, even though the words cannot measure thepain that you've gone through. You've gone through so much pain. There are twothings that affect you emotionally - because you don't know what happened toyour son. That's the most devastating. Maybe he died, and he died a long timeago, but you don't know, you don't have any details as to how he died, or wherehe died. You've got no testimony as to what killed him. You've got no evidencewhatsoever that confirms as to whether that is true or not. The second one isthat you don't even know whether he is really dead, and if he is where are hisbones or his corpse.
This Commission shall try by all means to help you by askingthe ANC whether they can explain or elaborate or give any knowledge whatsoeveras to what happened. But during all times that we are trying to help you, tosee what we can get with regard to your son's death, we ask the Lord to be with you and your family, to strengthen you,to comfort you and console you, to give you His grace. Thank you.