Human Rights Violation Hearings — Pretoria — 1996-08-12

THOKOZILE CHRISTINA BOIKHUTSO: No, I never met any women.

THOMAS MANTHATA: You said that when you got to Mabopane they said you were the only ANC member there.

THOKOZILE CHRISTINA BOIKHUTSO: Yes, they said I was the one who formed the ANC in Mabopane.  They use to come to me and take me to the police station and ask me where my husband was and what I was doing in Bophuthatswana and whether it was me who formed the ANC there.  They use to harass me and visit me now and then.  They even use to come at night and take me to the police station to ask me questions and in 1990 they arrested me and they came in a Hippo and I was scared.  I thought I was going to die.  They forced me into the Hippo and the other one hit me with a gun butt on my head.  He hit me on my head and he said to me I must open the house so that he could check the house and then I must get into the Hippo and that is where they locked me in a dark cell.

THOMAS MANTHATA: When you got to Mabopane were Mrs Bart then
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and Mr Molefe not yet there because they were also ANC members?

THOKOZILE CHRISTINA BOIKHUTSO: Mrs Bart, I met her through Mr Marumo and the other one, he was from Moletsane.  These are the two people who made me meet Mrs Bart and I also met Mr Molefe and Mr Marumo who had served 12 years at Robben Island.  They were the people with whom I met after they were released and they were given a message to look for the Boikhutso family and they found us.  Mr Marumo and the other guy, I have known them from Johannesburg because they were staying in Moletsane.  It was the first time that I was meeting Mrs Bart, I did not know her before.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Okay.  How many children do you still have in school?

THOKOZILE CHRISTINA BOIKHUTSO: There were three, but they have all finished high school.

THOMAS MANTHATA: In your request regarding the burial of your husband, what did the ANC say about that, regarding whether those people's remains could be sent here and be buried at home.  What did the ANC say about that?

THOKOZILE CHRISTINA BOIKHUTSO: Comrade Manthata, when we buried Solomon Mahlangu we were told that some people are still in exile and they are still looking for a place where they can bury the other people's remains so that they can all be sent home.  That is how Mr Mandela told us, but presently it seems as if he is taking a lot of time and we might die before we could see the graves of our husbands.  So we are asking the Government to please assist us to get us the remains of our husbands so that we can bury them at home.  Even if we can conduct a mass funeral for them.  As long as we know that they have been buried at home we will be
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satisfied.  That is what I am asking for.

THOMAS MANTHATA: It is true we are working under the Government and we will send your request through to the Government, but all we can do is to influence them to do that on a rapid rate and I thank you.

CHAIRPERSON: Mrs Boikhutso, thank you very much.  I have no questions.  My colleagues have dealt, also, with the questions in my mind.  We appreciate your coming to us and we will go further into the matter as Mr Manthata has just told you.  We will also try to expedite the matter by getting that to the relevant authorities to see whether they could look into bringing the remains of your husband back to his country.  Thank you very much for coming to us.

THOKOZILE CHRISTINA BOIKHUTSO: I also thank you.
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