Human Rights Violation Hearings — Sebokeng — 1996-08-05

COMMISSIONER: Thank you Mrs Mabona.  Mrs Mabona, you are also going to talk today about what happened on the 18th March 1960.  And the person you are going to talk about is your husband.  Professor Piet Meiring is going to be the person who is going to lead the questioning so I am going to hand over to him.

PROF MEIRING: Mrs Mabona it is my privilege to assist you in telling your story.  Before you tell your story about your husband who passed away, that was long ago, 36 years ago, can you just please tell us about himself.  How old he was, whether you had a family, whether you already had children the day he died.

MRS KONSATSAMA ELIZABETH MABONA: On the Friday of the 18th March when we woke up in the morning we received letters in our post box.  When we looked at those letters we found out that it was written that on the 21st March 1960 we should not go to work.  Those letters were telling us that.  We never went to work on that day.  We got back and we slept.  After Saturday and Sunday, on Monday when we woke up we found out that it was bad outside.  People were all over in the streets saying no one is going to work, anyone who will go to work will be killed.  We went and we were standing by the corner.  That is when we saw the police vehicles.  There were six cars approaching and there were policemen also.
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When they got there they saw smoke at the corner and realising that they decided to turn. While we were still standing they made another U-turn, the last car to pass us  belonged to a policeman, a white policeman who pointed a gun at us and he said you are going to (indistinct) today and then we took different directions.  When we arrived at home no one was available at home.  We left, we went to the police station and at the police station we sat down, we were singing hymns, you know it was just a jolly atmosphere.  Everybody was taking his feelings out. We spent that whole time at the police station until the jets arrived. We didn't mind, the sirens went off and then we just ignored them.   Now the people from the PAC approached and when they came that is where they said we should disperse, we should go home and at about dinner time we should come back so that there can be another meeting.  Yes, we dispersed.  At the time we left the deceased was between the clinic and the police station and they were told to jump off the fence because they would be injured.  It then happened that we left.  We were now going home.  When we arrived at home we spent some few minutes - I was worried, I wanted to know where my husband was but I couldn't get anything and another girl called Agnes came in and we left together with this Agnes and we were going back to the police station.  On our arrival I couldn't remain in that situation not knowing what was happening.  And I searched for the people I know.  I wanted my mother, where she was, and I found her.    I went on to search on for my husband and when - I didn't find my husband.  And I wanted to go back to the people, which of course I did.  I searched all over for the deceased and I couldn't find him.  And I met his friend and I asked him
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where the deceased was, because they were together.  He said no he is around, please go.  Why do you involve yourself in issues involving men.  After listening to those words I decided to leave then but when I was at home I had a running stomach and I wanted to urinate.  I went to the toilet but there was nothing coming out.  I went back.  On my way I could feel this heavy burden in my heart.  I went back to the people.  I was so uncomfortable.  Every time I would turn back.  When I looked at the police station I saw a saracen parking, this armoured vehicle.  A white person was busy working on the saracen.  I asked another woman to accompany me but she refused.  I said no I will hit the road alone.  But I didn't know what to do.  We got into our street.  As we were walking we heard gunshots.  I ran, I opened the door at my house and I opened all the doors  until the kitchen door.  I came back again.  I was confused.  I didn't know what was happening.  I felt something that was right on my chest and I said to myself where is my husband at this moment.  As I was wondering another gentleman came and he said the whites are killing people in a very brutal way.  I said to him are you talking about guns.  He said yes, they are using guns. You know I was so hysterical and I started crying.  I didn't know where to go.  Now our neighbour three houses from mine came and the neighbour was coming with another Mr Matsela and the neighbour had been shot and we realised that he had been badly injured and when seeing this I said oh my God now what is happening to my husband.  And I was crying, I was hitting myself on the ground.  Now the women came, they took me to the house next door, they said be calm, there is nothing wrong happening, your husband will come home.  Why do you have to do this. 
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Don't you think you are bringing him bad luck.  Please be quiet.  While we were still sitting another gentleman came and he called another woman.  Now the woman he called is now late.  The woman went to him and they spoke for a few minutes and they went around the corner but this feeling inside me got worse.  I felt that something was just wrong.  I cried continually.  They tried to console me.  They said no come, let's have a cup of tea.  And this other woman who had been called by the gentleman said to me come here I want to talk to you and she said to me please don't cry, there is nothing happening.  She took me into the house and she let me sit down and another woman came.   When I saw the two men getting into their house I realised there was trouble and they said to me your husband is dead, please don't get worried, he is now in town.  When we were still talking a car stopped outside.  This car took me - it was the car belonging to my brother-in-law.  He said can we please go and check the hospital whether he is not there.  We drove off with him.  That time it had already rained. You know after the first shots a heavy rain fell.  Now it had rained and we are now driving off to the police station.  When we arrived there they said do you want to die further.  We said no, we don't want Africa, we are just here to search for our loved ones.  We checked the hospital, my husband was not there.  When we saw that he was not there one of the women said it is better if we go to the police station.  We then decided to go to the police station.  When we arrived there we saw that everybody at the police station, I mean the people that had been taken to the police station were all dead.  They said to me please don't have a look, we will look.  After that we went back home.  While we were still at
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home I was made to sit down.  The next day the police  arrived, they picked me.  They took us to Sharpeville.  They were asking us questions.  Five times they came to fetch us.  They picked us up on the Tuesday, they came again and again and again.  And the last time and we were just telling them the same story.  And that was the end of it all.

PROF MEIRING: Mrs Mabona, thank you so much for relating your story to us.  May I ask you a few questions just to give more light to the story.  The first question is how old was your husband when he died?

MRS KONSATSAMA ELIZABETH MABONA: He was 27 years old.

PROF MEIRING: Thank you and did you already have children?

MRS KONSATSAMA ELIZABETH MABONA: Yes.  We already had children.

PROF MEIRING: How many children did you have?

MRS KONSATSAMA ELIZABETH MABONA: Two children.

PROF MEIRING: Two children.  And your husband, was he a member of the PAC at that stage?

MRS KONSATSAMA ELIZABETH MABONA: No, sir, he was not a member of the PAC that time.