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

COMMISSIONER: Mr Molehe, you are in one way making abit of history today, because you are the first witness ever to appear beforethe Commission in the Free State. Some of your colleagues and friends have appearedin Durban, but you are the first in the Free State, and we welcome you mostwarmly. It's not easy to be first, and you're probably feeling a little bitnervous, but I hope that you can relax and realise that the Commission, appointedby the President, is here on behalf of the nation, and cares about you and yourown pain. We identify with you. You have come to tell us about the death ofyour son, which is a very, very hard thing to do and a very heavy burden tocarry. Before you do that I must ask you to take the oath, and I'd be gratefulif you would please stand now.

MR MOLEHE: (Sworn, States)

CHAIRPERSON: Mr Molehe, we always ask one of our Commissionersor Committee Members to be of assistance to witnesses and survivors, and inthis instance my colleague, Mrs Virginia Gcabashe, is going to lead you andto assist you in any way, but she knows, and I know, and we all know, that it'syour story and it belongs to you. I am going to ask her to take over now. Thankyou.

MRS GCABASHE: Mrs Molehe, we greet you. I hope thateven if you've come to relate a very painful story you are prepared to tellus all that you know about losing your son. We sympathise with you in your loss.In short I will request you to try and explain and give us a background as towhat happened to your son, that is the circumstances surrounding his disappearance.We would also like to know about your family background in brief.

WITNESS: My name is Mr Molehe. My son went away in 1980. It wasafter the burial of Makotho in Pahameng. The police arrived at my place at 1o'clock. They were driving in eight vehicles and four dogs. They knocked andI opened the door. On the table there were peanuts, and they accused me of sellingdagga. They opened everything on the table and they discovered it was peanutsand they took it. The next day two policemen arrived to fetch me. They wantedme to go to the Special Branch, and they told me that, "Your son is in Lesotho.He ran away. We are now giving you this letter so that you go and fetch him."They gave me a letter and I was given a special passport. I left with my wife.We went to Lesotho. And then we found our son in Europa, Lesotho, and he saidto me, "I will not come back because the police are looking for me." The manwho was on the gate said to me, "Your son is old enough." He was over 18 andhe decided to leave the country. And I came back home, I informed the policethat he is now in Tanzania. Towards the elections I joined the ANC and I gota card. Mr Motsabe came to me and he said to me, "Your son is dead, but we don'tknow where, and you don't have to expect anything from the ANC." That was thefirst point. And the second point, I remember Mpanjani, who was one of the peoplewho tortured my son. The white man I don't remember any more. Mpanjani usedto come and fetch my son. My wife was at home and I was at work. Mpanjani wouldcome to my house via our next-door neighbours. My son realised that it was Mpanjaniand he jumped over the fence and he ran. When Mpanjani got into the house myson was not there. I was deeply hurt, and I even got a heart attack. I willnever forget Mr Motsabe's words. He was together with Mr Maleke from Johannesburg whenhe told me that my son was dead, and he said I shouldn't expect anything fromthe ANC, there will not be help of any sort. And I said to him, "I wasn't expectingany help. I just wanted to know where my son died, because I do not even knowhis grave." Since my son left I have never cut my hair, because we believe whendeath has befell your family you have to cut your hair, but I cannot becauseI don't know whether my son lives or has he died. I really don't know.

MRS GCABASHE: Thank you, Mr Molehe, from hearing of your testimony. I wouldlike to ask you just a few questions so that you can elaborate on your story.You said you got a letter that said you must go to Lesotho. Who gave you thetransport or the fare? When you got to Lesotho you met with a Commissioner ofRefugees. Who arranged this meeting?

WITNESS: When we got to Europa they showed us- when I got there I came across a person who was holding a gun. He is the onewho told me that my child is at Monthaka.

MRS GCABASHE: You said an SB arrived at your home. Do you know his whereabouts,this Mpanjani?

WITNESS: I normally meet Mpanjani in town. I think he is still around.

MRS GCABASHE: You said that the ANC told you that your son had died. Didyou get any death certificate? What means have you done to get a death certificate?--- Mr Motsabe told me that my son died and they don't know where he died, andI just lost hope, I didn't know where to go. Because I was told that his deathcertificate will be sent to the Premier and the Premier will pass it over tome, but I didn't even know the Premier then, and I lost hope and I didn't do anything. While I was listening to the newson the radio I heard that the Commission is going to be in Bloemfontein, andI went to the St John Presbyterian Church to submit my statement.

MRS GCABASHE: Have you ever had any visit from the ANC after that?

WITNESS: No,not after that.

MRS GCABASHE: Mr Molehe, we are listening to your story. Is there anythingelse that you would like to know, besides the fact that your son is dead andwhere is he buried? Do you think there is any assistance that the Commissionmight give you, even though that there isn't much that we can do?

WITNESS: No, Ihave a request. I don't know what to ask from the Commission. The Commissionwill see what kind of help will they offer.

MRS GCABASHE: Thank you very much. I want to say once more we sympathisewith you, we really sympathise with you.

KHOZA MGOJO: Mr Molehe, according to your statement hereit would appear that you son, when he was in standard eight had a type of experience.Is that true, that he was still in standard eight?

WITNESS: Yes, that's true.

KHOZA MGOJO: Thank you. And then he left to join the ANC in exile, is thattrue?

WITNESS: That's true.

KHOZA MGOJO: And it would appear that later you too joined the ANC. Is thattrue?

WITNESS: Yes, that's true.

KHOZA MGOJO: Before this happened you were involved with the Security Police.Was there anybody in your family who was an activist?

WITNESS: No, nobody.

KHOZA MGOJO: So were you surprised that you and your family had to get thistype of treatment from the Security Police?

WITNESS: Yes, I was really surprised. Thank you, Mr Chairperson.

MR LAX: Sorry, Mr Molehe, just one small question forclarification. You mentioned that two people from the ANC visited you to informyou of your son's death. One was Mr Motsabe. I didn't catch the other namevery clearly. If you wouldn't mind just telling it to us again please.

WITNESS: Theysaid it was Mr Maleke from Johannesburg.

MR LAX: Mr Molehe, we thank you very much for coming here. We alsothank your effort of having come to give your testimony. As I have already pointedout when I was praying, we ask the Lord to comfort you. May He be the one whogives His holy spirit to strengthen you. We shall try by all means to act accordingto your wishes so that we may try to solve your problems, so that we may seeor find out as to where your son has been buried, as to what has happened where.We thank you very much.

COMMISSIONER: Mrs Mhlabende, can you hear my voice inyour earphones?

THIWE MAGADALENA MHLABENDE: Yes, I can hear you.