Human Rights Violation Hearings — Bloemfontein — UNKNOWN

MR LAX: Now, from the statement that we have it seems clear that therewas no death certificate by the family as a result of this death. Can you confirmthat?

WITNESS: It's difficult that we don't agree with it, because we never saw him,we just accepted what we were being told. That's what made us agree and resolveit is so.

MR LAX: So, if I understand you correctly, you're saying there's some doubt in your hearts that this is in fact theright person.

WITNESS: We do agree according to the knowledge that we were given,or the information. Because they were bones we couldn't identify him, so there'snothing that really encourages us to agree that it was really him.

MR LAX: (Inaudible) ... must be some doubt in your hearts. Let me justcheck with you. According to the statement, and you can confirm this for meplease, you were never called to any cases or inquests of any kind that youknow of?

WITNESS: We were never called to any inquests or any courts of law.

MR LAX: Okay. We will do our best to try and track down the officialrecords if they're still around, and to see whether we can help you clear upthis confusion for you. With that I hand back to the Chairperson.

DR BORAINE: Thank you very much. Any other comments,questions? Can I just make absolutely sure that I understand you? You mentionedthat your cousin was exhumed. Now, where was the burial site before you movedhim for the second burial? Where was that?

WITNESS: He was buried at Brandfort.

DR BORAINE: (Inaudible) ... that in the local cemetery, or where was that?--- It was there at the local cemetery.

DR BORAINE: We are grateful to you for coming and for telling us your story.We have made a number of notes so that we can follow this up, and Mr Lax hastold you already that as much information that we can get as possible is importantso that we can try to assist you to find out more details of what happened,who killed him, who buried him, and whether it really was your cousin. We'll do our very best tohelp in every way, and we just want to thank you and we want to thank your motherfor coming here today. Thank you very much.

DR BORAINE: Mrs Lowape, can you hear me through theheadphones?

BETTY LALIWE LOWAPE: Yes, I can hear you perfectly well.

DR BORAINE: Mrs Lowape, we welcome you very warmly tothis second day of the hearings. We are very grateful that you have taken thetrouble to come and share with us, and share with the nation, your own painand suffering. You are going to tell us about the shooting of your son, Papiki,and before you do that you have to be under oath, so I'll ask you to pleasestand.

BETTY LALIWE LOWAPE: (Sworn, States)

DR BORAINE: Thank you, Mrs Lowape, will you please takeyour seat again, and my colleague Mrs Gcabashe is now going to take over fromme.

MRS GCABASHE: Let me start by thanking you. Are youcoming from Welkom? Thank you for coming here to give us evidence to help us,all of us, so that all the people can know the truth of what happened in thepast. I sympathise with you as you have lost your son. We have your statementhere. I would request you to start. You give us the details about your familybackground. Can you hear me?

WITNESS: I have 10 children. He was the sixth one.

MRS GCABASHE: Are you working?

WITNESS: No, I am not working at the moment.

MRS GCABASHE: Are you working?

WITNESS: My husband is sick, he is not working.

MRS GCABASHE: Is Papiki your son? Can you tell me the date of birth and hisage during this accident? Can you give me the birth details?

WITNESS: He was only16 years old when he died. He was only 16 years old. In your statement here you said Papiki was shot by the policein 1984. Is it like that? --- Yes, it is so.

MRS GCABASHE: Can you briefly tell us what happened until - that led to hisdeath?

WITNESS: He was coming from the hospital. He was under medication. He wasparalysed. He was under hospital medication. Can you tell us everything thathappened on that particular day? I want to get all the details from you. ---On that particular day, 17th of August, he was coming from the hospital. Onthe way home he met the police. The police were spreading tear gas and theywere shooting children. He was shot on the way home. Though he was walking withcrutches he was shot, because he was paralysed. I think they shot him roundabout one, because I was fetched by my children when he was already shot. Thatwas a boy and a girl. They told me that their brother had been shot by the policeand he had fallen there, they can't wake him up. I was given permission fromwork to go back. I went to where he was shot. I found him sprawled on the floor.

MRS GCABASHE: You can take your time.

WITNESS: I found him sprawled. The artificiallimb had fallen out. I asked what had happened because he was just coming fromthe hospital, and now his medication had fallen also. I asked what sort of apoliceman could do that. A white policeman came, as well as a black policeman.They told me that it's a long time, this is long overdue, that we should havecollected our children, they must stop moving around the street. I told themthat my child wasn't in the street but he was on his way back from the hospital.They had shot him in the stomach, as well as on the shoulder.  They also stabbed him on the tummy. He stayed there for thewhole day. They took him round about 4 o'clock in the afternoon. At the timewhen they took him they said I will get my child at the police station mortuary.We went there the following day. When they had taken him from the ground I wentto the funeral parlour, but I turned on my way there, I went to look as to whetherthere wasn't any blood there. I got a white man there who was looking there.I asked him what he was looking for there. I asked him whether he was lookingfor the bullets with which he had shot him. Then he was startled, then he stoodup. At that time I left him and I went away. When I tried to get to where myson was they said to me I mustn't get in there. They told me that I'll get himat the police mortuary. The following day I went there. We took him and we buriedhim. Ever since then we have never heard anything about his case, but the policewere harassing us. They were also harassing my husband at work. That's whereit ended.

MRS GCABASHE: We thank you. There are certain questions that we would liketo pose to you so that we can get some clarity. In your statement you talkedabout your two children who came to you and told you about what had happenedafter you had left. What were their names?

WITNESS: It was Enette Rapi as well EphraimLowape.

MRS GCABASHE: In your statement you referred to your son who had only oneleg.

WITNESS: Yes, the other one had an artificial limb because he did not have aleg.

MRS GCABASHE: Can you please explain to us why he found himself without aleg?

WITNESS: His foot was a little bit paralysed on the ankle, so when he went tobe amputated he came back like that. Each and every thing was just controlling itself.He had no control over himself.

MRS GCABASHE: Was he born with the foot like that?

WITNESS: Yes, he was born withthe foot like that. Then he went to the hospital to get this foot fixed. Thenhe came back condemned. Everything in him was condemned. They amputated hisfoot below his knee - his leg below his knee.

MRS GCABASHE: Which hospital was doing this?

WITNESS: It was in Welkom Hospital.

MRS GCABASHE: Which year? Which year? Do you still remember?

WITNESS: I don'tremember quite well because he underwent the operation when he was still veryyoung.

INTERPRETER: The speaker's mike is not on.

MRS GCABASHE: You said on that particular day the policewere pouring tear gas over people. Can you please explain what was happening?Was there a boycott, a strike, or an uprising?

WITNESS: It was when the studentsat Tito started fighting.

MRS GCABASHE: It was students?

WITNESS: Yes, it was Tito students.