Human Rights Violation Hearings — Moutse — 1996-12-03

WINDY THABILE SITHOLE: I talked about the van, my own van which was inside the school yard and then I met with the school principal.  The police van which I saw, I thought my husband was inside the van.  I could not see properly because when I went closer there was no one inside the van.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Are we talking about two vans here?  Your van and that of the police?

WINDY THABILE SITHOLE: When I went to Thabani I went there with the police van.  When we arrived there at the school yard I saw my van which was next to the school building.  That is the van I am talking about.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Who was in your van?

WINDY THABILE SITHOLE: There was no one.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Which means that your husband was taken out of the van?

WINDY THABILE SITHOLE: Yes.  It was taken out of the van.  It was burnt in the bushes and the van was burnt the following day.

THOMAS MANTHATA: And the picture given was that all this was done by the youth?
MOUTSE HEARING TRC/MPUMALANGA
11 W T SITHOLE

WINDY THABILE SITHOLE: I cannot tell because even the police, the police should have brought the van back home.  They said to me we will bring the van back, but they never brought the van back until we found it the following morning having been burnt.

THOMAS MANTHATA: I know this is a very painful thing to ask.  Had you ever known the leaders of the youth?

WINDY THABILE SITHOLE: Yes, they are some of the people whom I knew.

THOMAS MANTHATA: And these that you knew, you just knew them as the leaders of the youth and/or it could have been, they could have been amongst those who abducted your husband?

WINDY THABILE SITHOLE: I cannot tell you because I am also surprised.  That is what I want to know.

THOMAS MANTHATA: And from your knowledge, you have never had, that is you and your husband, you have never had dealings with the youth before this incident.

WINDY THABILE SITHOLE: No.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Thank you.

CHAIRPERSON: Mrs Sithole.  Joyce Seroke.

MS SEROKE: Mrs Sithole, I heard you saying that remove this woman is making a lot of noise.  Who are those soldiers?

WINDY THABILE SITHOLE: They were white soldiers who pushed me inside the van.

MS SEROKE: Are those people who took you from home?

WINDY THABILE SITHOLE: When I went to look for my husband the driver was a black policeman, but when we arrived at the spot, there were Hippos and soldiers who were on the spot.  They pushed me inside the van.  They were white policemen.

MS SEROKE: Thanks.

CHAIRPERSON: Just leave it.  Mrs Sithole, thank you very much.  Again, with your permission.  Joyce, just leave it MOUTSE HEARING TRC/MPUMALANGA
12 W T SITHOLE
please.  With your permission, I want to make it clear again, for the purposes of reporting, that what Mrs Sithole told us was put to Prince James Mahlangu when he was at the witness stand.  We asked him about the person Majonie Mahlangu, whether that rang a bell.  It did not at the time and he denied involvement.  So as far reporting is concerned, please, report the full facts so that we do not have the same kind of ill reporting on Prince James.
 Mrs Sithole, thank you very much for your openness, for being prepared to discuss this in the presence of Prince James and others implicated.  I will very much appreciate it if you, when you leave the stand, will make contact with one of our statement takers to get the addresses of both this Majonie Mahlangu's family and this Mr Joseph Mahlangu so we can see if we can get further statements from them to further investigate this case.  
MOUTSE HEARING TRC/MPUMALANGA