Human Rights Violation Hearings — Bloemfontein — UNKNOWN

KHOZA MGOJO: Thank you, Sir. Mr Moyhilwa, I am sure itmust be very sad for you to have lost your brother. You know, when you growas brothers you support each other, you fellowship together, you have jokesand everything in a family, and the life in the family becomes exciting. Andyou were deprived of the privilege. Can you please tell us about your family,your mother, brothers, sisters, etcetera?

WITNESS: The first thing I would like tosay is as from 1982 we went to Botshabelo.

KHOZA MGOJO: (Inaudible) ... just tell us about your family. How many areyou in your family? Do you have a mother, do you have a father, etcetera? Justthe family, before telling us about the story of what happened.

WITNESS: Yes, I havea mother and a father, and four sisters and three brothers.

KHOZA MGOJO: (Inaudible) ... they live.

WITNESS: They all live in Botshabelo.

KHOZA MGOJO: Thank you. Just now tell us about your brother and what happenedto him.

WITNESS: My brother started getting involved in politics in 1987 in Botshabelo.He joined the South African Youth Congress under the ANC. In 1989 on the 25thof December he went to the U Section, visiting for Christmas or for the festiveseason. On that very same night of the 25th of December - there was a politicalorganisation called Dikwankwetla. They also call themselves Mopede's Reserves.On that very same night they attacked my aunt's home and my brother was there.When they were asked as to what was the problem they said they were lookingfor the Comrades. My aunt never wanted to open the door, she refused. Thereafterthey kicked the door. They bore holes into the door. It was no longer a door.Then they went away and they promised that they were going to come back on the26th of December. My aunt, as well as my elder brother, as well as my aunt'schildren, they just thought they were threatening, but the following day at8 o'clock in the morning there came a group of people. They were more than 100.When my aunt went outside to ask them as to what they were looking for, theywere still looking for the Comrades. They said she must take the Comrades outof the house because they were looking for them. My aunt flatly refused. Theyheld her, they took her to another man's place where they made arms or weapons.I asked what the name was, they told me it was Mr Mokwena. When they took herto Mr Mokwena's place at U Section they harassed and assaulted her and saidthey wanted the Comrades. They left her, they went to try and attack my elderbrother, as well as my aunt's children.  They wanted my brother mainly because they said they were burninghouses. But when I look at the U Section there wasn't even a single house thatwas burnt down. When they got there they stabbed my elder brother, they shothim with arrows. My brother tried to run away, he ran to my other aunt, butthey chased him, they followed him with spears. My aunt's children also ranaway. When they got to my other aunt at the W Section my aunt closed the doorand they remained outside. She said that she didn't want her house to be destroyed.There was a shack outside at my aunt's place. My brother went into this shack.My aunt's children were able to get into the house. When this mob came, thisvery same Dikwankwetla mob, they tore the shack apart because they were lookingfor my brother. When my brother came out they chopped his head with a panga.My brother tried to run away, but he fell on the street. Each and every oneof them wanted to take his part or to make his share. Then they started stabbinghim each one of them. When we went to report to the police the police askedus whether my brother was dead already. They came after three hours. When oneof my aunt's children went to report to our other elder brother at home - he'salso staying at the W Section - my elder brother went to my home. It was roundabout 10. When he went to my parents he told my parents, but they just couldn'tbelieve it. He didn't die at that very same moment. He was taken after threehours. He was taken to the Universitas Hospital in Bloemfontein. That's wherehe died at 12 o'clock in the evening. Our father went to Universitas to lookfor him, as well as my other sister. They were told that only my father couldsee my brother because his condition was not satisfactory, he was critical.That was the end of my brother.

KHOZA MGOJO: (Inaudible) ... indeed, and very shocking. Now, because I wantto help your record to be straight, so that when investigations are made we'llask certain questions. Mosala Petros Moyhilwa is your eldest brother.

WITNESS: No,he is the one - he actually comes after me.

KHOZA MGOJO: (Inaudible) ... your younger brother. And you have named herein your narration about eldest brothers. What is their name?

WITNESS: The eldestone is Jonas Moyhilwa, the second one is Chidi Moyhilwa.

KHOZA MGOJO: (Inaudible) ... in now?

WITNESS: They are working at a mine in Welkom.

KHOZA MGOJO: Did they belong to any organisation when this was happeningto your younger brother?

WITNESS: No, they were not members of any political organisation.

KHOZA MGOJO: And you, did you belong to any organisation?

WITNESS: I was a memberof SAICCOR under ANC.

KHOZA MGOJO: And did your father belong to any organisation, or your mother?--- He was just an ordinary person. He didn't belong to any political organisation.

KHOZA MGOJO: Thank you. You mentioned two aunts, one living in U Sectionand one living in W Section. Can you tell us their names?

WITNESS: The one who staysat the U Section is Matseko Agnes Raputsi. The one who stays in W Section isMaria Raputsi.

KHOZA MGOJO: Thank you. You said here there were two invasions. There wasthe first one, which happened at U Section. Was there any report then duringthe first one which was made to the police?

WITNESS: In the first attack the policewere told. My aunt's child went to report, but they said he was just drunk and they won't respond to that.

KHOZA MGOJO: (Inaudible) ... for the sake of the record, at Botshabelo whattype of police were they, SAP or some other type of police?

WITNESS: They were theSouth African Police.

KHOZA MGOJO: South African Police. So they used, these people who killedyour brother, knobkerries and also pangas, according to your later statement.Is that true?

WITNESS: Yes, that's true.

KHOZA MGOJO: Do you know these people who belong to this apartheid agents(?)or Mopede's Reserve? Do you know them?

WITNESS: Yes, I can identify them, but I onlyknow two of them by names.

KHOZA MGOJO: Who are those?

WITNESS: It's Mokwena and Mokala.

KHOZA MGOJO: (Inaudible)

WITNESS: Yes, one of them stays at U Section andthe other one fled. He ran away from the township.

KHOZA MGOJO: (Inaudible)

WITNESS: No, I don't have an idea.

KHOZA MGOJO: Here in this area what was happening between the Comrades andthe Mopede's Reserve? What was happening?

WITNESS: I want to start by relating whathappened in 1988. Mopede had gone to Dewetsdorp. I don't remember which monthit was. He said Botshabelo needs people who will help the Dikwankwetla and supportthem so that they could be reserves. They were busy threatening people at theU Section. People couldn't go out freely in the streets.

KHOZA MGOJO: (Inaudible) ... you family. Were the other members of yourfamily intimidated by the police?

WITNESS: The police used to come regularly andthey used to threaten us just before my brother was buried. They told us thathe shouldn't be buried in the ordinary manner that Comrades are buried, he should be buried just like an ordinary man inthe street.

KHOZA MGOJO: (Inaudible) ... was he buried?

WITNESS: It was just an ordinaryburial, a politician's burial as we are used to.

KHOZA MGOJO: (Inaudible)