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

DOROTHY HLATSHWAYO: (sworn states)

DR RANDERA: Mrs Hlatshwayo, good afternoon. To you and your sister welcome.  You have come to speak about Morakwane Petrus Hlatshwayo.  Before you tell us the story of Mr Hlatshwayo, will you please tell us the relationship between you and him and then take your time and tell us the story?

DOROTHY HLATSHWAYO: Morakwane Petrus Hlatshwayo was my husband. On the 12th of July in 1993, two boys got into our family. He was sitting in our dining room.  He was listening to our radio. After a few minutes of their arrival there was a programme called Makomane, it was on the radio, Radio Sesotho.  They were discussing the Vaal Monster issue. That was on the day when Kitisi died.  Then we were told over the Radio that the people of the Vaal should take out their feelings because now the Vaal Monster had died. Now the programme was over, it was half past seven, the boys had to leave.  They left and he left with them.  At about a quarter to eight when I was about to listen to a short story from Radio Sesotho, I heard gunshots, I ran to the radio to decrease the volume.  As I was listening, I heard a car driving by. The house was the second from the corner house but the car was approaching from the right hand side of the road.  After a few minutes, somebody came and I thought to myself it was my husband. He just gave one knock and I opened the door.  When I opened, Gideon came in. He was working at the Drive In in Zone 12 with the Late Defor and
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he said to me, sister they have sent me to tell you that your husband has been shot dead.I couldn't believe my ears. I was scared, I have children.  I didn't want to leave the house because there was a usual thing for those people to shoot at those people who get out of their houses. I didn't want my children to witness the killing because they were so young and when they are involved in such things, they are affected mentally. To date Mpho, my daughter who is nine years old, never witnessed this but she never forgets this.
 When I told her yesterday that I was coming to the Commission, she said, "I'm going to be a policewoman mother. I'm going to kill all the people who killed my father."  And after this boy left, my neighbour came and the last time I remember it was the time when he cuddled me in his hands.  When I regained consciousness, I was together with the other neighbour. I wasn't feeling well, I was numb.  I couldn't walk.  The distance of the incident was so far and I decided to stay home. He told me that the police had already arrived. I asked myself, when and how did the police get the message and I concluded to myself that, no the police were together with the killers, because many people already have testified about the police involvement.  A lot of my neighbours came and requested the deceased identity document. I don't remember and I don't know who the police men were, were they Whites or Blacks, I do not know.  
 I was then told later that he had been removed by the police. I was told that Lefty had been shot and I said to my sister, "Sister, I don't have transport, we'll see tomorrow.  The next morning my sister didn't come, she called from her work-place to tell us that she would come as soon as she knocks off and then she was given a day off on a Wednesday 
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so as to arrange the funeral. Truly on Wednesday she was at home.  They went to the mortuary and they were told that a post mortem will only be conducted on Thursday. On Thursday I had to leave with her to the mortuary and I was told not to go.  They said, Jacob should go on his own.  I don't know what he was going to do there but I realised that everything he was the person who witnessed the cops, because thereafter the police circulated some pamphlets saying that they have arrested the perpetrators. He got the message but I didn't and then he was the person who went up and down.
 On the day of the funeral we buried my husband, respectfully.  Jacob left on Monday for work.  At the end of the month we were supposed to cleanse ourselves in the traditional way.  I can't remember very well but Jacob's family were insulting me.  They were telling me that I'm a bitch, I've killed their brother. I kept quiet, they continued insulting me, they even told me further that the house belongs to their mother and I have to leave the house. I didn't believe that because I knew the house belonged to my husband. 
 After the cleansing the traditional way they left and I was told to go to work. Nobody was present to take care of my children. Before we could leave for Sharpville, I reported the matter to Mr Mirimulu who was a Street Committee member, and I said to him, "Please, take a look at my house, I'm going to work, I'll come back to lock the house", and he said to me, "Please do come the next day and buy some stoppers so that you can lock your house". I was working at Supreme and I had to go and work on Wednesday the following week.  
 August passed, that month in which we were cleansed in 
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the traditional way. On the 9th of December my mum received a telephone call.  The person didn't identify himself, and the person said, Stratious house had been occupied.  My mother called me and said, "Your house has been occupied now".  I was now worried. The next day I didn't go to work, I went to the house to investigate.  I was with the Street Committee members. One of my neighbours called the Street Committee members to tell them that people had occupied my house. Now the person who was occupying the house was my husband's brother and his wife. Then they gave me the telephone numbers and the address and the time to go and assemble.
 We all assembled and Jacob's siblings told the Street Committees that the house belongs to their mother. They had occupied it then. I said to the Street Committee, "You know exactly that if the couple stayed in the house and one of them died, the house will be left with the remaining one and I produced the document and the members of the Street Committee said, this boy who was staying in the house should leave.  They were so angry, Jacob's family could have done something to me at that stage but these Committee members warned me not to go with them.  Thy left on their own. That is where they took everything they wanted.They had a choice.
 The members of the Street Committee told me to come back tomorrow, the next day and after a few days I went back home. As I was staying in the house, Mrs Maponya's ...(indistinct) mother came. I have to say, when Mr Hlatshwayo was shot, he wasn't alone. There were three. After hearing the stories about how they were shot it was revealed that Maponyani was also shot but the third one escaped but we don't know how he managed to escape because 
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he wasn't heard at all.

DR RANDERA: Dorothy thank you very much. I'm going to stop you at that point. Can I just ask a few questions if you don't mind. I just want some clarification.  Where was he shot, on the street?

DOROTHY HLATSHWAYO: Yes he was at the corner of our same street.

DR RANDERA: And I know you were not there, but what was the rumour that went round in terms of who was responsible for these killings?

DOROTHY HLATSHWAYO: Nobody knew at that stage who the suspect was.

DR RANDERA: Your children, how old are they now?

DOROTHY HLATSHWAYO: The first born is nine years old and the second born is seven years old.

DR RANDERA: You are living back in your house now, is that right?

DOROTHY HLATSHWAYO: Yes that's correct.

DR RANDERA: And the Street Committee, is it still functioning?

DOROTHY HLATSHWAYO: No they are not working at this stage.

DR RANDERA: Thank you I have no further questions, Professor Piet Meiring?