Human Rights Violation Hearings — Sebokeng — 1996-08-06

CHAIRPERSON: Mrs Maduna good afternoon.  Welcome.  Can you introduce the person who is here with you, sitting next to you.

MAMSONDO MADUNA: It's my son Petros Maduna.

CHAIRPERSON: Welcome to Petros as well.  Mrs Maduna Dr Russel Ali is going to help you tell your story.  You are going to talk about Fanyana Ruben Maduna who died after an IFP rally.  Before I hand over to Dr Ally can you please stand to take the oath.

MAMSONDO MADUNA: (sworn states)

RUSSELL ALLY: Welcome Mrs Maduna. You are coming to speak about your son Ruben Maduna who was killed after a meeting by the IFP on the 22nd of July 1990.  Could you relate to us the events of that day?

MAMSONDO MADUNA: It was on a Sunday, it's about quarter to four some youths came.  They said they were sent by Mrs Mohapi to come and tell me that my son was lying beside the road.  I summoned my daughter and I asked as to how he could sleep beside the street and I sent them to go and look.  I followed them thereafter.  When we went there to look he was already removed and taken to the hospital and a police van came and they said to us we must go and fight for ourselves.  But I did not understand what they meant because I did not know what they were referring to.  Then from there we went to the hospital and when we got to the hospital we found that he had been dead on arrival and he was taken to the
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mortuary.  On the following day we went to the mortuary at the hospital.  When we got there we found the place full and they said we must go to the court.  We got him at the police station mortuary.  And we took him to Kambula's Mortuary and I had decided that I was going to bury my son all by myself.  We received a report that we could not bury my son alone. They had to be buried as a group, as they had died together. The Kambula family was very sympathetic because I never paid for the mortuary expenses.  They were buried together.

RUSSELL ALLY: Thank you Mrs Maduna.  Just a few questions please.  First, your son Ruben, how old was he when he was killed?

MAMSONDO MADUNA: He was 19 years old when he died.

RUSSELL ALLY: Now we've heard that this period was a particularly tense period in the area, that people were fearing that the situation was going to perhaps get out of control, your son before this event of the 22nd of July 1990, was he in any way involved in any of the events which were taking place in the township?

MAMSONDO MADUNA: According to my knowledge I cannot confirm or deny that, but what I know is that he was an SRC member at school.

RUSSELL ALLY: Is that what you were told that he was a SRC member or did he tell you that, your son?

MAMSONDO MADUNA: I was told by his teacher who had come to investigate and see whether it was true that he had passed away.

RUSSELL ALLY: Mrs Maduna earlier that month before the meeting of Inkatha at the stadium, the meeting of the 22nd of July there was an earlier rally on June the 2nd which was an ANC rally, were you knowledgeable about that and do you know if
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your son was actually involved in that earlier rally of June the 2nd?

MAMSONDO MADUNA: I cannot confirm that because I was working and I was not staying at home at that time.

RUSSELL ALLY: From what you know about this incident do you think that what happened to your son was because he also happened to be out on the streets that day or do you think that your son was a target that he was somebody who was known as an activist and that's possibly why he was killed?

MAMSONDO MADUNA: I'm really not sure because at that time he had gone to visit Mrs Mohapi's place at Zone 13, so he was coming from Mrs Mohapi's place when he got killed.

RUSSELL ALLY: Did your son ever discuss with you his views of the conflict that was taking place in the township?  Did he indicate to you how he felt about what was happening or express any views about Inkatha or the ANC?

MAMSONDO MADUNA: He has never told me anything about that.

RUSSELL ALLY: Thank you Mrs Maduna.

CHAIRPERSON: Any questions from the other Commissioners?

DR RANDERA: Mrs Maduna just a few questions.  You say you were working on that day, where were you working?

MAMSONDO MADUNA: I was working at Vereeniging.

DR RANDERA: So were you going home every day from your home to Vereeniging?

MAMSONDO MADUNA: I used to go to commute to and from work daily, but each time I come back from work he used to be in the house and he used to do the house chores and help me with the house.

DR RANDERA: Thank you Mrs Maduna.  Mrs Maduna can you then, I mean you were there in the community, you were living, I know you were working away from Sebokeng but can you just
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tell us what the atmosphere was?  Dr Ally has already said that there was a rally on July the 2nd held in Sebokeng by the ANC and at that rally it was announced that there was going to be a week long action to highlight what was happening in KwaZulu Natal in terms of the war that was going on there, were you aware of all these things, was your son aware of all these things?

MAMSONDO MADUNA: I knew nothing about that because I didn't have any interest, I wasn't staying at home, I was just working.  Maybe he knew something but he had never discussed it with me.

DR RANDERA: Thank you Mrs Maduna I don't have any other questions.

PROF MEIRING: Mrs Maduna I need your advice.  The Truth Commission, as I have already explained today, need to take the pain of the people very seriously and we need to make recommendations for rehabilitation and for reparation.  You came here today as a mother to tell us the story of your son who died, passed away.  There are many more mothers in Sebokeng who have lost their children, what advice can the Truth Commission give to Parliament?  What can we do to alleviate the pain of the mothers that suffered in Sebokeng?

MAMSONDO MADUNA: My request is that if it is possible we want to erect monuments for our children.

PROF MEIRING: Do you think that, or do you say that if there's a monument either in Sebokeng or a national monument somewhere in the country that will be a symbol of reconciliation to all of us?

MAMSONDO MADUNA: Yes, that's what I believe.

CHAIRPERSON: We thank you very much for having come here to tell us about your story just like the two other women
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who have come forward.  We do sympathise with you that your children have died in such a gruesome manner.  This indicates our horrible past, that is the apartheid days.  They made us suffer in such a horrendous manner and many people died, some disappeared without any trace.  Just like you, you have just said that your child had been killed whilst he was just an innocent person.  We also do want to take your request into consideration.  However, we pass the recommendations to the State President.  He makes a final decision as to what should be done so that we may promote reconciliation.  Thank you.