Human Rights Violation Hearings — King William's Town — 1997-05-12

PHILISA PATRICIA TUMSE GOBODO: When I arrived he was not there.  I was told that he had been necklaced.  I then left and that same night the soldiers told us to go back.  We were going back home.  I was not allowed to go back.  I slept in Alice and that same, the following day I went home to report this matter.  After that we went back to Gqumahashe.  We went to look for his body.  There is a way from their house, but we found out that that road was closed.  We could see where my sister's husband was necklaced.  We saw dogs around.  We then went to the mortuary in Alice, Mr Jonas's mortuary.  He said that we  must first start to the police and report this matter.
 We went to the police station.  We waited there, because we were told that there is another person from Melanie family, his family is to be there.  At about five I went back home to report that the body was in the mortuary.  We went to the police know and again, because we wanted to know about the funeral proceedings.  We were told that he was an informer, he cannot be buried there.  We took him home.

ADV SANDI: Who told you that you cannot bury him in that village?

PHILISA PATRICIA TUMSE GOBODO: The youth told us.  As I arrived on this day when my sister's husband was being necklaced I heard that he was not going to be buried in that area, because he was an informer.  We took his body to my home.

ADV SANDI: The people who did this did they come to you to apologise or to show that he or she regrets this?

PHILISA PATRICIA TUMSE GOBODO: No, nobody came to us.

ADV SANDI: Where are you staying now, Mrs Maseti.

BEATRICE BRENDA MASETI: I am renting a room in Alice, but when I am not at work I stay at home with my mother.

ADV SANDI: Did you manage to build the house?

BEATRICE BRENDA MASETI: No, I was afraid, because I do not have a husband now, I cannot go back and stay there.

ADV SANDI: Do you have children?

BEATRICE BRENDA MASETI: Yes, I do.

ADV SANDI: How old are they?

BEATRICE BRENDA MASETI: The first one was born in 1964, the other one in 1968, they youngest 1983.

ADV SANDI: You do not have a home in Gqumahashe now?

BEATRICE BRENDA MASETI: We do have a home, because my mother-in-law is still alive, but I was staying with my husband in our own home, but it is the one who was burnt down.

ADV SANDI: Do you have requests, Mrs Maseti, to the Commission concerning this matter?

BEATRICE BRENDA MASETI: Yes, I do.

ADV SANDI: Please tell us your requests.

BEATRICE BRENDA MASETI: I would like the Commission to provide me with a house so that I can stay in that house with my children.  My older child is not, is mentally disturbed.  I would like the Commission to assist me with my younger child, to help me with his education.

ADV SANDI: Thank you Mrs Maseti and I will also thank your sister.  I will hand over to the Chairperson.  If there is something you forgot to mention, you will get a chance when my colleagues ask you questions if there are any questions.  Thank you Mr Chairperson.

CHAIRPERSON: Mrs Maseti, thank you for coming here to the Commission and for giving us a picture, a sad picture of what happened.  Some of us do remember such incidents.  We remember that your husband was killed and his body was lying there, the dogs were also there surrounding the body.  There are many things done by people on behalf of the struggle.  Some of these things are very sad.  We thank you for coming forward.  We have noted your request that you would like us, as a Commission, to investigate and to find out who are the perpetrators so that they can ask for forgiveness or they must get punishment for what they have done.  We thank you and we will look at your requests.  We sympathise with you as the Commission.  Thank you mam.  You may now step down.