Human Rights Violation Hearings — Mooiriver — 1997-05-29

KHOZA MGOJO: I appreciate the opportunity that I have been given.  I think particularly of people like Chief Luthuli when I hear the stories that are told in this hall. Chief Luthuli would turn in his grave if he would listen to such stories.  I hope even where he is he would be shocked when he hears stories about children being killed, and he would be shocked at the idea of black against black violence.  And when we talk about the residents of Brandville as well as the hostel dwellers we refer to one family, the royal family.  They were under one chief, that is the Zulu chief.  I do not say that even the previous chiefs like Chief Hlatshwayo, who went into exile, as well as Demizulu, they were fighting for the building of the nation.  They were finishing off from where Shaka left.  We were a united nation ... (inaudible - end of Side A, Tape 3) ... our new Government, democratically elected Government, not the apartheid regime, has been blessed by the Lord above that it's very painful to try and effect reconciliation.  We know that we cannot raise up the dead, we do not have those powers, but the aim of the Government is to bring about a reconciliation, but that cannot be  effected if we are not united.  We regard ourselves as all
elements of human nature, and we cannot keep on killing each other in the manner that we are doing.  We are trying to effect reconciliation and be one nation which is living in peace.  Our ancestors suffered under the apartheid regime, and now we have acquired this freedom, but there was so much bloodshed.  We do sympathise with the families that have lost their loved ones.  
As Richard Lyster had already mentioned that what disturbs us most is that some other people who were supposed to have come to testify were not able to come before this Commission because they had been threatened.  Some felt not safe at all to come and testify before this Commission, for instance the Bergville group.  Others have got their own reasons for not coming.  Maybe they were also scared or threatened, or members of their own groups or political groups were not present, but we wished that everybody could have come so that we hear different sides of the story.  We are indiscriminate in this, we want to get both sides of the story.  
But we do appreciate the fact that there were those who had the courage to appear before this Commission to render their testimony.  You will remember that yesterday there is a witness who could not give her testimony, she was in an emotional state.  And one had to be sent to the hospital today - she was from Bergville - because she collapsed because of a reason that I am not going to explain.  She was unable to continue.
If there is any person who knows, or who is a perpetrator himself or herself, for there to be reconciliation these persons must come forward.  These  people were created by God.  We therefore do not have a
right to kill them.  We think that Brian Mitchell was a good example.  He asked to be put together with the families of the victims so that he can personally apologise to these people.  He wanted to be brought together with the people of Trust Feeds so that he could approach them and apologise for all his past atrocities against the Trust Feeds community.  
Now, if the killers are not prepared to come forward and ask for forgiveness we cannot effect reconciliation.  We hope that you, as the community of Brandville, also would like to get an opportunity to see the perpetrators, and maybe ask some questions, so that whatever questions you had in the past could possibly be answered.  We have lost quite a large number of youths who could be helping towards the upgrading of the country.  
At first even when there were wars or there were faction fights the basic rule was that women and children would not be killed, and people who seek refuge in churches would not be followed to the churches, where they would be killed, but these are the things we are hearing in this Commission today, where people are attacked after having sought refuge in church.  This indicates that there is a lot to be desired in our society.
I will request you, after we have finished here, to sing the national anthem to bring ourselves together as one.  That's why we've kept this song, Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika, because it brings us together.  I want us to sing this with dignity.  I want us to feel that we are talking to God.  We have suffered so much as the black nation, and now that we have this budding democracy we should have  some reconciliation, we should have some peace, otherwise
we will not feel or experience the newfound freedom.  Because this freedom was bought with the blood of innocent people.  People died for this freedom to be attained, so we must ask the Lord to help and give courage to those who lost their loved ones, and for the Lord to lift the weight that is on the shoulders of those who lost their loved ones.
PROCEEDINGS CLOSED WITH THE NATIONAL ANTHEM