Amnesty Hearings — Vanderbijlpark — 1999-05-17

MR STRYDOM: And lastly I want to put to you something, I want also to put to you what Poleng Mnisi said in her statement, that's the one after Florence's statement, Florence Molete's statement, Poleng Mnisi on the third page of that statement and we know now she was in a house just opposite yours and she stated on page three of her statement
"During the attack I did not see nor hear any vehicles.  No one was injured in my family."
And then she went further to describe the damage.  Now I just want to put to you that she didn't see the vehicles and she was very close to your house nor heard.  Let me ask this way, apart from seeing ...(intervention)

CHAIRPERSON: She was at house number 19, was it?

MR STRYDOM: Yes.

CHAIRPERSON: Alright.

MR LAX: Just one other thing Mr Strydom, you used the plural of vehicle, the statements singular, be that as it may.

MR STRYDOM: Yes it is.  Did you at any stage hear any vehicles apart from seeing them, or apart from seeing it?

MIRIAM MOLETE: I'm not aware of Puleng's statement.  I'm much aware of my statement now you are referring me to Jeanette's statement.

MR STRYDOM: No, what I'm asking you now is did you hear a vehicle during the attack or just thereafter or before?

MIRIAM MOLETE: No, I never heard a vehicle.

MR STRYDOM: When you came out of the hospital did you lay a charge in relation to the injuries you sustained and Mita sustained?

MIRIAM MOLETE: I did not lay a charge.

MR STRYDOM: Did you give a statement to the peace desk in Boipatong and told them what happened to you and Mita?

MIRIAM MOLETE: I'm not sure to which body you are referring to, I do not understand the peace desk you are referring to.

MR STRYDOM: Do you know what the Independent Board of Enquiry is?

MIRIAM MOLETE: No, I do not understand.

MR STRYDOM: Let me just put it this way, apart from the time you gave the statement to the police you never gave any other person a statement, you never told your story what you saw about the police vehicles and about the Whites to any person that took a statement from you?

MIRIAM MOLETE: I cannot recall at that time.

MR STRYDOM: Because if I look at the statement it appears the first time you told a person that took a statement about White people being involved was about eight months after the attack or nine months?

CHAIRPERSON: Where would that occur?

MR STRYDOM: That's the date of the first statement.

CHAIRPERSON: Alright.

MR STRYDOM: What I want to ask you isn't it something you made up at a later stage for reasons known only to you, that White people were involved in the attack?

CHAIRPERSON: I'm not too sure what is the basis of the proposition because as I understand it this is the very first statement that she made to the police, there is nothing which indicates at least of the record that she had made a previous statement in which no mention of the police is made so once it is accepted that the very first statement she made she mentioned the police, how does one jump from that and conclude that it is something she made up at a later stage.

MR STRYDOM: Maybe I'll just put it a different way.

CHAIRPERSON: If she made it up, she must have made it up from the very beginning of the first statement that she made to the police?

MR STRYDOM: Yes, but she never made a statement as far as we know at this stage at an earlier time, but nine months thereafter she said that White people were also involved.

CHAIRPERSON: Yes but do we know what statement she made earlier on?

MR STRYDOM: Well that's what I asked her.
	Did you make a statement to any other person before the first statement you made to the police in stating that you saw White people?

MIRIAM MOLETE: There is no previous statement that I made except the one I made to Mr Steenkamp.

CHAIRPERSON: Let's put it this way, we know that she made a statement to the police.  Is that right, do you confirm that?

MIRIAM MOLETE: That is correct.

CHAIRPERSON: Apart from those statements that you made to the police, prior to that did you make any statements to any person as far as you can recall?

MIRIAM MOLETE: The statement I made was the recent one except this one as we came to the Truth Commission and there's no way that I made a statement before this one.

CHAIRPERSON: Prior to making statements to the police you have not made any other statement?

MIRIAM MOLETE: I have not done so except when I went for the Truth Commission.

CHAIRPERSON: Yes and at the Truth Commission did you give evidence?

MIRIAM MOLETE: That is correct.

MR STRYDOM: I've got no further questions.
NO FURTHER QUESTIONS BY MR STRYDOM

CHAIRPERSON: The next person is you, Mr Lowies.

MR LOWIES: Thank you Chairperson.

CHAIRPERSON: We were supposed to have taken a break at about 3 o'clock but unfortunately we had to break much earlier so shall we take a short break now until about 10 past 4?

MR LOWIES: I'd appreciate, thank you Chairperson.

CHAIRPERSON: Right.  Ms Molete, I understand from your earlier evidence that you do not feel, well that you still have some ailment?

MIRIAM MOLETE: That is correct.

CHAIRPERSON: Whenever you feel that for some reason you cannot continue giving evidence, that you need a break, would you indicate to us?

MIRIAM MOLETE: Thank you Chairperson.

CHAIRPERSON: Very well, we will take a short adjournment and we'll come back at 10 past 4.
COMMITTEE ADJOURNS
ON RESUMPTION

CHAIRPERSON: Ms Molete, may I remind you that you're still under oath?

MIRIAM MOLETE: (s.u.o.)

CHAIRPERSON: Yes Mr Lowies?

MR LOWIES: Is it possible Mrs Molete that the person who assaulted you could have been an Albino?

MIRIAM MOLETE: No, it was a White person.

MR LOWIES: Why do you exclude the possibility that the person could have been an Albino?

MIRIAM MOLETE: He did not look like an Albino.

MR LOWIES: Now how does he differ from an Albino?

MIRIAM MOLETE: I do not know, Sir.

MR LOWIES: Is it not so that the only part that you according to you saw was his nose which could mean that he could have been a coloured for that matter as well, a coloured person with a light complexion?

MIRIAM MOLETE: It was not only the nose that I could see, I also mentioned the eyes.

MR LOWIES: And if you had a look at the eyes and the nose could he have been an Albino or a Coloured person?

MIRIAM MOLETE: Coloured people have brown eyes.

MR LOWIES: Now can you describe the opening of this Balaclava?

MIRIAM MOLETE: I said the person who attacked me, the eyes and the nose were not concealed.

MR LOWIES: Now what I want to know from you was just in this Balaclava were there just two holes for the eyes and the hole for the nose or was the whole Balaclava open?

MIRIAM MOLETE: There were two circles around the eye area and I think at the nose it was not covered.  I did not see the witness pointing the nose or not.  Round the eyes he had circles on the Balaclava and she's pointing around the nose where it was not concealed or the Balaclava did not conceal the nose.

CHAIRPERSON: Now was there just an opening for the nose?

MIRIAM MOLETE: Yes.

MR LOWIES: So it's not as if the whole face - sorry, the whole area where the eyes and the nose are were open with a square?  Two holes and a hole for a nose, in actual fact three holes in the Balaclava, correct?

MIRIAM MOLETE: That is how I saw it.

MR LOWIES: And there was no attempt made to paint this part of the nose black according to your observation?

MIRIAM MOLETE: No, on that score I do not know.

CHAIRPERSON: The part of the nose that you saw was not painted black?

MIRIAM MOLETE: I said it was not painted because I could see this was a White person.

MR LOWIES: The two people in the camouflage uniforms that you described, you could see their faces, yes or no?

MIRIAM MOLETE: Yes.