Human Rights Violation Hearings — Pollsmoor — 1996-11-27

ADV POTGIETER: Thank you chairperson.  We will put him to work immediately.  I call the next witnesses.  Andile Mjobo and Edith Mjobo.
Perhaps Chairperson, whilst the witness is settling down - just to make it clear that we have made an arrangement with the photographers that they will be allowed an opportunity to take photographs at the beginning of the testimony of a witness and we have an understanding that they will not come in and do that in the course of the testimony.  Because it could become quite destructive, but we do have that understanding,  just to explain their presence at this stage.
Ms Mjobo, good morning to you.

UNKNOWN: Good morning.

ADV POTGIETER: You hear the translation over the headphones?

UNKNOWN: Yes, I hear.

ADV POTGIETER: Thank you, and with you is your son Andile.

UNKNOWN: Yes.

ADV POTGIETER: Good morning to Andile as well and welcome.

UNKNOWN: Thank you.

ADV POTGIETER: Both of you will be speaking?

UNKNOWN: No, I will be the only one that is going to speak.

ADV POTGIETER: Andile is just giving you some support.  Well thank you Andile for that.   Then Ms Mjobo, I am going to ask you only to take the oath, so  I am going to ask you to please stand.
EDITH  MJOBO Duly sworn states

ADV POTGIETER: Thank you very much, you may be seated.  My colleague Dumisa Ntsebeza will assist you in giving your evidence over to him.

ADV NTSEBEZA: Ms Mjobo  I will talk to you now, I would like to greet you and also you Andile.  Before we start ma'am, are you aware that Zanisile also gave us a statement.

UNKNOWN: Yes, I am aware of that

ADV NTSEBEZA: But you've agreed that you are going to - you agree that you are only the one - you are the one that is going to speak here today, to testify today.

UNKNOWN: Yes, I am the only one that is going to testify.

ADV NTSEBEZA: We will talk about Zandisile today.  I will  give you the opportunity ma'am to tell us your story, as you know it, as you know what happened to Zandisile.  I want you to tell us how did you hear about this and how do you feel about this matter and what you request from this Commission.  What will this Commission do to assist you in order to feel better.

UNKNOWN: Thank you sir.  In 1985 the police were after my twins, Zandisile and Zanisile.  They were looking all over for them.  They would come at my home looking for them and they would be all around the house searching for them and they would keep the doors with their guns and my twins would go on the backdoor and run and they would come in and ask - where are the twins?  And we would tell them that we don't know where they are.  They didn't spend the night here.
We were suffering because of this treatment.  Because they would gather around the house the whole night looking for my twins and they would do this constantly.   We couldn't sleep and still 1985, my other son, we sent my other son in the shop and he came that day, saying that Mongazi was arrested and I asked why was he arrested - they said that they don't know, because he didn't do anything.
We went to the police station - we asked why was Mongazi arrested and they said he was throwing stones and Mongazi denied that.  He said he didn't do that, but they just arrested him.  And we went back to the police station and they released him on free bail.   And they said we must look after him.
We went back home with him.  On the following day, when we woke up, he was not there.  We looked all around the township.  We looked for Mongazi and we heard that he went to Cape Town - one of my twins went to Cape Town to look for him and he said that he didn't find him.  They told him that he already left Cape Town and he was going to Happy where he was.  And we stayed without my son, Mongazi.
And we suffered a lot because the police were also looking for my other son Mongazi.   They used to come and ask where he was and we told them that he left and we don't know where he was.  And after that the police were kicking the doors every time.  Looking for the twins and we told them we don't know where the twins were.
One day they came, at about 10 o'clock, they woke me up, together with my husband.  They told us to go to the lounge  to sit in the lounge and we - they came in the house and searched the house - we asked them what were they looking for?   They said, they were looking for guns, because  my sons had guns in the house.   And we told them that we didn't see any guns in the house.  They searched the whole house,  saying that they were looking for this guns.  
Sometimes they used to come in the morning and they stayed in the house for the whole day.  And we wanted to look for their badge in order for us to identify them, but we couldn't see the badges, because they were wearing the uniform, the dark uniform and my husband couldn't even go to work,  because of this.
And my twins decided to leave in 1986 and they disappeared.  We didn't know where they were, but one of them use to contact us and tell us that they are all right.  We need not to worry.  End of Tape 1, Side A ... this.  We told them that
we are not well at home,  because of this and they arrested my husband once and my twins ran away.   They came here in Cape Town.
And then one day I decided to come here to Cape Town to look for them, because at this time they were not contacting us.  And then I told my husband I was going to Cape Town to look for my sons and we both decided to come here in Cape Town and we were told that they were in Athlone.   I wanted to go there, but I was not allowed to go to Athlone to look for them and we went back.  It was on Sunday, that time, we went back home.
On Tuesday, one police - one black policeman came and he asked me where my husband was.  And then I said he was at work.  And this policeman told us that one of my twins have been shot.

ADV NTSEBEZA: You can continue ma'am.