Human Rights Violation Hearings — Beaufort West — 1996-08-12

ADV POTGIETER: Can you still remember who presided over this case.  Was it a local Magistrate or was it someone from else where.

MS MBALO: It was somebody from else where.

ADV POTGIETER: This policemen, Simon, was he charged in the second case?

MS MBALO: He was also there, because it was in the same matter.

ADV POTGIETER: So he was also in Court?

MS MBALO: He gave evidence  in court.

ADV POTGIETER: Was he the accused?

MS MBALO: Yes,  he was charged.

ADV POTGIETER: But the second court acquitted him?

MS MBALO: Yes,  he was acquitted.

ADV POTGIETER: So nothing happened to him as far as this matter concerned?

MS MBALO: No, nothing happened.

ADV POTGIETER: So he is still in Beaufort West?

MS MBALO: Yes, he is still a policeman in Beaufort West

ADV POTGIETER: You said he was a Sergeant?

MS MBALO: Yes, he's a Sergeant.

ADV POTGIETER: So he was actually promoted in  the interim?

MS MBALO: Yes, I assume that it was a job well done for Beaufort West - the fact that he shot my son.  After he had shot my son,  he was promoted to a Sergeant.

ADV POTGIETER: So actually promoted to a Sergeant after having shot your son?

MS MBALO: Yes.

ADV POTGIETER: This was after he had shot Witness?

MS MBALO: Yes, it was after he had shot at Witness.

ADV POTGIETER: Is Simon he's name or he's surname?

MS MBALO: The Magistrate said that - referred to him as Simon so I assume  that it was  his surname.

ADV POTGIETER: Was it a white man or was...[intervention]

MS MBALO: It was a coloured man.

ADV POTGIETER: And you say he is still in the Police Force here in Beaufort West?

MS MBALO: Yes.

ADV POTGIETER: Does he wear a uniform?

MS MBALO: Yes, he wears a uniform.

ADV POTGIETER: Okay.

CHAIRPERSON: Ma'am, I am grateful  that you referred to the handling - the treatment at the hospital because sometimes we hear that the treatment by the doctors wasn't  always that good, but this time you indicated that the doctors said that perhaps they should take Witness to Cape Town to see if he could receive any better treatment.
So we appreciate  this kind of evidence being given.  I don't know if you would be able to say anything about the fact that it the Commission were able to get you and Sergeant Simon together whether you would accept it like that - whether you would accept an attempt to bring you two together in an attempt at reconciliation between the two of you.

MS MBALO: Bishop, I hope I will be able to because I wanted  to do it, then.  My duty was that I thought that if I spoke to him, perhaps I would feel a bit better, but he wasn't prepared to see me and he made it very clear.  The Sergeant made it very clear that he says he doesn't want to see me at all.
So I would accept it if he wanted to do so.  And I also want to say that the doctors did their  duty because he was taken 30 kilometers out of Beaufort West when they had to turn back because he passed away on the way there.  So I feel that the doctors did do their duty.

CHAIRPERSON: Do you remember what the names of these doctors were?

MS MBALO: I cannot remember at all.  I was just very heartbroken at the time - I just cannot remember what kind of doctors they were.

CHAIRPERSON: That is not a problem.  We will ask our staff to see if they can get any names because  we would like to salute them for what they had done at that stage.   It is not easy to utter words of sympathy.  
Because in English there is an idiom that says  "To praise fasting", but it is very simple for you to express words of sympathy - for us to express words of sympathy - towards you but you have to know that we have people here who sympathies with you and understand what you are going through while you were giving your evidence.
So we would like to express once again that our country is very blessed in the sense that  it has people like yourself who do not bear grudges in their hearts and you sorry up to this day that  - your wish is that you would be able to speak to this Sergeant Simon and perhaps help you  get over this happening. 
 And this desire to bring about peace is something which makes this land of ours able to heal even better of all the hurt and pain of the past.   And we would just like to say  thank you very much and we as the Commission will try our best to see how we can be of assistance to you in the way that you are going .  Thank you very much.