Amnesty Hearings — Johannesburg — 1998-08-04

MRS ERASMUS: I would just like to say that I had the privilege of being married to my husband for nine years, a man who I loved and admired with my whole heart.  We had two children, Lindy and Stephanie.  He was the man who treated his neighbour with respect.  He was a dynamic but humble man and this his family and friends can bear witness to.  He was a christian, he served on the church council as well as on the management council of a children's home.  He was a very loyal person who always reached out to his neighbour.  He had no enemies.  He also treated his parents with the greatest love and respect.  He was the type of person who could forgive and also forget.
	Linus was for reform in the country and I can bear testimony to that.  I know that it was very important to him that Mr Mandela be released.  He was not a racist at all and he rejected Apartheid.  The fact that he had to be the victim of such a horrible deed that it was him of all people who was charred beneath a motor wreck is unforgettable.  I will never forget how our daughter Lindy, only six years old at that stage began to cry that evening when she realised and couldn't understand where her father was because a rugby game didn't last that long.  
	After those events on that day she received psychological treatment for the following three years.  She was inseparable from her father.  Today she is sixteen years old and she still can't speak about her father and the accident.  She refuses however to be involved in the hearing because she is not prepared to face those who are responsible for the death of her father because she is afraid that it will influence her life negatively.  
	Stephanie, the youngest, was only three years old.  She never had the privilege of knowing her father.  At times she has problems of concentrating, this is the result of depression which she is suffering from.
	I'm still receiving treatment from a psychologist because I could never deal with Linus's death.  I am a christian and I am extremely grateful for the God which I worship, for the strength which I receive to lead a reasonably normal life.  It was ten years ago that this incident took place and everything is still so fresh in my memories.  Two innocent people have died, two people with wonderful characteristics who could have meant so much for this country.  It was a cowardly deed which cannot justify any excuse.  
	Furthermore, I would like to say that the full truth has not been disclosed yesterday and I cannot imagine how reconciliation can take place if one cannot go back and hear the truth and see the people who were responsible for the deed in front of you.  I believe they are being protected and I don't know why.  Thank you.

ADV PRIOR: Mrs Erasmus you say that you believe that the full truth was not disclosed yesterday.  Could you perhaps expand on this?  What would you have liked to have heard furthermore from the applicants or through this hearing before the Amnesty Committee?

MRS ERASMUS: The two persons who testified yesterday appeared to me as if they didn't really know themselves what their order had been and I think that we have the right to know who gave the order and who executed the order so that we can begin again and continue with our lives.  If we know who gave the order and for what reason the order was given.

ADV PRIOR: As I understand your evidence now, you as a victim wanted to hear who exactly within the structures of uMkhonto weSizwe gave this specific order to plant the bomb at Ellis Park.  Do I understand you correctly?

MRS ERASMUS: That is correct.

ADV PRIOR: Thank you Chairperson.
NO FURTHER QUESTIONS BY ADV PRIOR

MR LANDMAN: I have no questions.
NO QUESTIONS BY MR LANDMAN

CHAIRPERSON: To you as well Mrs Erasmus, I'm sure that I speak for everybody who is present here when I say that we understand your tremendous loss for you and your family for the death of your husband and we hope that you can feel better about this in the future.

MRS ERASMUS: Thank you very much.
WITNESS EXCUSED

ADV PRIOR: Thank you Mr Chairman.

CHAIRPERSON: As I understand that concludes the evidence that we have to hear at the moment in connection with this application?

ADV PRIOR: That is so Mr Chairman.  There's just one aspect, the status of the bundle, we ought to have cleared that up at the outset.  I certainly would like to discuss that with my learned friend and I'd certainly not wish him or request him to confirm or accept statements which did not form part of these proceedings.  Certainly the statements relating to the implication of certain other people, that is the statements of Mashia and Bezuidenhout, I would ask the Committee to ignore those but certainly the other information relating to the damage, the victims that were injured as put up by the Police, the postmortem report and so forth.  I would ask him to consider accepting the veracity of those formal statements, Mr Chairman.

CHAIRPERSON: I think that's a matter you should discuss with Mr Landman and give him an opportunity to express his views.  I have no doubt that he would accept the formal things such as post-mortem reports and things but their may be things that he would like to have some time to consider so if you would discuss those.  Do you suggest we adjourn again now?

ADV PRIOR: Mr Chairman, may we adjourn this or ask those matters to stand over until lunchtime?  As I've indicated Mr van der Berg may have news for us by then.  I do not want to waste any further time and propose that we can - or I understand that there may be - yes, I think can we adjourn at this stage, we need to discuss whether the other matter can proceed straight away.

CHAIRPERSON: Although we have just started I'm sure that a number of people have been sitting in this hall for a long time this morning.  We will take a short adjournment now and if you can notify us and the people in the hall please as to what is going to happen now.  I don't want people to have to sit here as they did yesterday and as they've had to do this morning, waiting and waiting and waiting and I hope that we can keep going but I leave that in your hands.

MR LANDMAN: Mr Chairman might I just add something at this point?  Mr Chairman we indicated earlier on that we consider that the ANC's submissions which were made on two separate occasions to the Truth Commission would form part and would be considered as part of this application to explain inter alia the political motive and objective behind this particular act.  Mr Chairman, are we correct in assuming that that ....[intervention]

CHAIRPERSON: As far a I'm concerned, that has always been the practice of these Committees that we have had representations by many of the parties, it has not been thought necessary that they must formerly be proved at each and every hearing.  They may be referred to, speaking for myself I have been supplied with copies of them all and you can then refer us to the passages that you wish us to refer to and take into account.  Do you agree Mr Prior?

ADV PRIOR: I agree wholeheartedly with that approach, thank you Mr Chairman.

MR LANDMAN: Thank you Mr Chairman.
COMMITTEE ADJOURNS