Special Hearings — Mandela United Football Club Hearings — 1997-11-24

BISHOP STOREY: Twenty-ninth of January.  Well, once this thing had broken, I found myself dealing on Friday and Saturday and Sunday with every print medium except the "Eskimo Times".  It was everything in the world suddenly wanted news about this.  It was a very difficult time, because we wanted to be as cautious as possible in the way this was aired, bearing in mind the sensitivity of it all, but I had to do interviews with many, many TV and newspaper reporters, and decided that I would want to focus on the question, "Where is Stompie?".  That was our concern, and that was the issue that should be lifted up here, and so, as far as possible, tried to make that the focus of every interview.
 Now, the Sunday Times ... (intervention).

MR VALLY: Sorry, Bishop Storey.

BISHOP STOREY: Yes.

MR VALLY: Just on that'ssue of the press ... (intervention).

BISHOP STOREY: Yes.

MR VALLY: ... was, to your knowledge, Mrs Madikizela-Mandela making statements to the press in this period?

BISHOP STOREY: I know that by Sunday 29 the Sunday Times carried a headline and a story in which Mrs Mandela linked the murder of Dr Asvat with the church on grounds that he was to be her expert witness about the sexual abuse that she was alleging, and the City Press that day also carried a story which focused very much on the sexual side of this drama.  So, yes, she was.

MR VALLY: Just for the record, ... (intervention).

BISHOP STOREY: In fact, I'm sorry, if I may complete my answer.  As I indicated just now, the only reason why I was willing to give a statement to the Weekly Mail on the night of Thursday the 26th, was because they indicated Mrs Mandela had done so, and had attacked Mr Verryn and the church.

MR VALLY: As regards the statement made in the Sunday Times of the 29th of January, this was put to Mrs Madikizela-Mandela, I asked her this question, page 101 of the second inquiry, and I will very briefly tell you what her response was.  I asked her,
"Your statement in the Sunday Times linking the murder of Dr Asvat to Stompie's death, stating that he was killed, because he was the person who could prove the allegations of sodomy.  What was the basis for that allegation?"
Mrs Mandela replied,
"No, that's absolute nonsense, Mr Chairman, I made no such statement, and the media quotes me every day with all sorts of ridiculous statements."
I then quoted the actual Sunday Times article, and the section I quoted was the bit which was in quotation marks. 
"Dr Asvat was the only professional witness to back my story that the boys, allegedly kept against their will in my house, were, in fact, victims of abuse.  I gave them shelter as is my duty as a social worker."
 End of quote. Did you ever make such a statement to the Sunday Times reporter?".
Ms Madikizela-Mandela replied,
"As usual, it is first-class thumb-sucking.  I made no such a statement.  I don't speak to the press along those lines.  I don't, in fact, grant interviews at all for those who care to know."
Can you tell me, when you referred to the statement regarding Dr Asvat's death, on the 29th of January 1989, ... (intervention).

BISHOP STOREY: Yes.

MR VALLY: ... do you have any basis for believing that the statement was, in fact, made by Mrs Madikizela-Mandela?

BISHOP STOREY: Well, when we saw this story on Sunday, I mean, it was so utterly bizarre even to suggest that the church could be colluding with some murderer in order to get rid of evidence that might embarrass the church, it was so absurd, it made us very, very angry, and by the end of that day we had met and decided to open a defamation action against the Sunday Times and the City Press.  Now, the only evidence that I've that, I can't comment on whether they were quoting Mrs Mandela accurately or not, except that by Tuesday, Business Day, the 31st, Business Day carried a retraction by Mrs Mandela of this allegation.  When I say a retraction of sorts, I'ven't got the wording of that retraction in front of me, but that would indicate, possibly, to me that she had, in fact, made the first statement.

MR VALLY: Please go on.  Just complete what you were saying about Sunday the 29th and then go on to Tuesday the 31st, please.

BISHOP STOREY: Well, after the, that media issue of the link with Dr Asvat's murder, I convened a meeting with key community leaders, because this was a frightening allegation, and I spoke to Dr Motlana, who said, simply, she's lying, that's Mrs Mandela, no such medical evidence is possible anyway, and he said he would see her right away to warn her of the consequences of her statements, and I learnt from him later that Mrs Mandela refused to see him.  And that's when, very late that night, we met with our lawyers to decide to take legal action against the Sunday Times and the City Press.

MR VALLY: Please go on to Wednesday, the 1st of February.