Human Rights Violation Hearings — Louis Trichardt — 1997-04-09

RUSSELL ALLY: Thank you Mr Manamela, just a few questions.  This incident that you describe at the time you were in standard nine and you did say that you tried to continue your studies, did you ever complete your school?  Did you complete your matric?

PITSO P MANAMELA: I ended up not passing standard ten, because I was owing three subjects to write, but I did not write them there at the prison, because I thought, going back to the prison, will mean that I will be arrested again.  Because I was not trusting that Government of Mr Mpepu, I never went back again.

RUSSELL ALLY: And presently are you employed or not, what is your present situation?

PITSO P MANAMELA: No, I am staying at home.  I am not working.

RUSSELL ALLY: In your statement, it says that you are a road contractor on a RDP project was that something temporary and has now come to an end?

PITSO P MANAMELA: That is temporary.

RUSSELL ALLY: Now this case against you that went on for so long where you were kept in detention for over ten months, you mentioned public violence, you speak about being accused of throwing petrol bombs, attempted assault, can you tell us a little bit about the background of this?  You do say that you were actually found not guilty, you were acquitted, but what was this all about?  What did it relate to?

PITSO P MANAMELA: We were evicted from Tshikota to Vleifontein by force and so we were refusing to go there to Vleifontein.  We were not prepared to fall under the Venda Government.  But there was a certain woman, I have forgotten her name, who alleged that I bombed her house by petrol bomb.  By that time of the bombing, I was no longer in Vleifontein.

RUSSELL ALLY: This woman whose house was bombed was she someone who supported the incorporation of Vleifontein into Venda?  Was she one of those who wanted this to happen and therefore became a target of the community?

PITSO P MANAMELA: It is true.  She was supporting, because her husband was a policeman.

RUSSELL ALLY: At school, you mention that the Principal accused you of being involved in political activities and that is what the Police accused you of as well, but you yourself, what was your role while you were in school?  Were you politically active?  Were you an activist?  Did you belong to the SRC or any other student structure?

PITSO P MANAMELA: At that time we were aware that there is an ANC organisation.  While we were chanting there we used to sing the name of the ANC that Mandela, we want to see him back.  We want to know him.  We used to hear about Mandela and we were not knowing him.  We wanted to see and know him, because that he was arrested at Pollsmoor.  He was fighting for the Blacks.

RUSSELL ALLY: Now before this whole question of Vleifontein came up, because I think it was in April of 1986 when the Government gazetted that Vleifontein would become part of Venda, before that event, what were things like in the community?  Was there a lot of political activities taking place, or was it this issue of Vleifontein and the Venda Homeland Government that changed things in the community?

PITSO P MANAMELA: By that time, we were happy, but there were no political activities.  We were not politically influenced, but having that in our minds because we used to think of our comrade, Bantu Steve Biko.  We used to read about him and understand that South Africa there is something, in South Africa there is something which is wrong and the Boers are taking us down.

RUSSELL ALLY: Do you know anything about the Vleifontein Crisis Committee?  Did you hear about it?  Did you know anything about it?

PITSO P MANAMELA: Yes, I know that.

RUSSELL ALLY: Can you tell us anything about this Committee? What was it?  What was its role?

PITSO P MANAMELA: That Crisis Committee was to fight for the Vleifontein community for their problem which was in Vleifontein.

RUSSELL ALLY: You describe your, the torture that you underwent, has it left any long term effects?  Do you still remember it?

PITSO P MANAMELA: Yes it is true.

RUSSELL ALLY: What long term effects has it left?

PITSO P MANAMELA: Is that at this time I was prepared to have better education that I can at least help the community of Vendas in Vleifontein.

RUSSELL ALLY: Thank you very much.

PITSO P MANAMELA: And thank you very much.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Thank you Pitso.  When your students were taking up Vleifontein issue, what were the parents doing?

PITSO P MANAMELA: The parents came in influenced us.  Said that what we were doing were good and they were not interested in being incorporated to Venda.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Were they not formed into any organisation of their own?

PITSO P MANAMELA: No, but in that Crisis Committee we included them in that Crisis Committee so that they can advise us with their ideas as parents.

THOMAS MANTHATA: When they advised you with ideas on Vleifontein, on resistance to incorporation, what did they think about your school work?

PITSO P MANAMELA: As far as schooling is concerned they were thinking that we must have better education because we were afraid that under the Venda Government we will not receive broad education.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Yes, but education as you have observed, does not, sometimes it is negatively influenced by Students' Resistance Movement.  When students go on boycott and so on in the end quite a number either do not sit for the exams or they fail.

PITSO P MANAMELA: Is it a question or is it an explanation?

THOMAS MANTHATA: It is a question.  When the parents encouraged you to resist what is it they thought about your school work?

PITSO P MANAMELA: They were aware, but because they were not interested in being incorporated, but I think according to my idea, I think we were doing better things.

THOMAS MANTHATA: That is better things to education?

PITSO P MANAMELA: To myself I think it was better, because we happened to understand something which were hidden under the Apartheid Government.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Okay.  You talk here about your friend Tsaitsai.  Is he late, is he still alive?

PITSO P MANAMELA: He is late.

THOMAS MANTHATA: He is late.  How did he die?

PITSO P MANAMELA: I heard that he was involved in a car accident coming back home from Harare.  He was, he ran away to Harare.

THOMAS MANTHATA: He went to Harare as an exile or what?

PITSO P MANAMELA: Yes, he went there as an exile.

THOMAS MANTHATA: You referred to one Pieterse  I do not know whether his house was burned down or what, who is this Pieterse?

PITSO P MANAMELA: His name is Sara.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Sara's house was burned down.  Do I get you correct?

PITSO P MANAMELA: Yes it's true, but when I went there to inspect that house the petrol bomb did not get into the house.  It just hit the wall.

THOMAS MANTHATA: And then the house got burned?

PITSO P MANAMELA: No, it was not burned.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Oh, I see.  Was it known later who threw the petrol bomb into the house?

PITSO P MANAMELA: No, that I am not sure.

THOMAS MANTHATA: But you as students were never associated with throwing petrol bombs around?

PITSO P MANAMELA: No, no students were involved.

THOMAS MANTHATA: You say you were detained for how long, for ten months?

PITSO P MANAMELA: Yes, ten months.

THOMAS MANTHATA: And then you were accused with public violence?

PITSO P MANAMELA: Yes, it is true.  But that public violence was changed into possession of explosives and attempted assault.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Did you ever handle explosives as yet?

PITSO P MANAMELA: No.

THOMAS MANTHATA: You refer to a Principal who did not take kindly, either you attitude or your attitude to the students, what is his name?

PITSO P MANAMELA: His name was K R Majea

THOMAS MANTHATA: Where is he now?

PITSO P MANAMELA: Now, I do not know where he is.

THOMAS MANTHATA: You do not even know whether he has changed his attitude towards students' activities or not?

PITSO P MANAMELA: I am not sure.