Human Rights Violation Hearings — Sebokeng — 1996-08-08

ANNA MADIEMI KHESWA: I'm not certain about that because I went to court several times.  There were certain identification parades.  I went with Kalp as well as Havenga.  We were also looking as to whether we could not get my possessions and we were supposed to go to Kwamadala Hostel but I was scared.
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We went around trying to search.  We got a photo and they showed me the photo, they asked me whether I knew the person who was in the photo.  Then they told me that it was Hunter Ndlovu and he had been arrested.

MR MANTATA: Having realised that there were, these police had White police and so on, did you still have confidence in the police?

ANNA MADIEMI KHESWA: These were not White police only, there was also a Sergeant a Black Sergeant who was there.

MR MANTATA: Yes, now that they were all the police my question is did you continue having faith in those police?

ANNA MADIEMI KHESWA: I never went further with the case because I was being thrown from pillar to post.  I even went to Brixton but the matter wasn't taken any further.

MR MANTATA: You talk about your personal and individual efforts to get whatever you could like going to Kwamadala Hostel, do you perhaps know what other families did similar to your efforts?

ANNA MADIEMI KHESWA: Some of them, we accompanied each other and some of them got their belongings back. But I was scared to go there.

MR MANTATA: What stories did they tell you about Kwamadala when they came back?

ANNA MADIEMI KHESWA: They said there was a lot of disorder, there were children as well as males and females, everybody seemed to be staying together.  That is the correct that is the stories I heard but I never went there.

MR MANTATA: So how far did the collective efforts go - when did you end your collective efforts or search or efforts to find out who these people were?

ANNA MADIEMI KHESWA: We stopped when we were coming from Brixton.  HRV/818 It/...
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It was in 1993 but I don't remember the month.  We were from the identification parade.

MR MANTATA: But finally did the people in that area, that is whether there be six houses and so on, did they ever decide what to do as a group to stop this kind of activity in future?

ANNA MADIEMI KHESWA: No.

MR MANTATA: And did the ANC branch offer to do anything for the protection of the people in that area?

ANNA MADIEMI KHESWA: No there was no help.

MR MANTATA: Presently what gives that community a sense of peace and rest amongst yourselves?

ANNA MADIEMI KHESWA: I don't know because I don't see any peace whatsoever.

MR MANTATA: Thank you Anna.

DR RANDERA: Sorry Anna one last question.  You said you were also shot, can you tell us where you were shot and what were your injuries?

ANNA MADIEMI KHESWA: Two bullets went through one side out the other side.

DR RANDERA: In your leg?

ANNA MADIEMI KHESWA: That is correct.

DR RANDERA: Anna thank you for coming to share - sorry Ms Seroke you want to add something.

MS SEROKE: You said the house at which you are staying presently still reminds you of that horrible day because it's got those bullet holes that are a reminder to you of what happened to you in the past, what are your expectations from the Commission that you should not have this horrible reminder, do you want to go out of this house?

ANNA MADIEMI KHESWA: I don't know what the Commission would
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resolve.  I cannot forget that horrible day. When you look at these they remind you of what happened to you, even my studio couch when I lift it there are holes underneath.

MS SEROKE: We shall pass the recommendation to the Reparation and Rehabilitation Committee.  I thank you very much.

ANNA MADIEMI KHESWA: Can I ask a question?

DR RANDERA: Yes you may.

ANNA MADIEMI KHESWA: Even the people who died inside my house are people who have families, they left families and the other one had come because she was working, she was actually from Thaba Nchu.  She also has children.  She left her children when she died.

DR RANDERA: Anna thank you for sharing that with us.  Anna we have listened to your pain, to your anger, and to your suffering still.  To have lost two children within one night, and when we look back on that part of our history we can all say why. It seems so senseless.  And I am going to ask our people from the Reparation Committee because your pain is still so obvious and we need to be able to give you some help now.  So hopefully our briefers today will speak to you after this as well and something can be done to start that healing process.
 You so rightly said that 19 people died on that night, on the eve of Chris Hani's funeral when the nation was mourning already.  And many people have said that if there was a moment in our history where our country was going to burn that was the moment that it was going to happen.  And yet the discipline of our people came through.  The resilience of our people came through.  But again we ask ourselves what manner of people are these that when we were 
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mourning already that they go and compound our pain and suffering by making many other people mourn too.  And I think we need to reflect and ask ourselves that question and certainly those people who were responsible for that need to clearly ask themselves that question.  I thank you for coming.