Human Rights Violation Hearings — Klerksdorp — 1996-09-25

MAMKGELE ROSELYN KOKI: One morning as I was on my night duty - I can't remember the year very well, but I have it written it down somewhere. It was in the morning, I was on my way home and in the township people were busy erecting their shacks. I went home and my sister came to see me, and she said are you sleeping. I said yes, I want to take a nap, because I am working night duty.  She said to me no, let's leave, let's go and erect ourselves a shack. I said well, let me take off my uniform, and I did.  I left with her.  On our way I got into one house and I took one corrugated iron and when I came back for another corrugated iron, I found it was too heavy for me. I requested another girl to help me carry this corrugated iron to the site where we were about to build. I was not aware that Hippos were approaching us, four in number, and four bakkies and one Casspir.  This girl dropped the corrugated iron and she fled. I decided to stand still.
 The Hippos approached.  The children were taking 
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different directions, running away.  A policeman came to me and as he was pointing, I thought that he was pointing at the children running away. It was Mr Van der Venter, he was pointing at me.  This man hit me with the back of the gun on my chest and I grabbed his gun and we were fighting for this gun.  Then he managed to pull it out of my hands and he hit me on my face.  The second time I got hold of the gun.  As we were fighting he fell.  He was the special commander. Then he quickly stood up and he kicked me.
 Mr Jerry Minya came and he said please, do not kick her.  He said she doesn't want to get into the van.  I said to him no, I do not want, I am not refusing to get into the van, this man just hit me with the back of the gun and he kicked me, and I asked him will my husband go and hit his wife as he is doing to me. He didn't give an answer.  
 They put me into the van. They drove off to the police station. I was alone. I was put in a cell and in that cell I must tell you, it was a very small cell.  The floors were full of water. I was locked in.  Because I was tired I slept.  At about five o'clock I heard that footsteps were approaching and these people opened my cell. About 50 or 200 people were all stuffed in that cell.  We spent the Saturday evening in that cell.  Saturday morning Mahatang, who was the councillor said, I am requesting all of you people to stop politics, politicis doesn't pay.  He said I will negotiate on your behalf and then you will go.  Other women agreed, they said yes.  She said if you pay R100,00 you will be released. I asked as to why we have to pay this money.  She said no, it is a fine and you have to be released. I said if you want to take me to court, take me, I want to know what wrong have I done.  These women paid the R100,00 
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fines and left. I spent the whole weekend in the cell.
 We were not eating, we were not drinking water, we were - and we were women, you know.  Since I wore that same underwear, I spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday with the same underwear.
 A White group of boers came with their girlfriends.  They were making a mockery of us.  I said to them guys, I have pains now. They said why don't you go and get Wesley Makopane and Boys Mpimpi, because these are the people who instruct you to misbehave.   I said to them do you know a doctor called Mpimpi or Makopane.  They switched off the lights and they locked the cell. I climbed over the toilet top and I lit the room.  They came back when they saw the light.  They said who switched on the light.  I said to them guys, it is cold here and it is dark and we are sleeping on the cement, we want the light.  They switched off the light.  They went out. I switched it on again.  I said to these women if this boer a third time, I am going to pull him in, he must spend the night with us here, because we are getting cold.  He didn't come back.
 On Sunday Mahatang came and said these people must pay the R100,00, and I refused.  Monday morning, our lawyer was Richard Spoole.  They phoned Richard Spoole and we went to court and we were given bail. 
 I went to see the doctor.  My teeth were loose, my chest was sore, my ribs were aching and the cement that I slept on, also affected me.  I went to Dr Gayi.  He examined me and he gave me an injection and that is Voltaren and he gave me a letter.  He said take this form back to the police station.
 I went the same Monday, I went to the police station.  KLERKSDORP HEARING TRC/GAUTENG
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The yard at the police station were full of boers.  They didn't even want me to gain access into the yard.  One of them grabbed the form I held in my hands and tore it up and threw it away. I went out.
 The next morning I went to Dr Ollenwag, he is the dentist. He pulled out the upper teeth.  I was called the other day and I appeared before the court of law. I was told that the case was dropped.  That was the end of it.  Nobody took an initiative to enquire as to why the case is suddenly dropped. Not even one of them came to me to ask me how do I feel about the case that has been dropped. I was fighting for the freedom of the people.  Everything ended so abruptly.
 It was a Friday, if I remember well, my boy said to me  Mom, I am leaving this area. It was Friday morning. He said I want to go and see Buthi in Johannesburg, I want to ask him to help me find a job.  He left.  His name is Thomas.
 Sunday morning police were looking, they were surrounding my house. I peeped through the window, I saw a lot of people and their vans. I opened the door.  When I opened the door three of the policemen got into the house; David Motingwe and the other one, a White person called Lotter and they asked my husband can we search your house.  He said to them what do you want, why do you have to search.  They said we want Thomas.  He said Thomas is not here, why do you want him.  They said he is a suspect, there is an Inkatha person who has been killed.  My husband asked when was he killed.  They said he was killed on Friday evening, he was discovered Saturday morning. He said to them he left Friday morning for Johannesburg, if he calls I will tell him KLERKSDORP HEARING TRC/GAUTENG
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that you want him, he should come down.  He allowed them to search the house.  After that they went out and left.
 God helped us, oh, Lord, on Monday Thomas called. I asked him Thomas, where are you calling from.  He said I am at the public telephone, I am looking for a job.  I said to him please, come down, the police are looking for you.  He said why?  I said no, there is a dead man from the Inkatha organisation and you are a suspect. He said I am on my way.   Monday afternoon he was at home.  I said to him go straight to the police station.  He went to the police station.  The police were so humiliating.  I respected them. I searched for my son where he was, I even said to him he should go to the police station. Instead of appreciating that, they just took him to the cells.
 At about seven o'clock I called Boy, Boy, I don't know what happened to Thomas, he was here, but he has never come back.  He came back and he was in the cell.  
 A week went by.  Monday morning I was at work.  I saw the police coming and I was at the corridor and one of them he said to me Rosy, I want to speak to you.  I asked him what is "spreek", because it was an Afrikaans word.  The Black person said he wants to speak to you.  I said okay, that's fine.  He said we are here to pick you up.  Why?  He said we are going to arrest you. I said why? They said no, we are arresting you about the matter of Paul.  Who is Paul? Paul is the person who has been killed.  I said to them I am not going to leave this area without the permission of my matron.  He said we spoke to a White matron and she gave the permission for you to leave. I said to them listen here, I am under the guidance of a Black matron, speak to her and then I will go.  I said why don't you behave?  You have
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been to a White person, because she is White and then you listen to her.  You know, they just took me in my uniform and our way I was told to take my hands out of my pockets. I said to them it is cold and I am getting really cold.  He said you are - and he insulted me. I said to him why do you have to insult me.  They took me to the police station. It was about nine o'clock.
 He said to me on our arrival you are going to tell the truth. I didn't know what "waarheid" was, because it was Afrikaans.  I was just shocked.  He said Thomas killed this boy. I said to him I am not going to tell you that they killed him or they did not kill him. I am not alone in their company wherever they go.  This other one said take this stubborn person away and I was put into this cell filled with water.  You know, at the corner, very unacceptable things were there. I spent four hours in that cell.  I was released and I was told that I was going to tell the truth.  It was five o'clock. I went to the court of the law and the prosecutor said no, put her back into the cell, she will be transferred to Wolmaransstad.  They said uniform - I said listen here, this is my uniform, whether I die in the cells, this is my uniform. 
 On Thursday, they took me to Wolmaransstad.  I spent that day in Wolmaransstad.  For a month I was in the cells.  We went to the court every day and Richard Spoole said they want a R1 000,00 bail.  That was organised and I was released. I went back three or four times. I was told that the case was dropped and my R1 000,00 was brought back.  
 A few days after I was released from the cells, an Uno drove past, it was white in colour. Inside it was Mr Sibeya, Mr Khoza and another boy called Umbigha. I was at the
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kitchen window.  It was just passing next to the fence, and Ompie was pointing at me.  I thought he was indicating to the people who I was. I also pointed my finger at them.  They drove off.
 In the afternoon I was with my husband and the last born, and I said you know, I wish I could drink tea, I have been in the cells and I didn't get tea. You know, I felt a bit sleepy and my husband left me to go to sleep. I was still watching TV.  I went to sleep.  My child came back and I said no, I will see the tea tomorrow, let's go to sleep.
  It was one minute to twelve, I think, I went into the bathroom. When I got out of the toilet, just before I could get into bed, everything was just terrible.  My husband said they threw a stone into the house. I said no, this was not a stone.  He said it is a bomb. I said no ways.  He said let's go outside. I said no ways, I am not going outside, this is my house, these boers are not going to see my corpse.  My husband persuaded me to get out of the house. He ran outside and I went into the dining room and I sat there.  He said my wife, you are burning, please get out of the house. I said to him I am not going anywhere, this is my house.  Within a few minutes the police were there and they said get out.  There was this one policeman called Lubbe from Lichtenburg. He said get out.  I said no, I am not going. He said listen, they have planted the other one. I said listen here, don't tell me they have planted, tell me that you have planted the other one.  I told them about the car that I saw.  He said to me those people are very well-behaved, they can't do anything, let us go to that house, I will show you that they are well-behaved people.
 You know, he just left. I don't know how and he helped
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those people to escape.  I was in the house and we were investigating and I was told that this is a land-mine.    There was a cigarette lighter at a distance.  Now this person who lit this land-mine must have dropped his cigarette lighter there, but the police didn't tell me what object was.  That was the end of it.
 My son, Thomas, was still in jail, and when the boers left I said to them listen here, Mr station commander, haven't you heard anything about my son, Thomas.  He said no, as soon as we get information we will tell you.  I went to town, I bought new panes to repair my house. I spent 
R5 000,00 for those panes.  
 My son was released and he went to court.  Richard Spoole negotiated on their behalf to get bail and it was 
R2 500,00. They were told that they will be under house arrest.  
 One Friday my son washed himself. He dressed himself neatly and he said I am going away, but I am not going to be too long, I will be back within a few minutes.  Hardly ten minutes after he left the house - on Thursday they had been to court.  The last words, he asked the magistrate, he said listen, I am under house arrest and four days left before the elections, I want to take part in the elections, will the court send somebody special to help me vote at home, because I want to vote.  He was not given an answer.  The court was quiet, no answer was given to my son.
 On Friday, he left and the message I got was Thomas had been shot. I thought he was shot in the leg.  This other child - when I got there, I was told he has been taken to hospital.  When we got to the hospital, he was on the stretcher.  Where are you taking him to?  No, he is heading 
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for the mortuary. One of the station commanders told me we have arrested the perpetrator, he is in the cell. I said to him all right.  Mr station commander was lying. This Kassie was taken to Potchefstroom for hiding and I was asked where is Ghazu. I said no, Ghazu is in jail. They said no, the station commander was lying, he has been taken to Potchefstroom.  I talked to the station commander the next day.  I said to him shall I come and see this man you have arrested.  He said no ways. 
 My leaders were turning their backs against me. Nobody.  They forgot taht I was involved in the struggle. They forgot that I sacrificed.  They forgot that I sacrificed even with my house.  My husband was attacked by severe heart attacks after the bombing of my house, until he died.  People who I was involved with, people who were together with me in this jam forgot about me.  I was together with my husband. Eight months thereafter he passed away, because of the heart attack. 
 I had to battle another turn, because of the finance.  No member of the ANC was coming to my house. Not even one of them came to enquire as to what kind of assistance do I need. They forgot even to help me bury my son, because Thomas was no more.  
 One day I was called to the court of law.  I was told to attend the court proceedings. I went to court at eight o'clock.  I was now impatient, and I said to them I have been here since eight o'clock but I do not get anything, any information.  The magistrate referred me to Thandi and he said Thandi will explain everything to me. Thandi was shocked, because she said to me I am not a person to convey the message to you. I have got your file in my file and they
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have written in that file that your case has been dropped and nobody is responsible.  There was no court case.  I was told not to come and pester them any more about the proceedings of the case. I kept quiet and I went back home.
 People from the ANC pulled themselves out.  The women's league left me. They turned their backs against me.  I was left with my husband, with my relatives, they were doing everything for me.  My ANC, the ANC at Schweizer-Reneke disappointed me. Together with their leaders. I want to say this today.  Today we are talking about reconciliation, but what happened to me - I am not here to give pleasure to the listeners here. I am here to speak on my behalf. I don't believe I will forgive me. I am still feeling this pain in me.  I was never given any help. Every time when there was a problem they would go to my house.  We have struggled.  
 We have moved people to stay at Slovo squatter camp. I request the Premier to go and have a look at that squatter camp.  People really remember the porridge that they used to eat in the farm areas where they were really battling.  It is just nepotism that is taking place in the ANC at our area.  Only a certain sector of people is meant to be successful.  People go to taverns and they drink in the shebeens and they say they won't pay anything. I want to thank you.