Human Rights Violation Hearings — Soweto — 1996-07-22

YASMINE SOOKA: I would now like to call Mrs Virginia Mashinini to take the stand please.  Mrs Mashinini the Commission would like to welcome you to its hearings on Soweto.  The name of your son I think is known to most South Africans, could you indicate to us whether the gentleman on your side is accompanying you, is he a relative?

MS MASHININI: (No audible reply) (The speaker's mike is not on.)

YASMINE SOOKA: Mr Mashinini we would like to welcome you to the proceedings.  Mrs Mashinini are you the one who is going to give evidence?   Take your time.  Are you able to hear me?

MS MASHININI: No.

VIRGINIA MASHININI: (sworn states)

YASMINE SOOKA: As is usual with witnesses we ask a Commissioner or a Committee member to lead them through the evidence.  In this instance we have assigned Mr Tom Manthata to assist you.  Thank you.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Mr and Mrs Mashinini I welcome you in front of this Commission.  We are very happy that you are here.  We request you to tell us what the position was with the family at the time your son Tsietsi Mashinini was in the leadership of the students during this time of the students' upheaval, that is from June 16th 1976.

MS MASHININI: On that day on June 16th, I woke up and went to work.  We heard from the radio that Soweto is burning.  SOWETO HEARING TRC/GAUTENG
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We came back immediately.  We asked for permission.  When we arrived at home we learnt from the people that Tsietsi is the leader of the students.  I was surprised because I knew nothing.  I didn't know what will happen that day, that's why I went to work.  On that day, on that evening the police started raiding.  They came to our house and started raiding.  They came nearly every day.  Sometimes they used to come three times or two times a day per night.  Sometimes they used to come during the day.  They take our children to John Vorster, they beat them up, after beating them up they brought them home.  Our children used to be beaten in John Vorster who were still very young because they knew nothing about politics.  Even if when we were there at home they used to teargas canisters in our yard.  The teargas fumes, smoke even children used not to stay at home because they were afraid.  They used to sleep outside where we don't know.  It was difficult for us until they went to exile.
 The police used to tell people not to come into our house because they were going to be raided.  When they come to raid us they just storm our house, break our doors, get inside to tell us, instruct us not to lie, they give us their own ...(indistinct) , they just become full in our house.  When we look through the windows they are having firearms, they are pointing at the house and show that they were ready to shoot.  It happened on a daily basis.  Tsietsi was not staying in the house.  When he comes to change his clothes they were not going to come at a time when he was still there, he will wash and go.  After having gone they will arrive and ask us where's Tsietsi, and we would tell them we don't know where Tsietsi is, and if he was there we used to tell them that he was here, if he was not there we 
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used to tell them he was not here.  It continued.  Sometimes Black people used to come, sometimes boers used to come and when Black police arrived there they were good to us.  If they were Afrikaners they used to harass us.  
 We were isolated in our house, only the church people who used to come and support us to our house.  Other people didn't come to our house because they were afraid of the police.  Police had told them that they must not come to that house otherwise they will be arrested, and really that happened.  Whenever we go to people they will follow us and go to those people and raid them in the evenings.  And then we ended up not going to anyone.  It caused problems, mainly our friends and family.
 One day I went away because the children were in exile.  I went to Swaziland and Tsietsi was also in exile.  I went to Botswana again.  I wanted to talk to Tsietsi because when he was in Botswana reporters would go there and talk to him and when they released the statement either the police or the people will come and say things to us, many things that Tsietsi is talking a lot in the papers and their children are being harassed by the police.  And the police would tell us that stop your child, he must stop speaking otherwise we will fetch him from Botswana.  So this was a bitter problem to us.  
 So I went to Botswana to talk to him.  I found him, I spoke to him and that is true he stopped speaking to reporters.  Every June 16, every year in June 16 our windows would be broken by the police.  Teargas would be thrown in our yard and even at the door.  Meanwhile my children are in the house.  Now all this caused a problem because I bring them from the street, I put them in the house, now the 
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police are taking them out of the house to the streets.  And they used to tell us that - they once said to Mr Mashinini you are going to account whenever about your children.  So all this happened every year, every year, and we would stay in the house with broken windows because we couldn't afford putting fenders financially.  My children even stopped going to school because they would be first from school, taken to John Vorster to be beaten.  
 Tsietsi left in September. When he left in September my other children followed, and when they followed the police wanted to - I mean they said we are recruiting for military training, that is why our children have gone out.  I tried to explain that they have gone out of the country because the police are terrorising the children in the house.  That is why they went out of the country.  That is true, I was telling the real truth.
 I lost my job because they said we are communists, no company should take us.  I was detained for 197 days.  I was in Standerton, in Standerton Prison.  My husband never knew where I was until two months before I came out.  It's then that he started visiting me but I could not see him because they did not want me to meet my family.  He used to bring me food.  The greedy police used to take my food and eat it and give me a loaf of bread only.  
 The raids never stopped and informers who tell lies because they wanted money.  They would tell the police that we saw Tsietsi, Tsietsi is in the house.  Now they would come, open wardrobes, they wanted to find Tsietsi under the beds, under ballpoints, under a watch, under everything, searching for Tsietsi and Tsietsi would never be there because he would never come, he would never come.  
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 We fought all that because there are times that I used to disagree speaking to them when they are standing.  I didn't speak to them when they are holding guns.  They had to take their guns out of - now I was stubborn because they made me to be stubborn so I refused them coming into my house with guns.  Okay they did that against their will.  In any case it didn't stop them to raid us.
 All this led to my poverty, for my life poverty, because I couldn't be hired anywhere, I couldn't be employed, I couldn't work, I had children at school.  My husband was working alone and he could not afford, till now, I've still children at school and we are both on pension and we cannot afford anything.  Our children are in universities without bursaries.

THOMAS MANTHATA: As other children left how many were you left with?

MS MASHININI: I had ten at home.  Three left the country, that is Tsietsi, Mokiti and Lebakeng.  Now all the others when I was in detention they were left with their father.  I had twin girls who were one and a half years by then.  So he had to stay with those children.