Human Rights Violation Hearings — Karoo — 1996-10-08

CASE NO: CT/2907

MARY BURTON: [indistinct] as we now call the final witness of the day to the stage.  We ask Mr Naphthael Tshemese to come to the platform.    Good afternoon Mr Tshemese.

NAPHTHAEL TSHEMESE: Good afternoon to you to.

MARY BURTON: Can you hear me all right on the earphones?

NAPHTHAEL TSHEMESE: Yes I hear you clearly.

MARY BURTON: Please would you stand to take the oath.
NAPHTHAEL TSHEMESE Duly sworn states

MARY BURTON: Thank you, please sit down.  We welcome you here this afternoon and I am very glad to know that your wife has come with you and is here to support you.  We understand that you've had a very long day waiting for this moment to come and we are grateful for you patience.
 We also understand that it is not at all easy for you to come after the testimony we heard just before you.  So we are particularly grateful to you for helping us as I've said before to understand the whole story of what things were like in Phillipstown in the mid 1980's.  You were aware of some of the events that we have been hearing about and you saw something of the argument that took place between your brother Simon and your uncle Jackson Tshemese and Sophie Butele of who's death we have heard.  Please will you tell us what you saw and heard.

NAPHTHAEL TSHEMESE: It was after dinner on a Saturday, I was sleeping at home.  I heard a noise outside, I got up to find out what was happening.  When I got outside, my elder brother was there, Jackson Tshemese was there and the late Sophie.
There was harsh arguments in the air, I tried to intervene, as they were arguing there were more people coming towards our house.  Sophie then hit my grandfather on the hand, my grandfather then retaliated and slapped her, people then came.  The other were throwing - the others were throwing stones, we tried to take everybody inside because we realised we were being attacked.
Simon shot twice in the air,  as we were trying to get into the house, Simon Tshemese was standing at the door - he took his gun and shot the late Sophie.  We ran inside the house, shut the door, our house was being stoned at, at the time.  It was terrible - we took the stones that were thrown at us and we throw back to them outside.
It wasn't long in the mist of that chaos, I went - I went to one of the rooms and there was a tyre there that was already on fire.  I tried to put out the fire, Jackson then came to help me to put out the fire.  Eventually we managed.
All this time we were being stoned, our -somebody was trying to break down our door, I looked at my father, his face was full of blood, my mother was standing next to him - the turbulence continued.  I went to yet another room, there were babies there,  my sister's child and Simon's wife child.  We had to take these babies and hide them under beds, the mothers too.
I realised that all around our house was being stoned.  They then kicked down our door, Nelson then entered, he went straight to Simon.  He had an axe, he axed Simon, my father together with Jackson tried to intervene.  I tried together with my mother to put up the  door and close it again, but three more people entered - forcibly.  My mother and I pushed them out of the house.  I went back to the room where my father was, I tried to help them - we tried to take Nelson out of the house, eventually we managed.  Simon was full of blood everywhere as he was wounded, eventually Nelson left.
During this time our house was still being stoned.  We closed our door, they tried again to open it, but they did not manage to come in again.  They continued to stone our house, our windows were broken down, this continued for quite a while, then there was quite.  When I went to the bedroom, my brother was injured in the head, sitting down.  Simon was on the bed, full of blood, I tried to drag my brother towards the bed so that he would not be injured again.  I then left to help my grandfather.  Jackson was also full of blood on the face, my mother was injured too.
The stone throwing continued, we took the stones and threw them back in retaliation - I was not injured.  When I was fully conscious I realised that there was a fire by the door.  I jumped out of a window, I went to investigate what was going on.  As I went closer, I thought that it was my brother who was being burnt, but it was my father, he was terribly burnt.  I tried to take soil and put the fire out for a while.  Until eventually the fire was out.  I went to my grandfather's house, Simon was already there, he was lying on the floor, there was just blood.
I lifted Simon up - put him on the couch, when I got out of the house, I saw a light, it was a boer that worked with Simon, I told him what had happened we then took Simon to the police station.  The police then took them to the hospital,  police from De Aar came - they had come to investigate who the perpetrators were, I left with the police because I was not injured that much.  We went to fetch the people the perpetrators.  We then went to the police station, that is all I have to say.

MARY BURTON: Thank you Mr Tshemese and then afterwards, after all this had happened did you stay in Phillipstown, do you still live there now?

NAPHTHAEL TSHEMESE: I stay in Petrusville - I don't stay in Phillipstown.

MARY BURTON: And do you have any relationships with people still in Phillipstown?

NAPHTHAEL TSHEMESE: Yes a whole lot.

MARY BURTON: And do you have work in Petrusville?

NAPHTHAEL TSHEMESE: It's been two months I have been out of employment.

MARY BURTON: And before that, what were you doing?

NAPHTHAEL TSHEMESE: I was an electrician.

MARY BURTON: I am just going to ask my colleagues if they have any questions they want to ask you.

NAPHTHAEL TSHEMESE: That's all right with me.

MS SEROKE: You said that you went with the police to identify the perpetrators, did you identify people you  know and people that you saw is Nelson one of the people that you pointed out.

NAPHTHAEL TSHEMESE: Yes it is.

MS SEROKE: After you managed to put out the fire on your father, you managed to take Simon to the doctor, why did you not take your father with?

NAPHTHAEL TSHEMESE: It is because the police went to fetch my  father.

ADV POTGIETER: Mr Tshemese can I just try and work out the various people who were involved in this whole incident from your  family side, because there are a number of names and it is somewhat confusing to try and work it out.  Your father was killed in this incident on the evidence that you've given, what is his names?

NAPHTHAEL TSHEMESE: It is Geelboy Tshemese.

ADV POTGIETER: And your brother who is or use to be the Municipal policeman what is his name?

NAPHTHAEL TSHEMESE: Simon Tshemese.

ADV POTGIETER: Now who is Silingo?

NAPHTHAEL TSHEMESE: It is Simon, it's the same person.

ADV POTGIETER: And Jackson Tshemese who is that?

NAPHTHAEL TSHEMESE: It is my grandfather.

ADV POTGIETER: And is there, was there somebody with the name of Bhokwe?

NAPHTHAEL TSHEMESE: It is my father, it's another name.

ADV POTGIETER: It's Geelboy also known as Bhokwe.

NAPHTHAEL TSHEMESE: We called him Bhokwe.

ADV POTGIETER: All right that helps - Simon Silingo your brother, you said that at one stage he fired two shots into the air, did he fire any other shots?

NAPHTHAEL TSHEMESE: He fired two shots in the air, the third bullet got Sophie.

ADV POTGIETER: Did he fire three shots in all?

NAPHTHAEL TSHEMESE: Yes sir.

ADV POTGIETER: Two in the air and the next one he fired at Sophie?

NAPHTHAEL TSHEMESE: It is so.

ADV POTGIETER: And did she then fall to the ground or what happened to her after that shot, third shot was fired at her?

NAPHTHAEL TSHEMESE: She fell on the ground.

ADV POTGIETER: And presumably that is the shot that killed her.

NAPHTHAEL TSHEMESE: I couldn't say but she was shot.