Human Rights Violation Hearings — Worcester — 1996-06-26

MS GOBODO-MADIKIZELA: We have heard moving testimony this morning and indeed this afternoon since ten minutes ago.  We were taken back to the early 1960's a period which marks the changes or the gradual and very slow changes that we are now - we have now witnessed recently.  It was a very painful long process in which many people died end of Tape 3, Side A ...  literally and figuratively when people like Mr Mkhabile and Mr Makhubalo old stalwarts of the struggle in our fight for liberation, come to testify to this Commission and I am one of the people sitting here listening to their stories of endurance, of suffering - of humiliation, of important anger - sense of helplessness which continued in a struggle over the years over the 70's and the 80's.
 I am really very humbled by some of the stories that have been shared here this morning, older men who are much older than many of us in this room.  Parents, husbands, sons, the humiliation that they all suffered.  We grateful that we have been taken back to that period.
 We've also heard how people have died - Petronella and her mother in law  ms Ferus  told us about the endurance that their son and husband suffered.  I think it's very important to note that one of the things that Ms Ferus said is how her son had repeatedly said to her, that mamma I will one day tell the public - tell South Africans how I have suffered - one day I will stand in a - in public in front of an audience and share with them how much I have suffered and how they have tortured me and how much they have tortured others.  
 And today Ms Ferus and Patti celebrated that vision of their son and husband to share that suffering with us, we privileged to have been part of that audience, which that stalwarts of the liberation struggle in South Africa dreamt about.  It's very special that we were part of that hope that he had and privileged that you came to share it with us.
 Ms Joseph has just recently shared with us the senseless death of her son, and the inexplicable way in which he died and only to be told I am sorry Ms Joseph, sorry is such an inadequate term and for somebody to say I am sorry, without any explanation to the killing, even the sense in which we are told that stones were thrown - these people threw stones, how could we ever use live ammunition when people are just throwing stones - what if they are throwing stones - is their sufficient reason for them to be shot at with live ammunition - never mind the fact that the consequences were death?
 It seems this became a pattern in this area - in the Boland region - the Boland - much as it is a rural region, it is perceived as a rural region, where the media very really comes unless something very big happens - where high profile leadership doesn't frequent the struggles of the areas - although they know about them.  Where people really feel that they are forgotten, they are in the back of beyond - in spite of that, we have listened today and in the week to ordinary people - ordinary people, ordinary in the sense that nobody know about them.  All these people we heard today, all these people we've heard in the week, nobody knows about them - and yet they were the most extraordinary people - they were involved in the most courageous acts of suffering perseverance and enduring the pain and humility to their personhood, to their manhood, to their womanhood in the most unbelievable way.  We are not able to comprehend the extend to which all these people have suffered.
 I think it is particularly important for us to remember how courageous woman of this area has been as well.  In spite of the fact that they were also subjected to a particular kind of humiliation for women to be abused and for them to have their womanhood thrown about or reduced to an unimaginable level - is something which many of us would never fully comprehend and would never fully understand what it means for those woman to have been reduced to the level in which they were pulled down by the Security Police and all the police who were torturing them.
 Theirs was a multiple kind of suffering, suffering the torture as in the physical torture but also suffering what Patti earlier on, Patti Esterhuizen referred to as an inner pain - these were very special people, they were very special woman.  I think also it was important for us to relate to their kind of leadership that came out of  this little Boland which is suppose to be the back of beyond.  We are extremely touched by it and we are humbled and we share the pain that all of you have suffered.
 There are special thanks that we are going to make, I have been given a list here to say thank you to specific people.  Firstly the designated statement takers who assisted us in making this weeks events possible.  We are truly grateful to people from Zwelethemba, in Worcester, people from Montagu, people from Nqubela and a special thanks to Elizabeth Roma, Peter Swanepoel and Yvonne Siligem.
 We also wish to thank the Trauma Centre in Ashton/Zolani the Masekule Centre and Die Langeberg Gemeenskapsdiens for their commitment and assistance.
 We also thank the community briefers, the people who have assisted the witnesses from the time they started to make their commitments to share with us their  pain.  The community briefers are important because they are the ones who are their with the people, the witnesses, at base so to speak.  They will be there to constantly check on them to see how things are throughout the hearings, they have been there to check on them constantly and immediately after they had given their statement, we really thank them - Clive Ceasar, Luyanda Mapekula, Sallvon Fransman and Mirriam Moleleki.
 We also wish to thank the Municipalities of Worcester, Nqubela, Robertson for their welcoming attitude and some of those who have been attending these hearings as well.  We are really grateful to you for supporting the process that we are involved in.  We wish to thank especially Mr Market and Ms De Vos.
 We also thank Freddie Fourie who rendered his assistance, we also thank Father Wyngaardt of Montagu, Patti Esterhuizen and [indistinct]  Now all these people were themselves witnesses at this hearings, but they were very generous in containing the feelings of their compatriots during the hearings, people who had difficulties at certain times.  It is amazing that in spite of your own suffering you can be generous with yourselves and offer that kind of special assistance, we really thank you.
 We also thank the First Aid Nurses, Shelly [indistinct] - Tillie [indistinct] from Zwelethemba for volunteering their assistance and being here to be present whenever they need arises, we thank you Shelly and Tillie for generously offering your services and being present with us throughout the hearings.
 We thank the authorities of this college as well for offering the space for us to have this hearings - it's particularly significant that  this college is using being the sites of some of the kinds of activities that was spoken about in the week during the hearings.  I think it was only proper for us to be here to have this - to hold this hearings at this college, thank  you especially to Mr Searle, Mr Green who were always  with us and always available for us when we needed this door opened or this room swept or all those kinds of practical requests.  We also thank Mr Abe Haupt and the staff of the college.
 Jurgen and his team for providing the sounds but also for going beyond the call of duty - many of us has experienced him as somebody who as been constantly available, not only in relation to the sound equipment here but when we needed extra assistance with other things, he was available to assist us.  We thank him for being the kind of person he is and for being completely a part of this team, we really grateful to him.
 A very special to Brenda and the team for providing the translations, we have never experienced, I think Wendy said to me earlier on there hasn't been this kind of simultaneous translation in the country ever and I think many of us will agree that this is the case - this is the first time we have even - not only just in terms of Worcester but in other parts of South Africa as well because sometimes we have parallel hearings, so thank you Brenda.
 Thank you Superintendent Horak and your team for providing the protection for being there, standing by for any security problems that would have - would arise or may arise - we really appreciate that you have brought for us men - I think it's true to say men, I haven't seen any woman police here - thank you for providing the men to be here - we really grateful to you.
 Finally we would like to give a special word of thanks to the media, many people I've spoken to where there has been these kinds of hearings they have never had them publicised.  At least they have never had them publicised at the same time the hearings were run.  I spoke to a woman diplomat from Chilli who said you are so lucky in this country to have such an enthusiastic  media, such enthusiastic reporters who will report on a day to day - on the events.  We never had any of this kind of exposure on our Truth Commission in Chilli, so I think it's very important that we are able to communicate to all South Africans - this kind of history.
 People forget quickly and easily and it's important for us to have these memories, are memories stimulated somehow, because we should not forget.   I am delighted to see that we have children among us, I think our children should know what happened to our country - many times people say children should not know you know - we all try to protect our children - they should not know about these things, they should not know how things were.  The irony is that children know anyway, and it is in fairness to  them and in fairness to  our history to be able to share with them this pain.  
 I wish to thank you again the witnesses today who came to share with us - thank you very much.  You were not here while I was passing thanks.  Thank you and Mr Makhubalo for reminding us what happened during the '60's.  Thank you very much for remembering what happened and thereby giving us a clear   picture regarding the way things used to be.
 There is a special request for us to thank the caterers - thank you very much for ensuring that our witnesses are kept fed - well fed and thank you that you have been able to maintain our energy levels.  Thank you very much.
 Could we stand as the witnesses leave the room please.