Human Rights Violation Hearings — Karoo — 1996-10-09

MARY BURTON: Good morning Mr Dilato, can you hear me all right?

STANFORD DILATO: I hear you clearly.  Good morning to you to.

MARY BURTON: You are accompanied by a member of your family?

STANFORD DILATO: This is my younger brother.

MARY BURTON: You are very welcome too.  Mr Dilato will you stand to take the oath please.
STANFORD DILATO  Duly sworn states

MARY BURTON: Mr Dilato you have come to tell us today about the death of your late wife, Ms Julia Dilato.  This is a story which we in fact heard at our first hearings in Cape Town when other members of you family came to tell us about this.  We are very glad that you are here to day to give us you own account of that very sad story.  We know that this was one of the cases which resulted from the consumer boycott and so we ask you now to tell us what happened in September 1985.

STANFORD DILATO: In September 1985 my wife bought meat from Try Meat.  After she bought that meat, Thabo Gusha grabbed the meat from her.  After that there was never happiness at my home.  
Always the community was toi-toiing against us, saying that we are informers.  They would throw stones at our house, saying that we are going to be burnt down.  Circumstances continued in that light until one Saturday, my elder brother Joseph Dilato, came to me at home.  My wife was sweeping outside.  Sipetho Asiya, Joseph came inside.  He asked for beer.  I said there's no beer.  He then left.  
Then I heard my wife crying.  I ran outside to check why my wife was crying.  When I looked Sipetho was running after her, chasing her.  He had a six litre petrol gallon.  Nobody said anything to anyone.  They just threw stones at my house.  My windows were broken down.  We retaliated, but no-one was injured that day, because the police quickly came.  The perpetrators then ran away and there was quite.  
After about three or four days, I do not remember clearly, my wife was going to work.  She usually would leave earlier than me.  She  used a taxi.  My wife left me at home, going to work.  Unfortunately that day, that taxi would not let her get in.  She was left behind.  She then walked.  People accosted her.  They burnt her.  
Now as I was going to work, a few children accosted me, saying that my wife is being burnt.  I also was going to be burnt.  I then ran.  I tried to get a car to take me to the police station, so that my wife could be protected and saved.  When I got to the tar road, I got a car driven by a white man from Escom.  This car drove me to the police station.  When I got there I was told that a police van had fetched my wife and took her to the hospital.  
When I got to the hospital, I was told that my wife was going to be transferred to Bloemfontein.  They asked if I would go with, I said yes and then we went.  On the way my wife said to me, these children have injured my badly.  It is Tifo Setlaba who has burnt me,  Pingjan Kelem, Tabho Gusha.  She did not say more.  I stayed with her in hospital until I had to come back to Colesberg.  
I got on a van to go home to find out what has happened to my children.  When I got home, there was no house.  It was burned down.  I went back the police station.  I stayed there.  I had no place to sleep.  Because when they toi-toied, they said that the informers must move to other informers.  
As a result of that I went to stay in a house in town.  No-one would speak to me, because if anybody had spoken to me, they would also be in trouble.  I had no friend, I had no sister, I was on my own.  No-one came to see me.  I stayed there terrible life.  If I went to talk to anyone, I had to go to the police station and chat to people there and then I would go back and sleep.  After a while on the third, I phone Pilenomie hospital where my wife was.  I wanted to find out what state she was in.  The nurse that I spoke to said that my wife's condition is improving.  I must not worry. 
 When I was preparing to go visit my wife in Bloemfontein, I got a phone call.  Actually a telegram, telling me that my wife has passed away.  I went to Bloemfontein.  
What was difficult for me is that before I went to Bloemfontein, I would get reports that I cannot bury my wife in Colesberg.  If I do so, the would take the corpse and burn it.  I went to my wife's employer.  I told him that I want to bury my wife.  Won't you please give me permission to bury her in your farm.  He refused, because he said his farm would be burned, his tractors would be burned.  
My wife then had to be buried in Bloemfontein.  I had to stay under the terrible conditions of being a father of three children who have no mother.  My wife used to help me, but she cannot.  That is all I have to say.

MARY BURTON: Thank you Mr Dilato.  This is a terrible story that you have told us.  One of your children is Busiswa Gewana, who came to speak to us in Cape Town.  Is that your daughter.

STANFORD DILATO: No that's not my daughter.

MARY BURTON: Were there I think other members of your family, a niece who told us about this as well.  Do you stay in Colesberg now yourself.

STANFORD DILATO: I stay in Venterstad because my children are at school there but Colesberg is my home.  I regularly come back to Colesberg.

MARY BURTON: And how is your relationships in Colesberg.  You spoke about the times when people did not want to talk to you.  Do you have friends in Colesberg now.

STANFORD DILATO: I have friends in Colesberg, a lot of friends.  I have no problem with the community in Colesberg presently, no-one has bad intentions towards me now.

MARY BURTON: I am very pleased to hear that.  And you yourself, how do you feel nowadays.  Are you in good health?

STANFORD DILATO: I was never really of good health.  Since that time, I always have terrible headaches.  I go the doctors regularly.  I am usually transferred to specialists in Bloemfontein.  They say that I am very stressed.  I go to Pilenomie hospital quite a lot.  I have been transferred there to a clinic in Bloemfontein.  I stayed there for while.  Those specialists then said I must stop working, because of my problem.  I cannot work as a result of this headache.  That is the condition right now.

MARY BURTON: Thank you, our investigators have confirmed that you are being treated for what is known as post traumatic stress and we are glad to know that you are receiving treatment and we hope that you will feel better soon as a result of that.  The people whom your wife name as having done those things to her, were in fact tried and sentenced and found guilty and served a prison sentence, but I believe they are now released.  Is that right?

STANFORD DILATO: It is so ma'am.

MARY BURTON: Mr Dilato is there anything you would like to say or ask of the Commission?

STANFORD DILATO: Yes, there is.  My request to the Commission is that as I am a single parent, my children still at school, I earn very little.  R600.00 a month.  I have three children.   I need to clothe these children.  I need to feed them.  I need to educate them.  This children go on talls at school, but they are not able to as other children, because I do not have enough money.

MARY BURTON: Thank you, we take note of that.  Anybody else would like to ask a question?

MS SEROKE: Mr Dilato, when you were endeavouring to bury your wife, how long did it take for her to buried in Bloemfontein?

STANFORD DILATO: It took a week.

MS SEROKE: As you have no relatives in Bloemfontein.  Who helped you to bury your wife.
MS SEROKE It is the state that buried my wife.

MS SEROKE: Do you know exactly where your wife's grave is?STANFORD DILATO 
I do not where my wife's grave is.

MS SEROKE: Do you want to find out where it is?

STANFORD DILATO: Yes, I would like to.

MS SEROKE: Is this one of your requests that you may try to find out where your wife's grave is.