Human Rights Violation Hearings — Pretoria — 1996-08-14

DR BORAINE: The next witness is Mr Daniel Mabena.  Will he please come forward.  Not here.  I have been informed that Mr Daniel Mabena is not here at the moment so I am going to move on.  The following witness is Mrs Martha Moikolane and I would be grateful if she would come forward please.  Mrs Moikolane, welcome to the Commission.  Can you hear me alright?  Fine.  You have come here to talk about your son Abraham Canon Moikolane and his disappearance.  He was very young at the time.  It must grieve you very deeply and it is not easy to talk about, but sometimes by telling the story some healing can come and we hope very much that your visit and your stay with the Commission will do just that.  My colleague, Mr Manthata, is going to lead you in a moment, but, as always, I must first ask you to please stand to take the oath.  Would you please stand?  Will you raise your right hand please?

MARTHA MOIKOLANE: (Duly sworn in, states).

DR BORAINE: Thank you very much indeed.  Mr Manthata.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Thank you.  Martha, who is on your side?

MARTHA MOIKOLANE: The lady on my side is like a parent to me because she use to accompany me whilst we were still searching for our children.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Thank you.  Let her continue to be a source of strength for you.  Would you continue and tell us about the
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disappearance of Canon from home.

MARTHA MOIKOLANE: In 1985 when the violence erupted in Mamelodi we were asleep and then soldiers and police arrived.  Then they wanted to see Canon.  I said I do not know where he is.  Then they said if you do not know where your child is, how do you know that the child left for Tanzania.  I said I do not know.  He left for school and he did not come back.  They searched the house.  Since 1985 we never had peace within the location.  They said Abraham is a terrorist.  In 1985 was not a peaceful year in Mamelodi.
 In 1986 he went back to school because in 1985 he did not attend school.  In June after writing exams he came home for holidays and then he said he is visiting some friends.  During the night he did not come back.  Then I started searching for him to, I went to Mrs Masilela.  Then I could not find him there and Masilela told me that his son is not at home also.  We went all over and looked in at his friends places. After two weeks since they disappeared we heard that the children have died in KwaNdebele.  
 Then a Hippo arrived.  There were police, white policemen.  They asked me if I knew Abraham was dead in KwaNdebele.  They said we do not want more than 50 people at the funeral.  I went to KwaNdebele.  I could not find corpses at the Government Mortuary.  Where I found them I could not see anything that I could identify my child, but what satisfied me, as I checked the list of people who died there, I could not find his name, but someone came to my house and said Abraham was together with those people that died in KwaNdebele.  Then I thought maybe I could assist this women whose children passed away, but I was refused to do that because maybe I could be arrested or something like 
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that.  
 In the same very year 1986 on the 15th of January police came to my place and asked me where Abraham was.  I said he disappeared in 1986.  They said to me we have come to fetch you to come to Paul Kruger.  When I arrived at that place they had a big album.  They started paging through the album and then they showed me Abraham's photo.  I agreed that it is him.  They asked me where he was,  I said he disappeared a long time ago and they said they will assist us to find the child.  
 In March they came back again, summoned me to Paul Kruger and then they said to me we have been looking or investigating your case, but in 1986 when you said the child disappeared in June, there was a combi full of these kids that was bombed in Botswana and then these children were buried in Winterveld.  We will see to it that we investigate the grave of these children and dig these graves up and maybe bring the numbers to the graves and give them to you.  I said I would not be satisfied if I could get or receive bones that or remains which are not of my child.  I did not understand why they should be buried in Winterveld.  Then I would not go to Winterveld.  Since March until today they never came back to my house.  
 It would appear that they were buried in one grave.  When we demanded the graves numbers they could not give us, them to us.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Did they say that this, where was this common grave?  Did they mention the common grave?  Did they say that these buried these children in one common grave?

MARTHA MOIKOLANE: It is so because all of them if they are buried in, each in a single grave they must have, the graves PRETORIA HEARING TRC/GAUTENG
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must have a number.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Is that how you understand or perceive the matter?  We had a lot of mothers or parents who told us how their children disappeared same as to your child.  Did you ever meet them after this incident?

MARTHA MOIKOLANE: After these children disappeared I did meet them.  Then we asked where my child was, but we were in the same situation.  It is Mrs Magagula, Masilela, Mrs Ntuli Sibanyoni, all of their children were missing.  Even Kabinda's child and Mahlangu's child were all missing.  We all met, but the children went missing on the 26th, the same day, all of them.

THOMAS MANTHATA: At this time would you say, would you give us the number of these children who disappeared on ...

CHAIRPERSON: Mrs Moikolane, we understand that you are very hurt.  It would be better if they could inform you that your child has passed away and maybe afford you the opportunity to get his remains so that you can organise a proper funeral.  What is much hurting is that you might be thinking he is still alive or maybe he is still dead, but according to police behaviour pretending that they are going to assist you, it transpired that actually they were hurting you more.  These are all difficulties that we had in this area or in this country.  We say that may you be comforted.  We will try to assist you and maybe investigate, maybe find these children so that we can properly tell you they have passed away.  If they did pass away we would inform you where they are buried.  We will try.  I am not saying we are going to do so and definitely come up with answers.  I will add up to what I have said that today we reap the fruits of our children for having suffered that much for the freedom that PRETORIA HEARING TRC/GAUTENG
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we have today, that today we are more free than it was the case the previous years.  Our children offered themselves so that we can be free because under oppression that is not the right way for people to can live.  We thank you for being parents of such brave youth who did die for the freedom that we have.  We thank you very much.
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