Human Rights Violation Hearings — Klerksdorp — 1996-09-25

PROF MEIRING: Mrs Welhemina Nkete Mangwele, I invite her to come to the podium.
 Mrs Mangwele, are you comfortable, can you hear me?

NKETE WELHEMINA MANGWELE: I can hear you.

PROF MEIRING: May I say a word of very warm welcome to you today.  Thank you for coming and for telling us your story today.  You have brought somebody with you, sitting on your right-hand side.  Please introduce her to us?

NKETE WELHEMINA MANGWELE: This is my daughter, Ningwe Sithole.

PROF MEIRING: Mrs Sithole, a word of welcome to you too. Now Mrs Mangwele, may I ask you to stand to take the oath before you tell your story.

NKETE WELHEMINA MANGWELE: (Duly sworn, states).

PROF MEIRING: Thank you very much.  Please be seated.  Mamma Mangwele, Tom Manthata will help you to tell your story to us.  I give you over to him.

THOMAS MANTHATA: I want to request you to relax, please feel at home.  We welcome you and we welcome your daughter.
 Can you briefly tell us who you are, Mrs Mangwele, tell us about your family and how many children do you have.

NKETE WELHEMINA MANGWELE: I was born in the Mangwele family, I am the daughter to the Mangwele family here in Potchefstroom.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Are you married?
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NKETE WELHEMINA MANGWELE: My husband passed away a long time ago.

THOMAS MANTHATA: How many children do you have?

NKETE WELHEMINA MANGWELE: I have four children.  Four boys and two girls.  The other one is married in the Transkei and the other one is married in Ventersdorp.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Are the boys working or are they still depending on you?

NKETE WELHEMINA MANGWELE: They are not married as yet, they are depending on me.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Are they schooling?

NKETE WELHEMINA MANGWELE: No, they are working.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Are you still working?  Do you still feel very strong to be able to work?

NKETE WELHEMINA MANGWELE: I am not working, I am at home.

THOMAS MANTHATA: In other words, they are working for you?

NKETE WELHEMINA MANGWELE: Yes, they are working and I also get a pension.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Just tell us briefly about this day when your house was attacked by White people.

NKETE WELHEMINA MANGWELE: We were told it was the White people wearing the soldiers' camouflage.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Did you know the political party they belonged to, as they were wearing their uniform?

NKETE WELHEMINA MANGWELE: I only saw their uniform, they were wearing boots and as I was to be out of my house, they were already present.

THOMAS MANTHATA: What did they do to you?

NKETE WELHEMINA MANGWELE: They assaulted me and I went unconscious. As I was unconscious they surrounded my house.  I don't know how did I get to the hospital, but when I woke up, I was at the hospital and I had three wounds on my head. I regained
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consciousness in the hospital. In the morning I realised I was in hospital and I asked these women who are working at the hospital what happened. They said no, the police van brought you here.  The clothes that I was wearing was full of blood.  The bed I was lying on, was full of blood. The blood just couldn't stop flowing.

THOMAS MANTHATA: When you regained consciousness at the hospital, what did they say to you about the children that were with you in the house?

NKETE WELHEMINA MANGWELE: It was myself and two daughters.  The other one managed to escape, but the little one couldnt' wake up because she is so fond of sleeping, and she only managed to run underneath the bed. But the bed was fully packed underneath and she forced her way through and they couldn't see her, as they were unpacking everything underneath the bed.

THOMAS MANTHATA: What was the condition of the house?  Did they burn it, did they destroy the house?

NKETE WELHEMINA MANGWELE: They destroyed my furniture, the doors were broken.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Where were the boys?

NKETE WELHEMINA MANGWELE: The boys were not present, they were scattered as they were working.

THOMAS MANTHATA: And as they were coming to see you at the hospital, did they say anything?

NKETE WELHEMINA MANGWELE: Are you referring to my boys?

THOMAS MANTHATA: Yes, the boys.

NKETE WELHEMINA MANGWELE: They came to see me at home, after being discharged from the hospital.

THOMAS MANTHATA: And what did they say about your assault? Didn't they say anything about the police, didn't they talk
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about laying a charge against the people who assaulted you?

NKETE WELHEMINA MANGWELE: No, they didn't say anything.

THOMAS MANTHATA: What made them to be quiet?

NKETE WELHEMINA MANGWELE: I will not be in a position to know, because I was injured.

THOMAS MANTHATA: I am saying, were they shocked or did they take it as a common practice?

NKETE WELHEMINA MANGWELE: I do not know.

THOMAS MANTHATA: You only know that they kept quiet?

NKETE WELHEMINA MANGWELE: Yes.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Were nearby families also attacked?

NKETE WELHEMINA MANGWELE: Yes, they were attacked.

THOMAS MANTHATA: And did you come together as families that have been attacked?

NKETE WELHEMINA MANGWELE: Yes, we came together and the ANC branch at Klerksdorp came to see us.

THOMAS MANTHATA: What did the ANC say?

NKETE WELHEMINA MANGWELE: They were taking statements and they left.  They said they would come back, but up to this day they never came back.

THOMAS MANTHATA: How do you feel now towards the boers who attacked you?

NKETE WELHEMINA MANGWELE: I do not know what to say.

THOMAS MANTHATA: I am saying do you think there is still that fear that they would attack you any time?

NKETE WELHEMINA MANGWELE: Because this incident took place in 1991, where we thought that White people would attack Black people any more.  We spent sleepless nights because we think, we feel, we are scared they will come and kill us.

THOMAS MANTHATA: What should be done really?

NKETE WELHEMINA MANGWELE: I do not know what should be done.
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THOMAS MANTHATA: As a group living in that area, living in fear, don't you have ideas, maybe that would help you overcome this problem?

NKETE WELHEMINA MANGWELE: I think prayer is the solution, we should just pray, we should say God help us!

THOMAS MANTHATA: With regard to the damage to your property, was there an estimation as to how much damage has been caused?

NKETE WELHEMINA MANGWELE: No, nobody gave us the estimations.

THOMAS MANTHATA: You have been to the hospital.  How much did you spend to consult with the doctors?

NKETE WELHEMINA MANGWELE: I have been to doctors, government doctors.

THOMAS MANTHATA: How do you feel today?  Do you feel healthy?

NKETE WELHEMINA MANGWELE: No, every time when I get my pension I have to make a turn at the doctor.

THOMAS MANTHATA: I thank you.  I will stop there.

DR RADERA: Prof Meiring?

PROF MEIRING: Just a short question.  I would like to ask about your children.  How are they after the attack, do they still suffer emotionally, do you have problems with the children or are they at peace after the attack?

NKETE WELHEMINA MANGWELE: They are there, they are staying at their own places.  They come rarely at home.  They came last month.

PROF MEIRING: Thank you very much.

DR RADERA: Mrs Mangwele, I don't have any questions for you.  Except to thank you for coming here today.  Before I make my closing remarks, would you like to say anything else?

NKETE WELHEMINA MANGWELE: There is nothing I want to say further. I want them to pay me for the damage they have done to me.