Amnesty Hearings — Durban — 1999-08-16

GRATINA NINELA: That is really confusing me, because as residents we, on most cases, put our rely on the police.  If at all there's anything wrong, I have a full hope that the police will take legal actions to help me there or if I am wrong, the police will take legal actions and take the person who is wrong to court to be prosecuted by either the magistrate or a judge.  It is amazing and surprising and killing me, to find out that the people who are the handlers of the law, instead of taking the lawful actions, they decided to kill him.  If there was nothing else to be done except killing him, why was his identity destroyed?  What wrong has the family done to the law of South Africa?  If Blessing was wrong or had done anything wrong to the law  of South Africa, he should have been arrested.  If they decided to kill him was the only solution, why did they hide the body and his identity from the family?

MS GABRIEL: We heard evidence earlier today from two people, the first a Mr du Preez and the second a Mr Wasserman.  Now, you were here and present throughout that and you heard the evidence and you heard their stories of how they killed your son.  Are you satisfied with their stories?

GRATINA NINELA: No.

MS GABRIEL: Why not?

GRATINA NINELA: I'm still not answered.  I still haven't got the answer, why they did it.  If Blessing was wrong, he should have been arrested.  What did his family do that was so wrong that the body should be hidden far away and his identity to be destroyed?  I still haven't had the answer.

MS GABRIEL: Prior to today, were you ever contacted, apart from the TRC people, were you contacted by du Preez and Wasserman?  Have they ever spoken to you about your son?

GRATINA NINELA: Till today, till this present second, they have never approached anybody of the family, any member of the family, till this second.

MS GABRIEL: Do you have any message for them?

GRATINA NINELA: There's something I would like to ask from them.  What is it that they did that makes them to ask for amnesty?  What is it that they did that makes them to ask for amnesty, because according to what they said, what they did is not wrong, was not wrong.  What is it that they did that makes them to ask for an amnesty?

MS GABRIEL: Mrs Ninela, at the time of his death, did Blessing have any dependants?

GRATINA NINELA: Blessing had a son who was born in 1985, October 19th, who can never identify his father.  Who's father was never sick, but was killed.  Whenever he hears about his father's death, he cries and that is why he is not in this house today.  We had a fear of what would happen, might happen to him if he hears all the details of what was done to his father.

MS GABRIEL: So having sat here today and having heard the explanation of your son's death, are you happy with what you have learned today?

GRATINA NINELA: I am not happy because I don't feel what I have been told is true and I don't feel that everything that happened to my son has been revealed.  What makes me not feel that way?  Still today, because he is no more alive and the Andy Taylor who is to carry all the blame because he is no more alive, those who are alive are so innocent.   They tell us that they found a limpet mine with him, telling clear lies.  How can I believe what they're saying is true?  How can anybody believe what they are telling is true?  It's very hard.  I know they had all the powers to do what they can, because even now they still have those powers to do what they like to anybody and after that they just take it easy and choose nice words to put on the table, knowing what is deep inside is far different from what they are telling.  Why should they tell untruth stories if at all they are sorry for what they did, if at all it was Andy Taylor who asked them to do what they did?
Why don't they tell the whole truth?

MS GABRIEL: Part of the evidence led today was that Blessing was involved in terrorist activities.  Blessing was involved in planting bombs and in planting explosives.  Can you share with the Committee anything about that?

GRATINA NINELA: I heard that.  I have never known it and I have no proof because I didn't see him doing it.

MS GABRIEL: And since the death of Blessing have you discovered more about his life that may lend support to what these men say, to support this belief that he was MK, that he was involved in terrorist activities?

GRATINA NINELA: No.

MS GABRIEL: Have you spoken to people since then?

GRATINA NINELA: Even before I discovered that he was no more alive, there is a man who has passed away who, after the ANC people were released, came home.  He is a member of the community.  I asked him about Blessing.  He said he has never seen Blessing.  Actually it's two people.  I wanted to know the whereabouts of Blessing.  I had a hope that Blessing was still alive as somebody told me that he was around and he said he never saw him, so how can I say he was involved, because I wasn't told that he was involved.

MS GABRIEL: So the first time you really hear about everything is today?

GRATINA NINELA: Yes.

MS GABRIEL: Mrs Ninela, do you have anything to say to the Committee that will be considering these amnesty applications?  Do you have any final message for anybody?

GRATINA NINELA: To my foolish thoughts, I think it's always fair to think for somebody as you would like him or her to think for you, or do a thing that you would like to be done to you and I think no matter who you are, everybody is in an image of God and I don't think even by the law there is anybody who is given power, besides a magistrate and a judge, to kill a person.  And I would remind the killers that they did what they wanted to do to their satisfaction and they are still able to do more to satisfy themselves, but after everything has been done, there is a final judgment.  There will be a final judgment which cannot be dodged or forged anyhow, which will be standing in front of each and every person who did it.  It's disappointing to find out that people who are so reliable to the community can act this way, knowing very well what the law is and what steps to take for anybody who has done anything wrong, we are not told by anybody, but still there should be a proof and a lawful proof.  Though I don't know all the details of the law, I have never heard that there is a time when there is somebody told or allowed to kill a person.  There are people who kill people because they have killed anyone, but those people have been caught and sentenced for killing people who have done wrong because anybody, it's not anybody that is allowed to take those actions, except the law.  I wonder why the killers took this decision, while there was a magistrate and a judge who could deal with Blessing lawfully.  On top of that, I wonder why, what has the family done to those killers because it's the first day or time for them to see the family, they don't even know us, but what they did is surprising and hurtful.  I'm sure they wouldn't like it done to them, or to anybody who is related to them, but it was so easy and fine to be done to us.  Why?  Why?  Is there a mother who can clap hands and dance about what these killers did to a son?  If Blessing was their son, would they like what they did to Blessing to be done to their sons?  If any unlawful thing he had done, the law was there to judge him, not to be killed and hidden from the family.  While they tell a statement, they don't tell the truth.  They tell fibs.  The back of the scull was there.

MR VISSER: Mr Chairman, I'm going to object to this.  We have given this witness...(intervention)

CHAIRPERSON: You have done nothing.  You have done nothing.  You have given her nothing.  She is allowed to say what she wishes to say.