Human Rights Violation Hearings — Pietersburg — 1996-07-18

ABEL BAKGANE BALOYI: (sworn states)

ABEL BAKGANE BALOYI: My father Johannes Baloi died, was killed in 1980 in January, he was killed in Muhamathlala by the government's people.  They assaulted him, they removed his brain and eyes and he was taken to Kalefong hospital in 1980.
 This feud started at Muhamathlala.  When he came back from Kalafong he stayed for two years, he was paralysed, he could not walk he could not eat, he could not do anything because, I don't remember the other things. I can't remember all of the things.
(confusion with the interpretation here)
 Our people were African National Congress, the others were TC, that is Traditional Chiefs and we don't know what they were fighting about because the TC and the Congress were fighting.  I don't know what TC means but it stands for Traditional Chiefs.  These were the TC people.

THOMAS MANTHATA: What were the TC people doing, were they beating people up or were they supporting the people?

ABEL BAKGANE BALOYI: They assaulted people, they burned the houses, they took all the cattle, goats and donkeys.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Who was taking whose goats, whose cattle?

ABEL BAKGANE BALOYI: The government.  The first government, I don't know which government, whether it was the Lebowa Government or the South African Government, but the government.

THOMAS MANTHATA: What was he beaten for, either he belonged to the Congress or he belonged to the TC.

ABEL BAKGANE BALOYI: My father was a member of the Congress, he was beaten because he didn't want to go with the TC's.

THOMAS MANTHATA: If I understand you well, you say the Congress people did not want to go to the lines whilst the TC people were forcing people to go to the lines.

ABEL BAKGANE BALOYI: Yes.

THOMAS MANTHATA: In the conflict, where did the chiefs stand?
Was the chief on the side of the TC or on the side of the Congress?

ABEL BAKGANE BALOYI: That's what I don't know.  I can't tell you whether he was on the side of the TC or on the side of the Congress. I don't know many things about the chiefs.

THOMAS MANTHATA: ...(indistinct) of your family after the death of your father?

ABEL BAKGANE BALOYI: Nothing, no one buried him.  No we are now staying at Divane.

THOMAS MANTHATA: ...(indistinct)

ABEL BAKGANE BALOYI: No we went away and built shacks somewhere in Divane.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Thank you I have no further questions.

MR MALAN: Mr Baloi, if my sums are correct, looking at your ID number, you were about 24 years at the time.

ABEL BAKGANE BALOYI: Yes I was 24 years old.

MR MALAN: Were you close to this when it happened, did your father tell you about the attack or where did you hear about it, did other people tell you?

ABEL BAKGANE BALOYI: What I'm saying here today, some of them I heard, some of them I was not there, I was in Johannesburg.  but some of them I heard.

MR MALAN: Did I hear you correctly saying that your father died only later.  Was it two years after the attack?

ABEL BAKGANE BALOYI: He died in 1985.

MR MALAN: I heard you saying that they removed his eyes and his brain and they took him to hospital, that was the translation that came through on the earphones, is that correct?

ABEL BAKGANE BALOYI: Yes that is true.

MR MALAN: When did this happen at the time of the attack or after his death?

ABEL BAKGANE BALOYI: No it happened when they attacked him.

MR MALAN: I'd like to ask only one question.  You have come to tell your experiences to us today, to share your testimony with us.  What do you think the TRC could do for you. Is it to get the facts behind the death of your father, what happened to him or do you have other requests? from the TRC?

ABEL BAKGANE BALOYI: What I want the Commission to do for me, I want them to compensate me because my mother has two children, she is not working, she gets only a pension and we survive on that.

MR MALAN: Thank you.

ABEL BAKGANE BALOYI: Thank you.
(no interpretation here, only vernacular, there appears to be no interpretation from Bapedi to Tsongo)

THOMAS MANTHATA: Have you been following Mr Baloi?

ABEL BAKGANE BALOYI: Yes I was following it.

THOMAS MANTHATA: You are needing a supporter to support you to come to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. We are grateful, thank you.

ABEL BAKGANE BALOYI: Thank you.

THOMAS MANTHATA: We are going to repeat, there are statement takers at the back.  If there are those people who still want to give statements, they should go to the back and give their statements.  Again there are some head sets which are still missing.  Those who want to borrow them, they can borrow them but you must bring them back any time we adjourn.
 We also would like to inform you that amongst us here there are senior people that we'd like to introduce to you. We have got the Mashamba family, can you please stand up. There they are behind, thank you, and we have Mr Godfrey Bitters who is with us here.

RUSSELL ALLY: We would like to welcome to the proceedings of the Truth Commission, the mayor of Pietersburg Mrs Schofield, from the Premier's office Mr Petty and the Director of the Northern District Mr Mkwane.  Welcome to the proceedings and thanks for coming.
 I also would like to inform you about the head sets, that they can only be used by those people who don't understand the language which is used here on the stage. You don't have to bother about them.  Thank you.