Human Rights Violation Hearings — Zeerust — 1997-05-06

CHAIRPERSON: Mr Piet Lamola.  Mr Lamola, good afternoon.

PIET LAMOLA: Good afternoon, Sir.

CHAIRPERSON: Mr Lamola, Miss Joyce Seroke is going to assist as you tell your story.  I would just like Professor Meiring to help you take the oath.  If you'll just stand please.
PROF. MEIRING: Mr Lamola, please stand and with your right hand in the air, please repeat after me, what I say, is the truth, nothing but the whole truth, nothing but the truth, so help me God.

PIET LAMOLA: (sworn states)
PROF. MEIRING: Thank you very much.  Please sit down.

MS SEROKE: Good afternoon, Mr Lamola.  We will ask you, that on the 5th of January 1991, what happened to you ?  Explain to us in detail, saying everything.  You may continue.

PIET LAMOLA: In 1991, on the 5th of January, whilst I was still at my place and I was just about to go out,  I locked my house, because there was nobody in the house.  My wife was  not present and my children were not present.  After I locked I saw a little child next to me, next to my house.  His mother was not present and there was nobody at his house.  After I dislodged the key from the door, that child came to me.  When  that child arrived, he came to me and said, people, there are people who are having axes, they were having pangas with them.  There were four of them.  When they arrived, they get hold of me with my jacket.  They pulled me.  I was  not able to ask where are you for ?  Then they said to me, come  tell us what did you do at night.  I told them that, let me place the key where it's usually put.  They say, you have no time.  I just threw it in the,  next to the, to the house.  One of them hit me with that panga at the back.  They  were local people.  They were not not policemen.
 When they have chopped me, whilst still holding me with my jacket.  On the way they made me to lie down and they kicked me.  After that, they took me again.  They took me to Mr Moilwa  and there were tents where police used to work.  They put me in those tents, they handed me to the police.  This children were still holding their pangas.  The police took me  in their van.  One of the police said, you old man, you're going to tell the truth.  He took a teargas canister.  They closed the tails of the van.  After closing those tails, then he said he's going to make it explode.  One policeman denied and said, don't do that.  After some time, I was bleeding by that time.  There was no one who was giving me something to wipe off the blood.  One of them shouted saying, one house is burning.  It's then that they pulled me off from the van and put me aside.
 Then from there they left with their, then they went to that house which was burning.  After that they brought a woman whose house was burning and he was shocked also.  We, they put us together.  They said, we, which organisation do we fall, do we belong ?  Truly, I told them that, I told them that I belong to African National Congress.  Then they said, you know of what is happening during the night whilst we are asleep ?  They left me there.  After some time a certain policeman came, but he was wearing private.  Then he asked those people, and say, these people that are bleeding, why are you putting them there ?  Then one policeman said, there is no car which we can use.  Then that policeman said, take them with that, with this police van.  
 They took me with that police van.  We went to Welgedacht.  When we arrived there, they took us to the doctor.  After I was stitched the police were waiting to fetch, to take me to Motswedi police station.  Then they said we are not going to release him.  He's going to sleep here.  That's when the police left me there.  
 On Sunday, a certain detective came and say, are you Mr  Lamola ?  Then I said yes.  Then they said when you are discharged here you must go to Motswedi police station.  Then I, I said to him, yes I will do so.  On Tuesday, I was discharged.  Then I said if I can go to Motswedi I'll take myself to the, to a lions den.  I didn't go there, because I knew that when I go to Motswedi I'll be taking myself to a lions den and the truth which I will tell them, it will not work.  
 Then I ran, I went to, I flee, then I went to Zeerust.  I met with a group of people who fled from our village.  I didn't go back home since that day, since I left on the 5th.  I started going home when people were going back home.  
 I think we went in July, when we left Zeerust to, to our village.  There was no case.  They were innocent during, because of  the loss of that government.  These police did not ask them about the pangas.  They just took me and put me  in the police van.  It was those people who went again to that house which was burning and they burnt that house and accused that woman.  That's how far I can go.

MS SEROKE: You say these boys were four.  Your statements,  in your statement you say  they were Inkatha group.  Were they Incatha group in your village ?

PIET LAMOLA: They were calling themselves InKatha group.  When they were assaulting me, they were saying they were Inkatha group.

MS SEROKE: With, whom were they were working for ?

PIET LAMOLA: They  were working for Mangope's government.

MS SEROKE: They were working with the police ?

PIET LAMOLA: Yes, they were working with the police.

MS SEROKE: Because you said after they, you were chopped with pangas, you were taken to the police camp.

PIET LAMOLA: Yes, that's true.

MS SEROKE: And again you say it's Molilwa's, Mololwa's yard ?  Do you, is this Molilwa the, the Chief which had been imposed  by Mangope ?

PIET LAMOLA: Yes, it was his Chief.  He, he put them in, in his yard.  They pitched their camp in his yard.

MS SEROKE: Which means these boys were working for Mr Molilwa ?

PIET LAMOLA: Yes, they were working for him, because ...

MS SEROKE: Then you said they were asking you about what was happening at night.  Can you tell us what was happening at night in your village, which they were accusing you of ?

PIET LAMOLA: When I learnt that night there were houses which were burnt and there were people who were killed.

MS SEROKE: Who  killed them ?

PIET LAMOLA: I don't know.

MS SEROKE: Were they police or these Inkatha members ?

PIET LAMOLA: I don't know as whether they were killed by Inkatha or by the police, because I just heard.  It was during the day when I heard.

MS SEROKE: You said you are afraid to go to the Motswedi police station therefore you fled.  Where did you go ?

PIET LAMOLA: We were staying at Zeerust in the churches.

MS SEROKE: Which church were you staying ?

PIET LAMOLA: I was staying at the Roman Catholic Church.

MS SEROKE: You say churches were helping people who were fleeing ?

PIET LAMOLA: Yes.

MS SEROKE: Were you staying together in those churches ?

PIET LAMOLA: Yes, we were staying in the churches.  Others were staying at the Methodist Church, others Anglican Church.  Where there were churches, people were  accommodated.  Others  were staying with their families.

MS SEROKE: You said you went in July.  You didn't tell us, you didn't tell which year.  You just said you went, you sent back home in July.  Which year did you go back ?

PIET LAMOLA: I went the same year, in 91.  I don't as whether it's June or July, but it, but it's the same year.

MS SEROKE: Is that the same year ?

PIET LAMOLA: Yes.

MS SEROKE: Whilst you were staying at the Roman Catholic Church what happened to your family ?

PIET LAMOLA: I met them at the Roman Catholic Church.  I met them at these churches.

MS SEROKE: Did they flee ?

PIET LAMOLA: Yes, they did.

MS SEROKE: The major problem in your area, was it because of the conflict between Chief Molilwa and Sebogodi or was it incorporation or, what were, what were the reasons?