Human Rights Violation Hearings — Beaufort West — 1996-08-12

MR MANONG: I am the only one who is still around.  All - all of them they had to move away, they had to leave the Victoria West.

UNKNOWN: Let me - let me come to you Mr Manong and ask you how this accident or the death of your mother, affected you in particular?

MR MANONG: There is a great change in my life, everything was just - everything was just destroyed because each time I bypass her grave, I just go there and try to clean up the grave and I even ask my wife if we can move to somewhere else, the wife always refuses, she say no we must look after this grave of my mother.  Even now we are still staying in that Victoria West.

UNKNOWN: What are you now doing Mr Manong, do you work?

MR MANONG: I am unemployed at the moment, I am just working as a casual worker.

UNKNOWN: Now you - what you say that the people I listed the second time around, like Stanley Vhula were arrested but they were acquitted.  Is that true?

MR MANONG: That's correct.

UNKNOWN: Do you know where they are now - where is Stanley Vhula now?

MR MANONG: He's around he is staying in Victoria West.

UNKNOWN: Attie Kwela?

MR MANONG: And him, he is also around.

UNKNOWN: Philemon Hocile?

MR MANONG: Yes he is also around.

UNKNOWN: Boetie Motobeli?

MR MANONG: Yes he is also around.

UNKNOWN: Was there any inquest?

MR MANONG: The police took them to the courts, I don't know what happened after that, but they were taken to the court.

UNKNOWN: Mr Manong now clearly this - the death of your mother affected you very much.  Could you tell us actually what happened to you emotionally and how you are adjusting today?

MR MANONG: To tell the truth I discovered that instead of going forward, I am going backwards.  I was drinking liquor at first, I was doing all the bad things and I was moving in and out of jail.  And then I decided to be born again.  When I became a born again, I could accept everything, even my wife also.
 Although I don't have - I don't hate them that much, it's only God who is going to judge them.

UNKNOWN: Thank you very much Mr Manong, Chairperson I will yield and I may come back a little later after my colleagues have asked some questions.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you any other questions - Joyce Seroke.

MS SEROKE: Mr Manong I am happy that you are saying all this perpetrators, you don't hate them.  And I would like to ask what efforts are you making to make sure that there is reconciliation between the two parties?

MR MANONG: You don't think that you can meet and - or you can try to get some assistance that your priest can try to - to talk to you, because they are not  [indistinct] that you reconcile them.

MR MANONG: They do talk to me and I don't have anything against them.  If they are no longer doing the bad things, but there are some of them - some of them who say some of the things, but I don't care much about those.

CHAIRPERSON: Dr Ramashala?

UNKNOWN: Mr Manong would you be interested in getting together with this people you've listed to talk about the burning of your mother?

MR MANONG: That would be very difficult, that would be very difficult, I  prefer it to be like it is right now.

UNKNOWN: Is there anything else Mr Manong that you would like to tell the Commission that we didn't  cover.

MR MANONG: I want to give this paper to the Commission, I know that the Truth Commission, these people are going to say that I've done this behind their back, but I was just coming here so that I can refray??? in my heart.  If  there is anyone who is against this, what else can I do if maybe one of them is against this coming, the fact that I came here to  talk about this thing, what else should do?

UNKNOWN: Mr Manong we would very much appreciate that  article.  We will make a copy of it and we will return with the original to you.  Thank you very much Mr Manong.