Human Rights Violation Hearings — Mabopane — 1997-05-08

RUSSELL ALLY: Thank you very much it would help where we will certainly follow up on this and we have sent letters to these, at least to the police stations where these people were last stationed and that's what we have to do when people are mentioned as perpetrators when allegations are made, but it will help us also if you, if you get any new information as to the whereabouts of these people, exactly where they based, if you get that information to pass it on to us because what often happens is this is almost more than ten years ago and they move from police station to police station so we can only send the letter to the last known address. So if you find out anything more it would help us, but we have informed the police of these three individuals or at least informed the, written letters to the police stations where they were last based to say that their names have been mentioned and to ask them to respond to these allegations and when we hear something we will certainly inform the family ,but thank-you very much.

UNKNOWN: You said there was no hairs, who bought the coffin then? I paid everything for the funeral.

MR PIET MEIRING: Thalitha, Rachel if I may call you that, we have listened to your story you've taken us back eleven years in history, but we can see, we heard that the wounds are still open that it is very painful. We saw your tears, we listened to your story and you can know that each and everyone in this hall are with you and are feeling with you, we do hope that by, in time the wounds will be healed you can know that your son has not died in vain. There were many other children, young people, older students who died during the past, but he did not die in vain. We really pray that the Lord will bless you and that you will find rest.
 We've taken note of everything you told us as far as is humanly possible we'll try and trace the people, find out what really happened and hopefully we will be able to present you with new facts at some stage we will try our level best. Thank you please take our blessing and our greetings to the rest of the family. Thank you for coming.  
 Before we leave for lunch, it is nearly time for lunch, there is one important announcement that Ms Joyce Seroke would like to make to you. Please listen carefully to what she is saying.

UNKNOWN: Since we arrived here most people said that they submitted their statement but they wonder why they don't appear in front, we want to explain one thing to you that it is not everyone that has submitted a statement who is going to appear in the hearings, as you see the dates here and the places we only choose the events that took place in a certain time and at certain places. Just to reflect the kinds of violations that happened in such places is not possible for us to afford everyone who submitted a statement to come and appear before the convention and secondly if you don't appear and have submitted your statement it doesn't mean that your statement is not important.      What is more important than to appear before the commission is that statement that you have submitted, because that statement gives the information to the TRC to know about which violations occurred in this area, of the former Bophuthatswana so that the commission on its own when making it's report can give an indication of what happened and on the violations that took place. That's why even right now we have people who are still taking statements. These statements are going to be taken up until December only the hearers are in the  in June, but the statements are still welcome that is all we need and that is what is important for us. This is all I want to explain to those people who asked us why don't they appear in front whilst they had submitted their statements. I must repeat again that your statements are very important and those are the documents from which we'll make recommendations at the end of the Truth Commission.

MR PIET MEIRING: Just a moment please sit down just for another moment. Can I just hear Puleng Lebopo, did this person come? Not come, Mothomone Masola also not arrived and Matlodi Fedibana, Matlodi Fedibana not arrived and Mafatima Maluleka also not arrived.   After lunch the first person to be called then will be Betty Skhosana, Betty Skhosana the first person after lunch. We do break now, ja please leave your earphones and the boxes on the chairs in front of you. Can we please be back at quarter past two, at 2.15pm all of us back in the room. Thank you very much.
HEARING ADJOURNS