Human Rights Violation Hearings — Krugersdorp — 1996-11-11

MRS MAPHOSA: On the 20th of November 1990 my brother came.  I was with one of my brothers, Steve.  They told us that in
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Matipoor's place the Mazimzim took my child and his two friends and when they were taking my son from Matipoor's place he was already bleeding.  We went to the police station to report the matter.  When we arrive there we found Sergeant Spear.  He was alone.  He said there was only one van because all the vans were patrolling in the township. 
 We went back home, it was about past eleven.  About two o' clock we decided to go back to Matipoor's place to get more information.  It was me and my brother, Steve.  Matipoor told us it is true that they took him.  The Mazimzim group  took your son and two friends, but I do not know the others who took them and then Matipoort told me their names.  Then we went back home.  
 At about three we left for the police station to ask if they did not get children who were killed or injured.  The police said there is no van and there is no police around.  Maybe I can try and help you to get who is killed or who is injured in the township.  We went back home because we could not get much help.  We did not sleep that particular night.   Early in the morning at about five we woke up.  We went to where this van parked, the van that they were taken into, the combi and the van.  When we reached the place, we discovered that the van was parked outside and it was full of blood.  I told myself that this is my child's blood although I do not even know whom he was with, but as they were saying, there were three of them.  I think they were dead.  I thought that they were dead because the van was full of blood.
 We went back to the house.  We knocked and they asked us who we were.  I told them that I am from Maphosa family.  We heard that this van took my child and friends.  I do not 
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even know the friends.  They showed us to another house, the local house.  They said we must go there and ask them there, to ask the driver of the van what happened.  We went there and knocked.  There was Toko Lesotho there, Ishmael Lokwe, Kaila Maduna and Small Emlangeni.  When we arrived there they were still asleep.  We asked them.  Emlangeni said do not ask us about those boys.  Did you see what happened, what you did to them?  I asked them what was wrong.  He did not want to respond.  My brother decided that we are wasting time.  We decided that we must go back to the police station.  Maybe this other policeman who was on duty will still be there because at least he has got our statement and then he is going to send some police to come and see this van and they must tell us where are the people who were bleeding here in this van.
 We went to the police station.  There came a police Casper.  These people from Emlangeni family phoned this police Casper.  The Emlangeni family phoned the Hippo and telling them that we were Comrades, we want to burn down their house.  They went straight to the office.  My brother was still standing there and they Sergeant said I am still here for the very same story of yesterday.  Even now we did not get the clue where these boys are.  Maybe this police knows us.  Maybe he was going to help us. 
 My brother went with the police to the Emlangeni family.  Steve showed the police from the Hippo where we found Kaila, Toko and Ishmael.  They arrested them and they put them in the police Casper. They asked where are the people who were bleeding there.  I was left behind.  The police took my brother.  It is a distance, it is somewhere next to Welverdien.  At first I was very fast I had left 
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some things behind, things that I was supposed to say.  
 On that particular morning while Maduna was arrested and Toko, they went to show my brother where they had thrown their bodies.  There was Sipho who is Vincent's friend and Siphwo was already dead.  Vincent was unconscious.  The police Casper came back, left the other police and my brother there in the veld.  They went back to the police station to get the mortuary van and the ambulance.  This one from the mortuary took Siphwo.  The hearse took Siphwo and the ambulance took Vincent to the hospital.  
 Steve came back to tell me that Vincent is in the hospital and his friend was dead.  He was in the mortuary.  My sister came and we took a car and went to the hospital.  The nurses told us that Vincent was in the theatre therefore we would not be able to see him.  We must come back at nine o' clock.  We were also afraid because there was a lot of confusion in the township.  We were afraid that we could be in danger.  
 We phoned the Rhalatong Hospital.  The Sister in charge told us that this person is out of theatre, but he was still unconscious.  At this stage he was better because he asked about his mother.
 The following day we went to Rhalatong Hospital.  He regained his consciousness and I asked him what happened.  He could not speak properly.  Then we spent some time with him there.  Then we drove back home.  He said you must stand up for this matter because the police were there while the people were assaulting us, but I did not want to talk too much with him because he was still feeling the pain.  We went back home.  
 We wanted to get some lawyers.  We enquired from the 
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ANC people, but my brother went to the ANC people and he got a lawyer there.  They made a statement.  
 Vincent was discharged from the hospital.  He told us about all these people who did this to him.  It was Maduna Kaila, Toko Lesotho, Boy Lesotho, Spankie Lesotho, Ishmael Lokwe and Small Emlangeni.  I cannot remember some of them, but they assaulted them.  When they took them from Matipoor's place they were on the way.  They also met the police.  The very same Mazimzims said they had got the people they were looking for and the policemen in vans went to Khutsong and that is where they got to assault all the victims.  
 We went the following day and the place was in shambles.  It was quite disgusting.  It was obvious that it was a battlefield.  We went after about three days.  That is where they were assaulted and they were injured on the very same spot.  That is where Siphiwo died and my son survived the attack.  
 Philimon Entoli also survived the attack because he was able to run away and seek a place of refuge.  He went further down towards the location and that is where he collapsed at the end of the day.  He was discovered by members of that family and an ambulance was called for him to be taken to the hospital.
 Thereafter the very Spankie and Toko before this particular case, they took Vincent as well as his friends and they took him to the police station.  That is where he was arrested, Friday, Saturday, Sunday as well as Monday and he was released on Tuesday.

RUSSELL ALLY: Mrs Maphosa, thank you very much for the statement.  Are you done?
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MRS MAPHOSA: Yes.

RUSSELL ALLY: Could I ask you a few questions?

MRS MAPHOSA: Yes.

RUSSELL ALLY: Mrs Maphosa, you say that Vincent survived and in your statement that he was stabbed, but he eventually survived.  Has Vincent made a statement himself?

MRS MAPHOSA: Yes, he did.  He did submit a statement.  He was actually choked, he was not stabbed, he was choked with pangas and he was also assaulted with knopkirries.

RUSSELL ALLY: And can you just tell us about Vincent's state of health now?  Has he recovered completely or are there permanent physical injuries which he has suffered?