Human Rights Violation Hearings — Tembisa — 1996-11-26

SARAH MAMANGENA MNYELE: He is a grandson of the Ndebele's.  He is a born artist.  He would just imagine things and put up his drawing boards and I would prepare coffee for him, invite him to the kitchen for soft porridge and then we would leave him alone, he would start drawing.  He started when he was eight years drawing sketches until he got old.  I forgot there are some photos that he drew for which the White policemen assaulted me for.  He didn't sketch dolls from Checkers Supermarkets, he drew the world that one day we would be sitting with White men on the table. There is a sketch.  And he drew soldiers searching for activists.  We were in the dark.  The following day we must speak up. The White policemen killed my son in Botswana.  I want the Truth Commission to get my son's corpse in Botswana.  I am tired.  We have passports they are new, I cannot afford to go to Botswana.  I have just undergone an operation.  I am speaking to you at the moment, however I cannot see you.  God granted me some strength I can do my washing and iron my clothing.

MS MKHIZE: When you say the White policemen killed your son in Botswana maybe you can tell us that you did slaughter a chicken for him and he phoned you when policemen were inside the house, how did they kill him?

SARAH MAMANGENA MNYELE: He had just undergone training for MK.  He came here for cultural.  They were around here with Tami.  He had just undergone training for MK.  They were coming back home at that time.  They were not using known routes, but they
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used the underground routes to come back here.

MS MKHIZE: As you heard could you tell us how they found him, where and with whom was he at that time?

SARAH MAMANGENA MNYELE: It is said that White policemen were on patrol in Botswana.  They looked for them until they found out that this one stays here, the next one there and so on.  Unfortunately my son was just next to the border.  They started shooting him first.  As they went into Bophuthatswana killing all these reds, they started with him.  When I came to Botswana I found that my son's box was the first one and I was told that he was killed first.  But people who were killed on that day there were about 15 or 20 something because White people had a good heart at killing people.  I suffer from nervous stress.  When I heard about this Truth Commission story if I had strength I would physically assault them one by one.

MS MKHIZE: We understand that ever since this time you are not well psychologically.  When you arrived in Botswana did you take a look at your son's corpse to see how he was killed?

SARAH MAMANGENA MNYELE: I was taken from this place on that Monday.  They were shot on Friday.  I went to the Alexander Police Station to request a passport.  That Wednesday he phoned when he got van Wyk in the house.  That same week was the goodbye day.  The Saturday of that week Gideo Serothe and Monsiwe in cars came to my place.  Tami's brother came and he wanted to know what I heard about Tami. I said my brother's house has been demolished in Botswana and I am leaving at the moment.  He asked with whom are you leaving to Botswana?  He said I will ask somebody to accompany me.  I said to him there is some few bucks and then you can fill
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with petrol.  There were about a lot of comrades at that time who had TV's.  This was shown on TV and they informed me that everything was chaos in Botswana but we don't know what happened to him but the house has been demolished.  It has been shot at.  On Sunday, actually Saturday in the evening Steve came back from Botswana.  He said I found this Lip Ice in his pocket and some sweets.  He is in the mortuary.  I didn't have anything to do from there.
 On Monday Gideon said let us leave and my last born we took the car to Botswana.  When we arrived in Botswana they took us further in the mountains in Botswana ....(intervention)

YASMINE SOOKA: We would like to thank you for coming today and we understand that you have suffered a lot of pain......so that we can depend on the police and the army to protect all of us and to do their jobs properly as policemen.  Part of our functions are also for all of us to learn to live together.  We know that for you it is very painful and we can't ask you to forgive anybody.  That is something you will decide on your own.  It is your choice to make.  But part of our job in the Truth Commission is to make sure that we lay the foundations for all of us to live together.   Your son died in very painful circumstances in Botswana.  He was one of a number of people who were killed in a raid by the defence force in Botswana.  You will remember that very, very painfully, and until his body is brought home you will not feel at peace with yourself.  He will be remembered as one of the heroes of the struggle.  It is not that much of a comfort, but part of what we are trying to do here is to find out why all of these things happened so that we can make sure that it never, ever happens again in our country.  TEMBISA HEARING TRC/GAUTENG
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But it would be wrong of us to say that all White people are bad.  We all have to learn to live with each other because in all of us there is some bad and some good and we constantly work to try and find the best in ourselves.  But thank you for coming today and sharing your story with us.

SARAH MAMANGENA MNYELE: Do you want my response to that?  I did hear.  I learned that we are not all bad.  Even some of us as Blacks are bad, but those who did such acts by themselves I will forgive them the day I see my son's remains. Even if I don't see his remains, even if I can see one of them who was killed I would have forgiveness for them.

YASMINE SOOKA: Mamma you have a wonderful spirit and we all admire the way you have tackled the problems that you have had through your whole life.  Thank you for coming today.