Amnesty Hearings — Vanderbijlpark — 1999-05-18

MR BERGER: You were indicating on your arm that there were different patches, is that what you were indicating? - different things on the sleeves.

MS F MOLETE: It has some colours, they call it camouflage I think.

MR BERGER: And what sort of a gun did he have?

MS F MOLETE: Well I don't know the type of a gun because I don't know guns, but the only thing that I know is that it was a gun.

MR BERGER: You don't know if it was a long gun or if it was a short gun, you didn't notice that?

MS F MOLETE: He was pointing this gun into the house, so unfortunately I don't know different types of guns, but I can say that it was a gun.

MR BERGER: Now if he was wearing a balaclava, why do you say that he was a white person?

MS F MOLETE: If you are a black person you will be able to see a white person, even at night it's easy to see a white person.

MR BERGER: Well what features on him were you able to see that indicated to you that he was a white person?

MS F MOLETE: He was tall, he hid his face, but I could see his nose, but he is white.  We used to see policemen at night moving around there, wearing those things.

CHAIRPERSON: Wearing what things?

MS F MOLETE: This thing that I am referring to, that is the camouflage clothes.  They used to pass at my shack at number 17, because there's a tarred road running just next to my shack, so we used to see them on a daily basis.

MR BERGER: You say that the shape of his nose indicated to you that he was a white person?

MS F MOLETE: Yes, Sir, because there was also light.

MR BERGER: Could you see the colour of his nose?

MS F MOLETE: When I was trying to go out he was not far from the door, that is why I was able to recognise that he is a white person.  He was not far from the door of my shack.

MR BERGER: Yes, but my question is, did you see the colour of his nose?

MS F MOLETE: Yes, Sir, because there was light.

MR BERGER: And did you see the colour of any other part of his face?

MS F MOLETE: I could see the nose through the balaclava, he had hand gloves and he was holding the gun, so I went back into the shack.

MR BERGER: No, no, I'm asking, could you see any other part of his face, the skin, the colour of any other part of his face, besides his nose?

MS F MOLETE: He hid his face with the balaclava, I could only see the nose.

MR BERGER: Did he say anything?

MS F MOLETE: The one who was looking at me in the kitchen was silent and then inside the people were fighting.

MR BERGER: Besides this white man that you've described, did you see any other white men that night, during the attack?

MS F MOLETE: At that time, Mr Berger, it was really difficult because I was facing death, it was not easy to see a black or a white person.

MR BERGER: After - when the men came into the shack and they attacked you, and you told the Committee you were fighting for your life, you also told the Committee that there was a time when you did not know where Miriam and Mita were.  When did you see them again?

MS F MOLETE: When we came back from the dumping ground, because I got help from other people.  Then we saw the ambulance and I asked them to take me to the ambulance and then when I arrived there I saw Matsile inside the ambulance.  She was holding Mita in her arms.  She was also with Keketsi in the ambulance.

MR BERGER: And did you accompany them to the hospital?

MS F MOLETE: No, the ambulance was already full then.

MR BERGER: Is there anything else about the attack that you want to tell the Committee?

MS F MOLETE: After they have kicked me, one of them, one of these attackers, because I was on the ground, he was laughing because I was undressed.  Then he shouted that: "This is where Mandela's dogs come from", then I replied and said: "No, they do not come from me".

MR BERGER: He was referring to your private parts?

MS F MOLETE: Yes, he was referring to my private parts because I was undressed.  It is true because even my petticoat had torn.

MR BERGER: Is there anything else about the attack you want to say?

MS F MOLETE: When I asked Jeannette, because they had already broken the shack, I asked her: "Where are we going to sleep"? and then Jeannette said to me: "God will help us" and then she said to me I should not cry. And then the ambulance came in the morning and I was taken by the ambulance.  I was with Mr Latha in the ambulance.

MR BERGER: Ms Molete, have you told your experience, or have you related your experience about this sexual attack on you to anyone else before?

MS F MOLETE: No.

MR BERGER: When was the first time that you told anyone about this?

MS F MOLETE: It was when I was speaking to Ms Cambanis and Nomsa.

MR BERGER: And that was during a consultation a few months ago, is that correct?

MS F MOLETE: That is correct, Sir.

MR BERGER: And at that time you didn't want to come and tell this Committee about your experience, is that right?

MS F MOLETE: That is correct, Sir.

MR BERGER: Were you called to Pretoria during the criminal trial?

MS F MOLETE: Yes, I remember being called to Pretoria.

MR BERGER: Who called you to Pretoria?

MS F MOLETE: The police came and they told us we are needed in Pretoria.  I was with Miriam that day.  I was afraid.  I asked them: "Why are we needed in Pretoria?" and they said to us: "Tomorrow at 9 o'clock you are needed in Pretoria", then I said to them: "We don't have money" and that policeman said to us: "You must try to organise a car because you are need in Pretoria, you have to be there".

MR BERGER: And you went to Pretoria, is that correct?

MS F MOLETE: That's correct, we went to Pretoria.

MR BERGER: And what happened in Pretoria?

MS F MOLETE: When we arrived in Pretoria, we showed other policemen we found outside, we showed them our letters.  They went inside that building and when they came out they came with Lucky and then Lucky wanted us to show him the letters, we did so.  And then he said to us: "You were not called by us", then he said to us: "You were called by Mr Strydom".  We asked them where Mr Strydom was because we had a child with us and he was hungry, I'm referring to Mita, she was still young then, and then he said to us we should follow him and then we went inside.  Inside there we met Mr Strydom.
	Mr Strydom called us into an office, his office, then we told him that the child is hungry.  I said that to him.  He asked us whether we know why we're being called, then we said we don't know why we are being called, then he said to us: "If the child is hungry, take money and go and buy some food".  He gave us two R50 notes and then the other R50 we gave it to the man and then we took another R50 note.  We went to buy Kentucky and bread rolls and a bottle of coke.  We went back.

MR BERGER: Please continue.

MS F MOLETE: Then he came, Mr Strydom again, he asked us whether we have eaten, then we said yes, then we entered the office as he asked us to do.  He closed the door and he asked us whether we know why we were being called, then we told him that we don't know, we are also afraid.  Then he said to us: "My people are going to be convicted and they deny that white people were involved, but I realise that white people were there, were present, so I will call you so that you come back again".  And then he said to us he will remain behind with Mabuza, he will talk to Mabuza.  Then he gave us money.  We thanked him.

MR BERGER: How much money did he give you?

MS F MOLETE: Between R100 and R150.  I don't remember well because this happened some years ago.

MR BERGER: And then you left?