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

ALWINUS MRALASI: Some are there in Victoria West, others died.  Let me say we were two groups of people.  We were first arrested on the 24th of April and another group was arrested in June, in 1968.  Those went to court in Oudtshoorn but their is not here at he moment.  And we went to court - went to the Supreme Court  but we heard that  William, Frans Manene, were sentenced three years  and this surprised us and this was told to us by Mr Wayne Peffer.
We wondered whether those people, who were  - those people who were after us and then they were sentenced but were still going to court.  Then there was promised to work on this.  They were in Victor Verster and they were told that their  case had been closed, they should go home.  I heard one women saying this child is really hurting and damaging my heart and I would ask how did this happen.
And yet he actually mend the actions.  Even those men who died - because even during our absence people would die and then our wives would have to go and dig and conduct funerals and this was really hurting.  There was a division because there were - those were witnesses and they were wives that really enjoying it and they were dressing well, where is our wives who were suffering at the time.  So those who were suffering used to go and dig holes for the graves - to make graves.
Even now, we are still staying together and as I can see wives are happy together and we men we talk about these things and I will always point out 1968 and these men would leave us.  And leave us there talking about these things.  There is another man I am related to, who's name I'm not going to mention, he will invite me to his home and then I will ask my children to go and help there.  So, I'm trying to say people do these things and these things backfire.  So,  this is what is happening.  I thank you, Commission.

CHAIRPERSON: I thank you, let me say that your brother that  - your son that you did not mention, now tell us what happened to your son.

ALWINUS MRALASI: My son, thank you  - thank you, Bishop.  So I pay - I kept  my son at school after I was discharged  and that time we used to use slates.  In 1968 my son was doing Sub B and he used to write on a slate with a pencil and so he went on with his studies until he got to Standard 6 and I could not pay for his fees.
And then he decided to go to Cape Town to my nephew's who live in Langa.  Then I heard that he had got a job at - in Claremont so he went to work there in Claremont for a long time - he worked there.  And he was quiet - not writing any letters to us.  Then one day I decided to get onto the train and I got my son there and I asked him why he was so quiet and then he gave me a letter  where it was stated - it was a book where everything - his expenditures and income were written.
Then I said to him  This does not work.  I actually want to see your bank book,  and he did show it to me and at that time he had saved R600.00.  Then I asked him what he was going to do with the money.  Then he said the following week he intended packing and going home and going back to school and he  [indistinct] did exactly that.  He brought the money with him and we decided to go and make a loan of money and we got R400-00.
Those days it was not very expensive to pay in schools because we added this R400-00 to the R600-00 that he had, to make R1,000-00 and I asked him whether he wanted to go back to school.  So he stated the time when he wanted to go back to school.  And then there was another daughter of mine who also wanted to go to a school in Fort Beaufort - a certain school in Fort Beaufort she wanted to go to is Thubaleto High School, which is a  [indistinct] College thing.
So we decided to make this effort and we got the loan, I drove them to Fort Beaufort and they went into this school.  So that is where my son got his education.  He spent two years there and he said it was not good for him in Allies.  He wanted to go to the Cape College in Western Cape, so I agreed.  There was no problem with the books and so he transferred to the Western Cape  and he went on studying.
We were going up and down trying to collect money, trying to channel moneys to the various schools.  We were eating dry porridge with water and sugar, trying to save and keep them in school.  Then it happened in - one day we were invited to a graduation ceremony, and so went there by train and up to Beaufort West because there had been accident with the train.
Then there was a bus.  We boarded the bus to Cape Town and went to another relative of ours.  We stayed there for the days and this particular morning we saw Joos sitting there.  I still have a clear picture and I can see him dressed in his regalia - academic regalia.  Today he has - he is studying his LL.B., he has studied his LL.B. and he is working in Aliwal North.  That is my son - that is our son.  Thank you.

CHAIRPERSON: Dr Ramashala.

MAPULE RAMASHALA: Mr Mralasi, and Mr Makulani you have an incredible history and I think it would be a shame if you were to pass on without that history being recorded for the children in Victoria West. Have you thought about tape recording the information so that it is kept as part of the museum and left  for the community in Victoria West.

ALWINUS MRALASI: Honorably, this a good advise, but  we can say you can be wise but you need some advises from people.  This can be done but the main thing is I have got to talk to this children first because it is no good to do anything without their consultation because I feel they are broad minded and they've got better knowledge than me, so I'm going to take your advise.  So our son , Bishop,  because he to is your - he is your son to because you gave him blessings.  I've now forgotten what I was going to say because of old age.