Amnesty Hearings — East London — 1998-05-25

INSPECTOR METE: No, I did not think that anybody would allege that somebody was assaulted, because nobody was assaulted and I did not think that any such allegation would arise.

MR LAX: Thank you, Mr Mete, thank you, Chairman.

CHAIRPERSON: Mr Prior, re-examination?

MR PRIOR: No thank you, Mr Chairman.
NO RE-EXAMINATION BY MR PRIOR

MR PRIOR: Mr Chairman, may this witness be excused from further attendance?

CHAIRPERSON: I gather that if the need should arise, arrangements can always be made.

MR PRIOR: Certain other duties in the Umtata areas, and he came through.   May we thank Inspector Mete for coming all the way from Umtata to assist us here this morning?

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you and you are now excused.
WITNESS EXCUSED

MR PRIOR: Mr Chairman, I do have other witnesses coming from Umtata, there was some problem with the transport I indicated to the committee this morning, and having discussed the matter with Mr Bothma, I understand that, in order to save time and not waste and delay any longer, that he would call Mrs Meyers.   So, with the indulgence of the committee, may Mrs Meyers then be imposed, yes, interposed at this time?

CHAIRPERSON: I'm as keen as you are to get everything going, but one of the witnesses you intend calling may give evidence about the Meyers' custom or selling milk at certain times, is that something she may want to deal with?

MR BOTHMA: She can also deal with that matter as well, Mr Chairman.

CHAIRPERSON: She won't have heard yet what the evidence is likely to be.   I merely raise that possible difficulty.

MR BOTHMA: I believe we've already called the two witnesses, the two, John Madoda and the other one, who testified about the movements, but the one said he only worked for about a week or so, and the other one - I don't think we'll be able to present any further evidence on the movements itself or the regular movements.

CHAIRPERSON: Very well, carry on.

MR PRIOR: Mr Chairman, I indicate that the police are bringing somebody, I don't know, I haven't had contact with that person, from the area of where the shooting initially occurred, regarding the movements of the sale of milk.   However, Mrs Meyers, I understand, can also give evidence about that.

PAMELA MYRTLE MEYERS: (sworn states)

MR BOTHMA: Mrs Meyers, you are the wife of the late Mr Mike Meyers and the mother of the late Done Meyers and you were with them staying on a farm in the Elite district, is it correct so?

PAMELA MYRTLE MEYERS: That's right.

MR BOTHMA: Now, Mr Meyers used to sell milk in the Transkei area.   Now can you just give this committee some background of the way he normally sold the milk?

PAMELA MYRTLE MEYERS: He would go down every day.   He would first start in the town of Nqobo and deliver milk to the shops there, then he would go out into the district and he would first deliver at the shops.   If there was any milk over, that the shops hadn't bought from him, he would stop in the villages and dispose of that milk to the individual customers.

MR BOTHMA: Did he always follow the same route when delivering milk, or when selling milk in that area?

PAMELA MYRTLE MEYERS: He would go to Nqobo every day, but when he went out into the area, he would never go to the same place on say a set day, he always deviated, like on a Monday, he would never go to the Nqobo area, to the Kofinvaba area, he would deviate.

MR BOTHMA: And what was the reason for his deviation?

PAMELA MYRTLE MEYERS: Because he realised he may be waylaid, so he went there unexpectedly.

MR BOTHMA: Now, the allegation was being made during this hearing that Mr Meyers, Mike, was a member of the AWB.   What do you say about that?

PAMELA MYRTLE MEYERS: Mike was not a member of the AWB.

MR BOTHMA: Do you know whether there were any AWB activities in the Elite district?

PAMELA MYRTLE MEYERS: I did not know of any AWB people or activities.

MR BOTHMA: The allegation was further made that, according to their information, your farm was used as an AWB base, where training occurred.   What do you say about that?

PAMELA MYRTLE MEYERS: That was not true, I lived on the farm and we did not have any AWB people on the farm.

MR BOTHMA: I further want you to have a look at Exhibit 1, the firearm.   Is it a firearm of your late husband?

PAMELA MYRTLE MEYERS: Yes, this is the firearm that my husband had.

MR BOTHMA: And was that the firearm he took with him on that day of his death?

PAMELA MYRTLE MEYERS: Yes, this was the firearm that he used to take with him and it was the firearm he had on that day.

MR BOTHMA: After the court case, this firearm was returned to you.   Was it in the same condition that you last saw it until the time that you recovered it and as it is today?

PAMELA MYRTLE MEYERS: Yes, it is the same firearm, in the same condition.

MR BOTHMA: Allegations further have been made that the butt of that firearm had an AWB insignia on that.   What do you say about that?

PAMELA MYRTLE MEYERS: No, it never had an AWB insignia on.

MR BOTHMA: Mr Chairman, I'm a bit uncertain at the moment whether we handed in a photocopy of the licence of the late Mike Meyers, and I've also lost track of the last exhibit number, unfortunately.

CHAIRPERSON: This will be K.

MR BOTHMA: Thank you, Mr Chairman.   Can I then hand in copies of EXHIBIT K then?
PHOTOCOPY OF FIREARM LICENCE OF MR MEYERS HANDED IN AS EXHIBIT K

MR BOTHMA: Is that the copy of your husband's ID document?  Mr Chairman, the original one is also available here.   Maybe if you'll just have a look at that?

PAMELA MYRTLE MEYERS: Yes, this is the firearm licence of the weapon.

MR BOTHMA: Indicating the serial number of the firearm as No 29191U?

PAMELA MYRTLE MEYERS: 29291U, that's correct.

MR BOTHMA: Let's go back to Mr Mike Meyers himself.   His relationship with other people and especially with black persons, can you give this committee some background of the time he worked with them and since when?

PAMELA MYRTLE MEYERS: Mike started to work with the black people of Transkei in about 1974.    We lived in Umtata and he was a salesman for Glenton and Mitchell, selling tea and coffee into the trading stations.
	In 1982, he was manager of the National Foods Distributors, a Premier Milling group in Elite, selling maize, mealie meal, samp, to the traders of Transkei, mainly around the Nqobo area.   For a long time he was the salesman, so he had dealt with the traders personally.   At the Premier Milling or National Foods wholesale, he had about ten boys that he was in charge of, plus the four lorry drivers.
	In 1991 to 1993, he had sold milk to the Transkei, going down every day.   
	Mark liked to trade with the black people and he got on very well with them, so all in all he had about 20 years that he had dealings with the traders of the Transkei.

MR BOTHMA: After this incident, the shooting itself, he was taken to the All Saints Hospital near Nqobo and you also went to this same hospital.   Did you see any of the local people there and met with them?

PAMELA MYRTLE MEYERS: Yes, the evening of the day that he was shot, he was in the operating theatre and I was waiting in the waiting room, and many of the traders and family came to the All Saints Mission Hospital where I was.   They gave their sympathy, they showed their emotions, and they expressed and they said, "Please God, don't let him die".

MR BOTHMA: Can you recall anything, a press statement being made by the mayor of Nqobo after this incident?

PAMELA MYRTLE MEYERS: Yes, I saw it in the Daily Despatch.

MR BOTHMA: And can you recall the contents of this press statement, or just the gist of it itself?

PAMELA MYRTLE MEYERS: From what I can remember, he condemned the murder on Mike and said that he knew him personally, because he had a garage in Nqobo and Mike always used to go and buy his petrol, his diesel, from that garage, so he knew him personally, and he gave a good report of Mike.