Human Rights Violation Hearings — Sebokeng — 1996-08-07

CHAIRPERSON: Before I ask Dr Randera to ask you to take the oath, you have brought two persons with you, two persons, will you please tell us who are with you at the table?

MAMOTAKE VALENTINA MATSELETSELE: This is my cousin Emmy Mpumela and then that's my mother Mrs Matseletsele.

CHAIRPERSON: Your cousin and your mother I would like to welcome Mpumela and the mother of Mrs Matseletsele, thank you for coming to us.  And now Dr Randera first will ask you to take the oath.

MAMOTAKE VALENTINA MATSELETSELE: (Sworn states)

DR RANDERA: Mrs Matseletsele welcome and good morning to you.  Professor Meiring, who is also the Chairperson today is going to help you in telling your story.  Professor Meiring.

PROF MEIRING: Thank you.  Mrs Matseletsele you are here to tell us about the disappearance of your son Michael Papiki and now is your moment and please tell us about him and your problem with his disappearance.

MAMOTAKE VALENTINA MATSELETSELE: It was in 1991 in March, I can't remember the date very well.  In 1991 in March when my son disappeared, his name is Papiki Matseletsele.  He was 18 years old at that time.  I realised that he belonged to the PAC organisation.  The first thing that we did we heard that they had their leaders within the township.  The first person that we went to to trace him because we had already
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heard that there might be a possibility that he had skipped the country.  We went to a certain Mr Tenane in Zone 13 and we asked him as to whether can he shed any light about our boy.  And he said no, he didn't know anything.  Surprisingly enough on the day that Lehole disappeared, we had a telephone at home at that time, Mr Tenane called our home looking for Papiki.  My sister picked up the telephone and Mr Tenane identified himself and he said he wanted to speak to Papiki.  After that Papiki conversed with him on the telephone we don't know what were they talking.  That was the last day we saw him as his mother .  Papiki left me with R5,00 and a photo written the prayer, the Lord's Prayer.   From there when we realised that Mr Tenane was not helping us in any way my uncle Mr Peki Mulau went to the offices of the PAC in Johannesburg.  He had Papiki's photo with him.  He enquired about his whereabouts and they said they don't know anything about Papiki.  We lost hope and then we went to his friends, we asked anybody we came across about his whereabouts and we were told that Papiki indicated at one stage that he wanted to be a soldier.  His uncle used to frequent the PAC offices and every time he would go to the offices he would be given the same message that we do not know him, until in March 1994.
 It was on a Wednesday, 9 of March 1994 as I have mentioned, it was at about 2 o'clock.  A person came home, a gentleman, and he had a paper in his hand and he said it was a list of names and he identified himself as Mr Tulo, and he said he was from the PAC offices in Johannesburg.  But he said nobody sent him, he wasn't officially sent to our home, he said he was working and as he was fiddling with the documents he came across a paper and he saw this 
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Matseletsele surname and he remembered that he knew Mulua
who is my brother, the uncle to the person who disappeared, because he knew the surname and then he knew exactly where Mulua was.  And he came and he said to us I am here on my behalf, I am not representing the organisation, nobody sent me here.  Because we were alert at all times Mulua said to him I don't know how to take your issue, do I have to believe you or not?  We have been to your offices many times but many times were told that he is not known, and you are here today from the offices.  Please write your story on the paper and sign.  And it's true, he took a paper, he wrote everything down and he signed.  And he said he was here to report that on the 7th Papiki was involved in a car accident in Dar es Salaam and Papiki died.  
 On that same day, on the 9th Mulua went to Mr Tenane and Mr Tenane refused any information.  But he said I will call the offices and I will call Dar es Salaam.  Nothing took place. The next day, it was on the 10th of March Mr Tenane came to our home and he said to us the telephones in Dar es Salaam are not working.  They only operate during the day and he said Mulua has to accompany him to his home to wait for the telephone from Dar es Salaam and the two of them left.  It was in the morning.  It was just after nine.  They spent the whole time at Mr Tenane's house till 11 o'clock, no message, nothing.  
 Mulua came back and he said I am not going to keep this a secret.  He left for the PAC offices in Johannesburg and he reported the matter to them.  When he arrived they told him that they are busy as the organisation because they were heading for the elections but they will try their best.  Mulua came back, they gave him another date to go and 
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consult with them.  The person who used to go was Mulua and my mother and another relative of ours.  
 When they arrived in Johannesburg - let me go back a while.  When Tenane arrived he didn't acknowledge the fact that the deceased was buried on the 7th.  And then we decided to go to the offices to ask them to transport the corpse here so that we can bury it ourselves but our request was not listened to.  On several occasions we have been to the offices and they would continually tell us the same story.  The statement that they gave us was they cannot keep him for a long time because he was already decomposed, and he was so tall that he couldn't fit in the coffin, or in the drawers at the mortuary.

PROF MEIRING: May I ask for quiet please.  Please silence.  Please continue.