Human Rights Violation Hearings — Klerksdorp — 1996-09-26

THOMAS MANTHATA: Would you say they were the members of youth organisations or they were just the youth realising the situation of the day?

NANA MARTHA MATABATHO: This young brother of mine was a comrade.

THOMAS MANTHATA: What do you refer to when you say he was a comrade?

NANA MARTHA MATABATHO: Sir, I don't understand your question, can you please repeat it?

THOMAS MANTHATA: If you say he was a comrade, what do you mean when you say a comrade?

NANA MARTHA MATABATHO: He was always present in the activities of the comrades.  Every time he will be present. I remember in February when the comrades were trying to burn the office, he was there.  He came the next morning at home, very tired. We were trying to convince him to leave these activities, but because he wanted to be a comrade we couldn't convince him.

THOMAS MANTHATA: I do understand you, that the comrades were the young men and women who were against the apartheid system. The youth that were involved at that time, do you have any idea what their position is at the moment in Kanana?

NANA MARTHA MATABATHO: Sir, this is a difficult question, I do not know how to answer it.
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NANA MARTHA MATABATHO: You see these people were undertaking these activities for the community.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Some of them passed away, some of them are still alive and what is the community saying about these ones that are still alive?

NANA MARTHA MATABATHO: I do not know what the community is saying about them.  I really do not know what to say.

THOMAS MANTHATA: Thank you very much.

CHAIRPERSON: Fazel Randera?

DR RANDERA: Mrs Matabatho, I just want to clarify a few things for our own records.  In your statement you say your son, but today you have talked about your brother. He is your brother?

NANA MARTHA MATABATHO: I didn't say in the statement he was my son.

DR RANDERA: Okay, my apologies.  Our apologies then, because in our statement it says the killing of my son.

NANA MARTHA MATABATHO: The statement-taker must have made a mistake. I said to the statement-taker it was my brother.

DR RANDERA: I just want to also come back to this month of April.  Today we have already heard from other people of killings that took place in Kanana in March.  Was your brother killed on that same day or was this another month?

NANA MARTHA MATABATHO: He was killed on the day the bottle store was burnt.

DR RANDERA: Not on the day when the other people, whom you have heard from today?

NANA MARTHA MATABATHO: It was on a Saturday, I remember it was a Saturday when the bottle store was burning.

DR RANDERA: Okay.  That brings me to my next question.  You said again in your statement that at the time of the shooting people were burning a bottle store.  Was your '
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brother involved in the burning of that bottle store.

NANA MARTHA MATABATHO: He was present.

DR RANDERA: Can you perhaps tell us who told you that he was present, because you were not there at the time.

NANA MARTHA MATABATHO: Nobody told us, he was shot because he wanted to run.  My sister's child told me so.  He said Tata tried to run home and that is when he fell.

DR RANDERA: Do you know whether the comrades were targeting bottle stores in Kanana at the time?

NANA MARTHA MATABATHO: I do not know.

CHAIRPERSON: Mrs Matabatho, thank you for coming and thank you for telling us about the incident concerning your brother.  Again, it is one of those shooting incidents as I have said earlier, the Commission deals with scores of this kind of situation where armed members of the security forces act against civilian people who are, as in this case, unarmed.  Obviously using force out of all proportion to the situation that they have to contend with.
 We have noted the pain that you experienced in relating this to us.  You have also touched upon another theme that features in the cases that we hear. Something that emphasises how vulnerable women were in this whole crazy unreal situation that we have experienced.  It is in our experience, through these hearings, something that is often and for understandable reasons, not spoken about.  But we know that there was a large element of violation of a sexual nature that was perpetrated on women.  You have touched upon that sort of situation.  Often we forget the sacrifices that women have had to make in the conflict of the past.  We thank you for bringing that again on the agenda.  
 We have listened to your evidence.  We sincerely hope
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that it will eventually be possible for you to somehow put this incident and the pain that goes with it, behind your back, and that you would be able to carry on and lead a normal life.   Thank you for coming.  We appreciate it very much.

NANA MARTHA MATABATHO: I thank you.
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