Human Rights Violation Hearings — Vryheid — 1997-04-16

MR LAX: Now, you've mentioned to us the two farms in KwaZulu-Natal that you worked on.  You said there was the one near Umlaas Road and there was one near Umdloti.  Waterloo Farm you mentioned.  Is that right?

WITNESS:   Yes, I worked there.  I was working with Colonel Taylor.  I am surprised why they are only mentioning de Kock, but Colonel Taylor was there as well, and Captain Botha.  This child was killed by Captain Botha, the one in this newspaper article.

MR LAX: (Inaudible)

WITNESS:   Yes, the short one, Hendrik Botha.

MR LAX: You mentioned that you worked on some farms in East London and Port Elizabeth.

WITNESS:   Yes, I went to Port Elizabeth for three weeks.

MR LAX: (Inaudible)

WITNESS:   In Port Elizabeth there is a  place where the stolen cars are kept, and there is a house that looks like a school.  I spent a night there with a police who was hated so much by the community of New Brighton.  I was with him there.

MR LAX: Mr Mwelase, we've specially not asked you a whole lot of questions here today because we want to have an opportunity to do that with you properly, and this is not the right place.  You must just understand that.  Now, once we've had a chance to talk to you you will have another chance maybe to tell your other stories.  Thank you, Chairperson.

CHAIRPERSON: Mr Mwelase, you are still with us here.  Whilst you are still with us we have heard your evidence as led in front of this Commission.  Before I will say anything I would like to emphasise on this where Mr Dlamini has said that as we listen to your story it is imperative that you go to the Amnesty Committee, where you will ask for forgiveness.  You have already made mention of the fact that you don't know how to go about to contact the Amnesty Committee, but the lady seated right next to you can enlist help as to how to go about applying for amnesty before the D-date, which is the 10th of May 1997.  Am I clear, am I crystal clear?  What I will say to you is that as we have heard your name and seen your name we could tell that you have been tortured a lot, and also you were coerced to be one of the perpetrators, and this is the time when we want to know all the truth about you, as to what your mission was, who was behind you, and what were you doing.  And we are very sad because there were times when you were trying to rescue your soul and had to be a member of askari subsequently and be a traitor.  We  have heard all that.  We are sad to have heard that.  As the Commission we are trying to listen and understand people who are coming from your direction, who were trying to protect the community and ended up being on the other side.  The last thing I would like to say, it looks like you may need to meet some people from this very Commission who will advise you also psychologically.  The very same woman seated next to you is one of the counsellors also who may lead you to other counsellors, who will give themselves time to sit with you and analyse your situation and the trauma you have suffered.  Because as I am looking at you I think you have been highly affected also psychologically.  Thank you.

WITNESS:   I haven't mentioned other names, by the way, of the people who were traitors here in Vryheid.  I am frustrated, I must say.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you, Mr Mwelase.  Please try your best to get in touch with the Amnesty Committee.  Meet the counsellors as well.  Thank you.

CHAIRPERSON: At this point in time we will adjourn for lunch.  I will request and also put it to you that lunch has only been provided for the witnesses and their families, and all others we are - we do apologise that we did not provide anything for you.  Even the counsellors that are here to work with us today are welcome for lunch.  We'll adjourn now and resume at 2 o'clock.  Before you stand up, today is the day of the witnesses who have come to render their testimonies.  We will wait for the witnesses to leave the hall, but before that let's stand up to show respect.
/CHAIRPERSON

CHAIRPERSON: We'll ask people to be seated so we may be able to start and call upon our first witness for the afternoon.  We ask Jeconiah Mbele Mahlobo to come forward to the witness stand, and Christina Matlombe. Before we continue maybe we should verify the surname.  Is it Mahlobo or Mahlo?

JECONIAH MAHLOBO AND CHRISTINA MAHLOBO: Mahlombe.  I am Matlombe, the surname is Matlombe.  Oh, the ID has Mahlombe - Mahlobo.

CHAIRPERSON: Well, we'll refer to you as Mahlobo because that will contradict with the ID.  Some time in the future please do attend to this matter.  We greet you, Mahlombe family.  Who is going to render testimony.  Are the four of you going to talk?  Is it Jeconiah?

JECONIAH MAHLOBO AND CHRISTINA MAHLOBO: Jeconiah will render the testimony, and Christina as well will be talking.

CHAIRPERSON: Who is Christina?

JECONIAH MAHLOBO AND CHRISTINA MAHLOBO: The other two are accompanying us.

CHAIRPERSON: Is she going to say something, the third one.

JECONIAH MAHLOBO AND CHRISTINA MAHLOBO: Yes, as well as the other one seated on my extreme left.

CHAIRPERSON: Maybe this is what we should do.  Who have submitted statements?  All of you?  All right, they have all submitted statements.  Christina submitted her statement, as well as you, Jeconiah, you have submitted your statement.  Except for the other two, they haven't submitted their statements.  So the two of you will render the testimony.  May you stand up to take an oath.

JECONIAH MAHLOBO AND CHRISTINA MAHLOBO: (Sworn, State)

CHAIRPERSON: Mr Ilan Lax will lead you in your evidence.  /I will
I will hand over to Mr Ilan Lax.

MR LAX: (Inaudible) ... to all of you.  Mr Mahlobo, would you start off by helping us get a picture of your family, and by that I mean your whole family, in the sense that, for example, there was a brother of yours that was supposed to give evidence who has a different surname.  He isn't here at the moment I understand.  We'd just like to see how you all fit in together.

WITNESS:   It is because when he was in exile he was using my mother's name.  Khanyile is my mother's last name.

MR LAX: Can you just start off with who were your parents?

WITNESS:   My mother is Alda Khanyile.  My father Armando Mahlombe.

MR LAX: (Inaudible)

WITNESS:   We are a big family.  I have my brothers.  I am the first-born and Nelson is the second-born, Christine is the third-born, Victoria is the fourth-born.  The fifth one is Rocky.  He is now late.  Magdalene is the sixth one.  The seventh one is Molly.  I have just counted the ones who are still alive.  And my elder brother is the one who is late, the one I am here for.  His name is Cyril.

MR LAX: Okay.  So in fact, although you're the oldest at the moment, you were not the oldest originally.

WITNESS:   That is correct.

MR LAX: From looking at these statements it seems clear to me that your family has been politically active from a long time ago.

WITNESS:    That is correct.

MR LAX: Tell us a little bit about that just by way of background.

WITNESS:   Most of the time I was inside the country together with my sisters.  Police harassed me, or they started harassing me in 1990.  I have just made a mistake, it was in 1980.  They were looking for Cyril Bafana, who is my elder brother.  He was still alive then.  And I was explaining to them that I didn't know where he was.  All I heard is that he was in Maputo.  Police used to beat me, harass me, asking me where he was, or his whereabouts.  I was working at Hlobane.  That's where my story, the one that I am going to relate, started.  I was working underground for the ANC organisation.  As I was working there police discovered that my brothers were the ANC members.  Then they started searching me or interrogating me.  As they were doing this they did this to all of us, together with my sisters.  They were beating us.