Human Rights Violation Hearings — Ladybrand — 1997-06-25

MR LYSTER: And your son, Elliot, does he live with you?

WITNESS:  Yes, I am staying with Elliot.

MR LYSTER: So do you look after him, do you support him?

WITNESS:  That is correct.

MR LYSTER: Can you just give us an idea of what his age is?  Do you remember his date of birth?  (Inaudible) ... his date of birth, just give us his age.

WITNESS:   I brought his identity document with me.  Can you please check?

MR LYSTER: Now, this incident, Mrs Mokhothu, when he was arrested and detained, happened in 1985, is that correct?

WITNESS:   That is correct.

MR LYSTER: (Inaudible) ... idea of what Elliot was doing at that time.

WITNESS:   Elliot was a student at that time.  He was at Bothaville Secondary School.

MR LYSTER: What grade had he reached?  What standard had he reached?

WITNESS:   He was doing matric.

MR LYSTER: And was he progressing well with his work, with his studies?

WITNESS:   Very well.  He was progressive.

MR LYSTER: Now, can you give us some idea of what was happening at that time in Bothaville?  What was the situation there that was taking place?  What was the political situation, if you can remember that far back?

WITNESS:   The political situation was not normal.  In February of 1985 the students at Mopateng High School said the white teachers should resign because they could not teach other lessons.  The headmaster was Mr Meyer, the deputy-headmaster was Norwood.  The children in the school started with the unrest.  They cut the alarms and they cut the telephone wires, and they stoned the school building because the white teachers refused to leave the school.  The vice-headmaster, Mr Norwood, shot a schoolgirl on the leg and the other students took the injured one and sent her to the doctor.  The violence was now heavy.  The police from Odendaalsrus and the police from Welkom were called in to assist.  The children ran for cover.  They were all around the township.  Some had petrol bombs, burning the police houses.  The police, on the other hand, did not just watch, they were retaliating by shooting them with the rubber bullets.  Elliot is one of the people who ran to the riverside with others.  In February the violence was still high, and on the 25th of March it was in the afternoon and it was alleged that they burnt a bus that was transporting people from town into the township.  It was in the afternoon.  And I said to Elliot, "Please do not go anywhere.  It is alleged that a bus is burning."  The sun went down and we went into our houses.  In the middle of the night I heard people knocking and I asked, "Who are you?"  And they said, "We are the police.  Open up," and I opened the door.  They came in and they said, "Where is Marumo?"  That is Elliot.  I said to them, "He is present, but he is asleep."  They said, "Where?"  I showed them the room where he was sleeping in.  I went together with them.  I asked them, "What has he done?"  They said, "Come, you will hear."  When they got into that bedroom where he was sleeping they switched on the light.  He was sleeping just like this.  They were many in number, many policemen.  They were in their uniforms.  They had batons, they had sjamboks, black in colour, and they had their firearms.  They pulled off the blanket, they threw it away.  I asked them once more, "What has he done?"  They said to me, "You'll only hear tomorrow."  They said, "Stand up.  Get dressed."  He just laughed.  He stood up and he dressed.  I said to them, "Can he please put on his shoes?" and he did put on his shoes.  They did not allow him to take even his jacket.  They went away with him.  They were driving in a Hippo.  The next day I went to them, I went to the police station.  When I arrived at the police station they said to me, "He is present here, he is in the cells."  I said, "Can I please see him?"  I never saw him.  I went back home.  That was after I have given them his food.  The next day I went back to the police station.  His brother called Michael went to see him at the police station after he knocked off from work.  They allowed him to see him.  On the third day they took all the detainees, they drove them in a van and they took them to Transvaal, Bouwgroep Prison.  And we were told about their court case.  We were fetched from our homes and they were taken to court.  While they were in the court the detainees said they suspected that Elliot was sick, and his brother said the police must take him to the doctor.  I went to see him the next day and I asked whether did they take him to the doctor.  They said they did not take him to the doctor.  When I called him I met him and he did not have anything to say to me.  He didn't even know the reason behind his arrest.  The parents of the other detained children went to look for the lawyers from Johannesburg, and those children spent three months in prison.  That is at Bouwgroep.  When they came for the trial their legal representatives wanted to see them, and they were allowed to see them.  On the day of the trial the lawyers came late.  One of the detainees requested the Court to call Johannesburg, and the information was that the lawyers are on their way, and it is true they arrived.  And Elliot was together with the rest of the detainees.  When the case went to court the last time the lawyers were speaking on their behalf.  It was said that they have been discharged.  I had an opportunity to meet a prison warder from Bouwgroep Prison, and he said to me, "Mrs Mokhothu, if it was possible you would apply bail on behalf of these children because the conditions in prison are not good at all."  And I said to him, "No, we do not have money."  It is just a pity because this policeman was involved in an accident and he died.  When Elliot was released he was not the Elliot I knew.  He was mentally disturbed.  He was insane.  He was laughing all by himself.  He would sit wherever he likes.  That is my problem with regard to Elliot.  His time for schooling was lost.  I have taken him to many doctors.  I even took him to Hillbrow Hospital in Johannesburg.  When he came back he came back with a letter that we should give him these tablets, and he must carry this card all the time.  He is just a human being.  I now want to know - this boy of mine could have finished his studies.  I do not have anything left.  I tried to attend to his health.  I even went to the clinic to request money.  Every month they give him a disability grant of R430,00.  It is not enough to let him survive.

MR LYSTER: Mrs Mokhothu, when you started off your evidence you apologised for your voice.  In fact you have given your evidence in a very, very detailed, very articulate and a very objective manner, and I want to thank you very much for doing that.  You have given us a very clear account  of what happened on both sides in Bothaville during those days.  There are just a couple of questions I want to ask.  What was your son, Elliot, charged with?  What was the charge against him?

WITNESS:   They charged him for being a member of the ANC.  That's what they said.  And they further said that he was present when the riots erupted at the school.  He was also involved in the burning of a bus.

MR LYSTER: Is it correct, did you say that he was acquitted of those charges?

WITNESS:   When the court case was on they said they were innocent, they were not guilty, and now if they were not guilty I have a question.  Why did they then arrest them?

MR LYSTER: Well, I presume that they suspected they were guilty, and then they had to put them through a court case first.  Let me just ask a couple of other questions.  What have the doctors diagnosed as Elliot's problem?  What - do you know, or perhaps we should look at those documents which you showed us a minute ago after we have completed the session.  Or do you know off-hand what do the doctors say was the medical diagnosis?