Human Rights Violation Hearings — Mabopane — 1997-05-08

DR RANDERA: (sworn states)

MR MMAKOU: So help me God to tell the truth.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you very much and over to Mrs Seroke who will help you with telling your story.

MS SEROKE: Hello sir, you have been waiting for a long time and that is the whole day. We hope you are not tired by now, we also thank you for coming here to tell us the story about your son, Patrick Monageng, who escaped to Swaziland in 1989. We therefore request you to tell us what happened to Patrick, what caused him to escape from this country.
 When he fled this country he was an activist of the ANC that was banned by then.

MR MMAKOU: I wasn't at home by then, I was at work. My son and daughter came to tell that they received a message from Kanya House, telling them that Monageng has been killed by a bomb that blasted in Manzini in Swaziland and then I returned home with them and then I contacted Kanya House and I was welcomed by Ms Shirley Lou and Reverend Mangalisa Umkatswa and they contacted (indistinct) and Swaziland told me that my son was in the mortuary. But they said they wouldn't bury him in my absence and then we phoned them telling them that we were on our way to Swaziland. Before we went there the people who helped me asked me if I would like my son to be buried in Swaziland or in South Africa. I said if possible I would like him to be buried at home and then they said it's okay we'll try by all means to help you out. They then took me to Seriti (indistinct). We then went over to Swaziland to go and fetch my child to come and bury him at home, that is in Temba.
 The police came to me after the funeral, we buried him on a Saturday, and they came on Sunday morning and asked me what happened at home because they were only informed by the head office in Mafokeng that we are not guarding the place. Things that don't  know of are happening here and I said to them if you don't believe we have buried someone you can go to the graveyard and dig him up.

MS SEROKE: He left in 1979 and when you heard in 1980 that he died, did you ever communicate with him through telephones or letters?

MR MMAKOU: No.

MS SEROKE: Didn't you communicate with him until you heard in 1980 from people at Kanya House?

MR MMAKOU: Yes. I only heard from the people at Kanya House.

MS SEROKE: Did they explain to you how he died?

MR MMAKOU: Yes they did. They said he was killed by a bomb, that blasted, I think it was in May or June in 1980.

MS SEROKE: Did they explain to you who had planted that bomb?

MR MMAKOU: No they didn't know. It only came to the fore - before then when there was this newspaper called the Rand Daily Mail, it was reported that Mr Dirk Coetzee, who always appears on newspapers, was the one who planned that killing, and the others who we didn't know about before came to the fore. I'm talking about the Rand Daily Mail, before it was banned.

MS SEROKE: Did that report Coetzee (indistinct)

MR MMAKOU: Yes, the newspaper did that.

MS SEROKE: Did you know that Dirk Coetzee has a case that is continuing regarding matters involving Mr Mklenga and other people?

MR MMAKOU: Yes I know.

MS SEROKE: Would you like Dirk Coetzee to be asked about Patrick, whether he knew him or not?

MR MMAKOU: Yes, I'd like that.

MS SEROKE: Was Patrick married when he left?

MR MMAKOU: No, he wasn't married. He was still at school.

MS SEROKE: Didn't he have any child in Swaziland?

MR MMAKOU: No he didn't have any.

MS SEROKE: Thank you sir, I will now pass you on to Dr Russell Ally.

RUSSELL ALLY: .....his amnesty application was .... your son, was his name one of those that Dirk Coetzee was applying for amnesty for? Were you ever sent a letter by the amnesty committee?

MR MMAKOU: I'm not sure about that.

RUSSELL ALLY: But you definitely didn't go to the amnesty hearing in Johannesburg, Dirk Coetzee's amnesty hearing?

MR MMAKOU: No, I didn't go there.

RUSSELL ALLY: Thank you.

CHAIRPERSON: Dr Randera?  Mr Mmakou, thank you for coming to us. Your story is seventeen years old. You have lived with this pain of the disappearance , of the death of your son for many years. We do hope it was worth your while to come to us and to share your grief and to share your pain. We will do whatever we can to try and establish what happened. We made notes of your requests and we do hope that as soon as we can we will be able to come back to you with the necessary information. But to you and your extended family, our very best. Thanks for being with us.

MR MMAKOU: Thank you.

CHAIRPERSON: Just before I call upon what seems to be the very last witness, the very last victim who would like to come to us, there is a request that I should say at what time we intend to stop with the proceeding. I just would like to make sure for the very last time, Mr Masola is not here and also Matlodi Fedibana has not come and Mafatima Maluleka, not come. So it seems to me that the last person will be Mr Mokoena, is that correct?
 I have a request here as I said, to announce when we will stop. It seems to me that in about half an hour, round about 4 o'clock we will stop. Some of you will have to make arrangements for transport because of the taxi problems at the moment. I hope that by round about 4 o'clock, in about half an hour, we will be finished with our meeting.