Human Rights Violation Hearings — Klerksdorp — 1996-09-23

GARINER MAJOVA: But I remember at Krugersdorp, when we were reading that plaque, that was opened by OR Thambo.

YASMINE SOOKA: Do you want to tell us how many names there were on that plaque?

GARINER MAJOVA: But there were not more than ten.

YASMINE SOOKA: And what did it actually say on the plaque?

GARINER MAJOVA: Their anniversary, the wedding and - Anniversary Monument in honour of the following heroes: Watson Majova, unveiled by Comrade OR Thambo, 15 December 1991, yes, that was the date.  There were many, but I only wrote my son's.

YASMINE SOOKA: Tatta, who had asked you to come to Krugersdorp?  Who telephoned you?

GARINER MAJOVA: It was just a phone, they just phoned us.  I don't know, I wanted to know who was phoning and the person said do you want information or do you want my name.  I said I want the information.  So he said accept information as I put it to you, you must go to Krugersdorp.

YASMINE SOOKA: Were you relieved at that time that when you knew KLERKSDORP HEARING TRC/GAUTENG
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when you read the plaque, that at least you knew that he was dead? How did you feel about that?

GARINER MAJOVA: I wanted to know more about this plaque.  That's why I went to the police at Krugersdorp, at Kagiso.  But I got no information.

YASMINE SOOKA: In Rustenberg also you got no real information, except the inquest number.

GARINER MAJOVA: Well, most of the police there, they told us that they were not there at that time.  There was no station at Thabani, but they heard about the incident of the house that was bulldozed by the Bophuthatswana police and the police from Rustenberg, because they couldn't get these children out of the house.

YASMINE SOOKA: Tatta, I just want to make sure, you say then that you then heard from these police that there were these boys in the house and that the house was then bulldozed with the boys inside the house.

GARINER MAJOVA: Yes.

YASMINE SOOKA: And this was done by the Bophuthatswana police and the Rustenberg police.

GARINER MAJOVA: Yes, it was done by the police, the Bophuthatswana police and they could not get these children out of the house, and they were not folding their hands, they were shooting.  So we had the police shooting from outside and these boys shooting from inside.  We realised that they are unable to take them out.  They bulldozed the house and it fell on them.

YASMINE SOOKA: Tatta, you mention that you went to SAFFAS undertakers, also to find out where these boys had been buried, and they weren't able to help you either.  What did they tell you there?
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GARINER MAJOVA: They said we are closing now, it is time out, because it was about four o'clock.  I had to come back - it is a distance between those places.  Then we consulted the Shell House to find out if they know about this.  I remember they came to us to Stilfontein also and they went to Rustenberg. We came back without any information.

GARINER MAJOVA: You mention that you went to Shell House.  They were not able to assist you either.

GARINER MAJOVA: Well, they wanted to help, to try and find out where this grave is.  But they have not done so up until now.

YASMINE SOOKA: Just a few more questions.  Your son, when he was in Hewton, was he a member of the ANC?

GARINER MAJOVA: Well, I am not sure. But it appears that it is so.

YASMINE SOOKA: From the information that was given to you by the police in Lebani, how many boys died inside this house that was bulldozed?

GARINER MAJOVA: In that book they showed me four names.

YASMINE SOOKA: The other boys, did you know them?

GARINER MAJOVA: No, I did not know them.

YASMINE SOOKA: Tatta, at Stilfontein during that time, was there trouble in the township?

GARINER MAJOVA: No, there wasn't much but there was a bit of trouble.

YASMINE SOOKA: Thank you, Tatta. I don't have any more questions.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you very much.  Any questions?  Dr Randera?

DR RANDERA: Mr Majova, I just want to go back to your enquiries with Shell House.  Were they aware of this
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incident that took place in Thlabani and the killing of the children?

GARINER MAJOVA: When we got there we had the information there, they were there with us.

DR RANDERA: You gave them the information or did they also have a record of it?

GARINER MAJOVA: No, in Thlabani they had none, we went there together.  When we were getting there for the second time, when I went there, we went to the Shell House people where they also gathered information.

DR RANDERA: Were you able to find out who actually put up the plaque?

GARINER MAJOVA: No.

DR RANDERA: The one other aspect, and I am sure our investigating team will have to make further enquiries, is that when you enquired at the police station in Thlabani, they actually had the name of your son in the book.  That is what you say in your statement.  I am asking this question because my understanding and what we have heard in these hearings, is that every person who left the country and joined the ANC, was given a pseudonym.  So they all worked under different names in order to protect themselves in the underground.  So what I am saying is, it is intriguing to me that if these four young people were killed in the house, how were they able to find out what their names were, and the real names?

GARINER MAJOVA: When my boy left down to Cape Town, he had the ID.  I don't know then whether he had any other names.

DR RANDERA: Thank you very much, Sir.

CHAIRPERSON: Prof Meiring?

PROF MEIRING: Mr Majova, only a few questions.  The first
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question is, the three other young men who were killed in Rustenberg, were their graves found or is that also a mystery where they were buried?

GARINER MAJOVA: It appears their parents claimed their bodies.

PROF MEIRING: The parents claimed their bodies.

GARINER MAJOVA: It appeared so.

PROF MEIRING: Thank you very much.

GARINER MAJOVA: Because it appears they heard over the radio, but I didn't hear anything about that.

PROF MEIRING: Thank you.  Another question. Was Watson your only child or do you have other children too?

GARINER MAJOVA: I have got other children, he is not the only one.

PROF MEIRING: How many children to you have?

GARINER MAJOVA: Six boys.

PROF MEIRING: Six boys?

GARINER MAJOVA: Six boys.

PROF MEIRING: Thank you so much.  Then I want to ask of you, you said that Watson was born in 1958, he disappeared and probably was killed in 1985.  That means that he was a young man of 27 when he died in Rustenberg.  Do you know whether he already was married at that stage or whether there were children dependent upon him?

GARINER MAJOVA: As far as I was concerned he was not married.

PROF MEIRING: Not married and no children.

GARINER MAJOVA: Yes.

PROF MEIRING: Thank you very much.  Thank you so much.