Human Rights Violation Hearings — Sebokeng — 1996-08-06

MRS EMMA KHESWA: I am Khetise Victor Kheswa's mother.  He was staying at Zone 7.  At 11051.  I have four children.  On the 26th December in 1990, the previous day it was Christmas.  That was on the 26th.  Street Committee members visited my house and they said they were looking for Victor. They alleged that Victor had stabbed someone with a knife at
HRV/1047 the/...
2
the shops at Zone 7.  I denied it and I told them that Victor was indoors and he was asleep during that day.  They told me that Victor had stabbed somebody at the shops.  I told them that even though it was like that I will convey the message to him that he should go see the Street Committee.  When Victor came back I told him that he was wanted by the Street Committee and he asked me as to why they were looking for him because he never went out during Christmas time.  Then he said he would go there because if he doesn't go there they will think that he was lying.  Then he went to see the Street Committee members.  When he got there they told him that they had already found the culprit and that that same culprit who was playing with a certain friend had stabbed him with a little knife from the nail cutter or the nail clipper.   They said even then they were not fighting but they were playing.  Then when he came back he told me that they said he wasn't the one but they did find the culprit.  A few days lapsed, then he told me that they were looking for him once more.  The Street Committee members wanted to see him and at that time I was preparing myself to go to Potchefstroom and I went to Potchefstroom.  I left him, he was on his way to the Street Committee members.  When he went to them I wasn't there, I was already in Potchefstroom and when I came back from Potchefstroom, I think it was at about ten o'clock, I discovered that my yard was full of police as well as police caspirs.   When I got there I was told that Khetise had been shot and they didn't even know whether he was still alive.  They said I must also pack my things and run away.  I asked them that they should stay with me.  I wanted them to protect me to keep security in my yard and they said they would not be able to
HRV/1047 stay/...
3
stay there but they would keep an eye on me and they went away.  We stayed the whole night at my place.  I was together with my other children.  Then on the following day we went to the hospital.  We got him, he was admitted at the hospital.  He remained there at the hospital.  He said he had only been given Panados but he was never formally admitted.  They discharged him at a later stage without having actually formally admitted him.  I asked him why wasn't he admitted and put into a ward.  Then he said they said they couldn't admit him because he was an IFP member.  I took him from the hospital.  I was with some other youths who were driving the car and we took him in the car and I realised that he hadn't gotten any better.  We went to Dr Gouvadia in Pretoria.  That was Vanderbijl Park, to Dr Gouvadia.  He said I must take him back to hospital.  I told him that I will not be able to take him to the hospital.  I left something out.  After they had just shot him according to him he said he pretended to be dead.  Immediately after they shot him he pretended to be dead.  He just lay there and he was taken from that spot thinking that he had died already.  They put him in the boot of the car.  When they put him in the boot of the car they drove off with him in the boot.  They went to Edenside in the outskirts of Edenside.  There were four of them.  It was Khetise, Temba, Vuzi as well as Lucky.  Because they thought he was dead they put him in the boot and the other ones were put on top of him.  They drove off in that car.  That was Khetise's car.  He says as the car was driving he told Temba that he is not dead and he directed Temba to try and open the boot from the inside because in a Cortina you can actually open the boot from the inside.  He showed him a pin that he must
HRV/1047 try/...
4
try to pull so that they may be able to get out of the boot.  Temba did pull this pin out in the boot.  Then he was directed to hold it so that the boot doesn't get open and wherever the car stops they will see what to do.  As they were going to the outskirts of Edenside when they were thinking that the boot was closed as they had closed it before they doused the car with the petrol whilst all of us were inside.  After dousing the car with petrol just before they wanted to set it alight they opened the boot.  Temba and Vuzi were handcuffed.  They went out of the boot and ran away.  These other culprits were running after Temba and they thought he was dead. They left him inside the boot.  Then he got out and one of them who was there tried to fight with him but he hit him with the fists and he managed to run away thereafter.  He went to his aunt's place.  When he got to his aunt's place he told her that he had been shot and the aunt should phone my neighbours because he knew that I was not at home, I had gone to Potchefstroom.  When she decided to phone the neighbours my neighbours, because I was not there and the neighbours got to the aunt's place and Zande's mother as well as the aunt took him to the hospital.  That is where he was admitted until he got discharged.  On the day that he was discharged I took him to Boksburg hospital.  Before I took him to Boksburg hospital I realised that I will not be able to get to Boksburg with a sick person.  Then I took him to another doctor in Mark Park.  He was given an injection as well as tablets.  When we got to Boksburg the doctor told me that I could be arrested because I had stayed with a person and the wound had gotten septic.  They said his insides were full of pus and he had bled internally.  I showed him a card that he was at the
HRV/1047 Sebokeng/...
5
Sebokeng hospital but they discharged him despite the fact that he was as sick as he was.   They said he could go home.  As we were still having this discussion one of the boys died.  The name of that boy was Christopher.  It was alleged that my son Khetise had killed Christopher.  At the night vigil of Christopher, that was on the 12th January in 1991, people were killed in that night vigil.  At that time Khetise was still not there, he was at the Boksburg hospital.  It was alleged that he is the one who had killed Christopher.  Even the police files alleged that he was the one who had actually killed the people who were at the night vigil but he was not there, he was at the hospital.  But I had actually told myself that if these people get arrested then I would be relieved because they would say that he was not there, he was at the hospital but those who gave testimony they said they didn't know him.  They said they had never seen him.  When they were asked as to whether they knew Khetise they denied knowing him.  They even asked him how come you didn't know him or you don't know him because he was so famous.  But they insisted that he was the one.  Some people were killed at Eric's Tavern.  He was in prison at that time.  They said he is the one who killed the people at Eric's Tavern.  He was paying revenge.  Now which was apparent that when most of those things were done there was testimony that he was not there but still despite that fact he was accused of working with police and he was going around at night killing people together with the police in the location because he never got arrested according to them.  Now I have this request.  I want those police who worked with Khetise, I want them to come forward so that I may know as to why they were doing all those things because
HRV/1047 according/...
6
according to me I don't know what time he did those things or what time he colluded with the police because it was alleged that he was working with the police.  I request an inquest.  I want the police who are alleged to have worked with him to come forward.  When we were driving in the car with these other youths, when we went to fetch him at the hospital they got a gun inside the car.  We were all arrested.  As we got arrested that case went on and I had gone at that time and I heard that he had been shot at the police station at Vanderbijl Park.  I saw it in the newspapers that the police who were working with him had killed him because they were scared that he was going to reveal the truth.  He was going to divulge the secrets and they owed him quite a lot of money and they decided to kill him.  Now I want all those things, all those allegations to be investigated as to this police who were working with him, which ones are these police.  I want them to be identified as well as the police who killed him.  I want to know why did they kill him.  I want to know what was he owing them that made them kill him.  I would appreciate it if this Commission would do me this favour that there should be a further investigation as to when he was killing the people with the police, where were they meeting and what were the reasons for killing the people and when were they killing these people and who are these police with whom he was killing the people.  And I would like them to further tell me, the very same police, as to why were they using him in those killings.  Because today my life has changed so drastically.  As from that time my life is very difficult, it is very tough.  Because many of the times it has been alleged that I have always been with him, giving him hand
HRV/1047 grenades/...
7
grenades to kill people at night, together with the police.  Now I want these police to come forward.  I want these police to say, to tell the Commission as to why they did those things.  Because it even appears in newspapers.  The newspapers are alleging - I do have the newspapers - I went to the police station to make statements.  Now I want to know why the police took these newspapers and why they did all that they did.