Human Rights Violation Hearings — Louis Trichardt — 1997-04-09

CHAIRPERSON: Is Tshibili Siobo?  Good afternoon Tshibili.  Can you hear me?

TSHIBILI SIOBO: Yes, I can hear you.

CHAIRPERSON: Would you introduce the lady who is accompanying you.
 Translation please.

TSHIBILI SIOBO: It is my sister of my same mother.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you, we welcome you.  We will ask Dr Randera to take the oath.

DR RANDERA: Tshibili, if I can just ask you to stand please.  Will you just repeat after me.

TSHIBILI SIOBO: (Duly sworn in, states).

DR RANDERA: Thank you.  Dr Ally.

RUSSELL ALLY: Good afternoon to you and welcome.  You are actually going to speak to us about your experiences while working conditions that you worked under and the things that actually happened to you on a farm.  I will ask you to go through these events with us.  Just explain to us what happened to you and why you believe these things happened to you.

TSHIBILI SIOBO: Firstly, it was not a farm, it was a golf club next to Louis Trichardt hospital.  That morning the man called Rogers, well I arrived at the garage.  After I left the garage he called me and said Elsa.  He asked me to take this spick(?).  I took it and put it next to the tractor.  I was standing next to the tractor and other goods were packed there.  While I was still standing there, that other women who were present, while they were still sitting, Mr Rogers, when he arrived he brought the tractor and that tractor ran forward immediately and I fell down on my stomach.  I was four months pregnant.

CHAIRPERSON: Take your time, Tshibili.

TSHIBILI SIOBO: What happened subsequently, I just heard some sound, some voices saying Rogers, Rogers, Rogers you have killed me.  I then heard some voices saying Rogers, Rogers you have killed a fellow woman.  I only heard some goods falling down and I just do not know what happened thereafter.
 On the following day when I was being attended at the hospital, I just do not know exactly what the time was when this was taking place, when I was being told.  The nurses told me, asked me if I knew what time I arrived at the hospital and I said I was not sure.  I told them that I did not know whether it was in the evening or not, but I am aware that I got injured from work.  It was around quarter to seven.  They told me that I got injured around quarter to seven and then they took me to the hospital at around ten o'clock.  I said I was not aware of that.  
 They asked me if I was feeling well or there was any other problem.  I said, well, my body was experiencing some difficulties.  I had some pains in my body, because they had all those -  they hanged(?) me and they told me, they asked me if I knew the people who were with me.  I told them.  After they had asked me who the people were, I told them that they were my fellow colleagues.  One of them was Alizuli Gutama, Miriam, Anneli and Lydia.  Well I agreed.  From there I did not know what was supposed to happen.  My sister could perhaps say what happened and in which situation I was when she arrived.
 I would like my sister to explain further as to what happened, in which situation she was.

CHAIRPERSON: Tshibili, did your sister also write a statement.

TSHIBILI SIOBO: No, because I was the only one.

CHAIRPERSON: Well, we will ask her to fill in and then later on, after this interview, we would ask her to please give us a statement, if she was there, and talk to our statement takers.

TSHIBILI SIOBO: Thank you.