Human Rights Violation Hearings — Tembisa — 1996-11-27

UNKNOWN: I never gave any report and even the police never enquired.

MR LEWIN: And nobody ever came to you to offer any information? Did you check up with other mortuaries as to where your son's body might have been kept. You mentioned Boksburg, did you go to others yourself?

UNKNOWN: I went from mortuary to mortuary looking for my son's body.
TEMBISA  HEARING TRC/GAUTENG
17 NONDLALA

MR LEWIN: If I could just ask one more question, you mentioned about your son being in the hostel, was he also a member of a political organisation at all?

UNKNOWN: I don't know whether he was a member of any political organisation.

MR LEWIN: Thank you very much Mama, I'm sure that there will be other questions from the other commissioners, thank you.

CHAIRPERSON: We thank you very much.  We will talk Xhosa because I don't want to remind you of those Zulu men.  I'll ask Joyce Seroke to ask any questions.

MS SEROKE: Mama, you say the Zulus were armed and the others were armed as well. What weapons were they, do you know what kind of weapons they wee?

UNKNOWN: Are you talking about our group?  They were carrying sticks and, I don't know what the Zulus were but ours had kieries and pipes.

MS SEROKE: You also say that you went from mortuaries like boksburg, Kempton Park and when you wanted to try to go to Soweto, were you denied or did you give up?

UNKNOWN: Somebody said we should not go to Soweto because there is trouble there.

MS SEROKE: Is their no one from your side who said he might still try and go to Soweto and check the mortuary?

UNKNOWN: No, no one did.

MS SEROKE: The one who came to say that your son had gone to fetch his clothes, was he in his company?

UNKNOWN: Yes they were together.

MS SEROKE: Did he mention who did this to your son?

UNKNOWN: He said it's the Zulus and the policemen.

MS SEROKE: And how did he manage to escape?
TEMBISA  HEARING TRC/GAUTENG
 
18 NONDLALA

UNKNOWN: They were staying in a lower area.

MS SEROKE: Did he have a wife.

UNKNOWN: No he didn't.

MS SEROKE: Was he not married?

UNKNOWN: Yes he was not yet married.

MS SEROKE: ...(indistinct) at home?

UNKNOWN: What was the cause of him having to move to hostel, did he like to stay there?

UNKNOWN: Yes he preferred to stay at the hostel.

CHAIRPERSON: Yasmin Sooka.

YASMINE SOOKA: You talked about our group and the Zulus, what was happening in the hostel that you knew about?

UNKNOWN: People were fighting.

YASMINE SOOKA: Why were they fighting?

UNKNOWN: I don't know.

YASMINE SOOKA: What did the boy who came back to you tell you about the fights?

UNKNOWN: He told me that people were fighting on the other side.  I told him that he must come back if people were fighting and he promised that he will come
back. That was the last time I saw him.

YASMINE SOOKA: Mama, the boys that came to tell you that your son had died, had they been working at the time when he was killed?

UNKNOWN: That's true.

YASMINE SOOKA: Do you know who they are Mama, do you know their names?

UNKNOWN: I don't know them.

YASMINE SOOKA: And have they never been back to see you again?

UNKNOWN: Never.

YASMINE SOOKA: They were also involved in the fighting?
TEMBISA  HEARING TRC/GAUTENG
19 NONDLALA

UNKNOWN: Yes that is true.

YASMINE SOOKA: After your son died when you were looking for the body, were not you not able to ask them where his body was?

UNKNOWN: That's correct.

YASMINE SOOKA: Thank you Mama.  Mama did you go to a lawyer or to the church or anybody to help you?

UNKNOWN: I didn't go to lawyers, nor to churches, but however the church came to help me during the funeral.

YASMINE SOOKA: Which church was that Mama?

UNKNOWN: Presbyterian Church.

YASMINE SOOKA: And Mama did you go to your son's employer the municipality to ask them if they knew anything about the matter?

UNKNOWN: Yes I did go to the employer. They said there's nothing they're going to do if we can't find him.

YASMINE SOOKA: Do you know who the employer was.

UNKNOWN: I don't know them very well but I have their particulars.

YASMINE SOOKA: Did they give you any money after all of this?

UNKNOWN: No, never.

YASMINE SOOKA: Thank you Mama.

CHAIRPERSON: We like to thank you very much, your story is one of the painful stories that we heard all over the country.  We discover that when people were fighting, police were also involved, taking sides. However at the end of the day, most of the black community suffered in these incidences, but before you leave the Commission I will like you to tell the Commission about your wishes.  Things that you might like the Commission to do for you. What are your wishes for the Commission, things that you would like to see TEMBISA  HEARING TRC/GAUTENG
 
20 NONDLALA
happening to make your spirit rest.

UNKNOWN: I'm troubled because I can't find my child and I don't know what I'm going to do.

CHAIRPERSON: We'd like to thank you and we'll try and investigate your case, and we'll also try and keep in contact with you before we've finished the investigation.
Those who came here to get paid, we are informed that we have to tell them to go to Kopaneng Section, that's where they are going to paid.  The people who help witnesses, I'm referring to briefers, we will like to ask them at this moment to accompany the witness out, taking them to where they are going to get their tea, and they should be followed by those who assist witnesses or their relatives.  I would like to ask one of the briefers to direct them to the tea room.  We will be back at half past eleven. Thank you.