Human Rights Violation Hearings — Welkom — 1996-10-09

WITNESS:   This affected me a lot, especially when I was in Port Elizabeth when I got the news that my brother had died.  I wasn't even interested to look at any movie because every time we look on the TV we would see soldiers fighting and this was a real nightmare for me and I went to the doctor.  I attended a treatment because I was epileptic.  And my other sibling was deeply affected and every time when people look at her they would tell her that she looks like her brother and it affects her so much.  My mother is always at the doctor.  She is every now and then not at work.  At work she was told that she would come back as soon as she has recovered and we went with her to her place of employment and the manager transported her back home because she couldn't walk.  Her colleagues lifted her up to the car because she was so disturbed  And the manager said my mother should come as soon as she has recovered.  She's working now at the OK Bazaars permanently.  But since she separated with my father - I think they separated while I was at Port Elizabeth and we were staying in the Soweto section - my  /mother

CHAIRPERSON: mother struggled with raising the two boys.  The boy was doing Standard 4 and the girl was doing Standard 2.  My mother has been so supportive to them because the father was just a useless person.  He wouldn't do anything.  These children have been my mother's burden.  She was retrenched from her work but she could still manage.  And the boy managed to pass his matric.  He failed his Standard 9 and my mother decided he should go to Dosa College and he passed his N4 and he wanted to go back to school because of unemployment but my mother didn't have money and he went to Theba until he was employed.  Now, the girl was at Lepula School last year and she didn't succeed with her matric.  Now she is attending the college to improve her two subject mathematics and physical science.  She is still the burden of my mother.  The father is not working.  This really affected the family but most of all it affected my mother because if she had money, she goes to the specialist and if she doesn't, she goes to the hospital and she pays R13,00 every time she consults the hospital.  And she told me that the amount has increased with R2,00.  It's now R15,00.  We've encouraged her to go to a private doctor because the tablets that they give her are not helping.  At all times she has got this high blood pressure.  It's always high.  And at one stage the doctor indicated that she's got a TB touch.  And she went to the clinic for further medication.  She took that medication and after a few months she stopped taking those tablets.  I'm staying at my house.  One day I saw her coming to my place and she told me that blood was coming out of the mouth and she was taken to the hospital said they  couldn't see anything wrong with her.

CHAIRPERSON: Okay.  Are you working yourself?

WITNESS:   I am not working.  The man I'm staying with is working.  He doesn't want me to work.

CHAIRPERSON: Are you married?

WITNESS:   Yes, I'm a married woman.  I left school when I was doing N3 at the Technical with my commercial subjects.  Now, this man who married me said I should stay at home because he's working for me.  But at time I keep on telling him, "You know that I left a child back at home and my mother is struggling.  She cannot make ends meet."  I was a photographer at school trying to get some little income.  I am really trying to help my mother in whatever way.

CHAIRPERSON: Who is supporting your child?  Is your mother?

WITNESS:   The child is my mother's burden.

CHAIRPERSON: Where is the child's father?

WITNESS:   The father is in Port Elizabeth.  When I was in Port Elizabeth the last time, I discovered that he moved away from Port Elizabeth.  I do not know where he is now.  He so dearly wanted to see the child by couldn't because he left the area.  The child is now 10 years old.  Because I took him to the maintenance court.  He only maintained the child for three months and he left the maintenance and I was sent as letter and when I appeared the magistrate told me that he disappeared.  He was asking me about his whereabouts.  I said, "It's better to leave him because I'm trying my best to get a little income."  And when I got married the child was left with my mother.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you very much.  This is one of the saddest stories I've ever listened to.  Before I make some few comments, I don't know whether there are any questions  from Mr Mdu Dlamini.

MR DLAMINI: Thank you, Mr Chairman.  I just want to confirm the pseudonym for the late Monyane.  What was his pseudonym on exile?

WITNESS:   Ray Silume.

MR DLAMINI: And secondly, Mr Chairman, although I don't have the full facts or details, I know that the ANC is presently working on possible pension for people who lost their sons on exile.  Maybe the family would like to see the local office and get more information on that.  I might not be correct but there was something along those lines.

PROF MAGWAZA: It's just a few questions to clarify.  The dates - I think in all this account the dates are missing.  How old was Mohapi when he died?  When was he born?

WITNESS:   He was born on the 25th of October 1967.

PROF MAGWAZA: And the first time you heard that he had died, when was it?

WITNESS:   That was after the release of Mr Mandela.  I think it was in 1991.

PROF MAGWAZA: So when you spoke to Andile Lobese, did he indicate when did he actually died?  Did he die in the same year?

WITNESS:   I think he died in February but I'm not sure of the year and I'm not sure of the date of his burial because everything was conveyed to us through the telephone and he said he wouldn't be in a position to give us a full disclosure.

PROF MAGWAZA: You mentioned one thing that it was said that people would come to see you with condolences.  Did they come to your house, those people, and who were those people who were supposed to come to your place with condolences?

WITNESS:   I thought that my brother died in exile and we were supposed to get a telegram or a letter  /or be

PROF MAGWAZA: or be called to the offices to be given the message that our brother had died, not only to hear that as a rumour because when my mother said to me the ANC people came afterwards it was after all the initiatives I took as to what happened to my brother.

PROF MAGWAZA: The last question.  When the ANC people came to see you, Mama, what did they say to you?

WITNESS:    (MRS DIPPA)   They arrived from Johannesburg and they just said to me, "Your son passed away."  There is noting else they said to me.  They didn't tell me the procedure, you know, what to do thereafter, they just broke the news that my son passed away.  There were policemen also just after I arrived from Port Elizabeth and I was alone at home.  It was a white policeman as well as a black policeman.  When they arrived they greeted us.  There was photo of my cousin brother on the room divider with his fist lifted up and the police said  - this black policeman said to me, "Is this Monyani?"  I said, "Why do you ask me if this is Monyani?  Don't you know Monyani yourself?"  And he said to me, "Where is he?"  I said, "Why are you asking me his whereabouts?"  They asked me, "Are you from Port Elizabeth?  Did you bring the message from Port Elizabeth?"  I said to them, "How did you know that there is a person from Port Elizabeth to bring the message?"  I said to them, "I'm just here for holiday.  I know nothing about this matter."   They said to me, "Tell the truth."  I said to them, "Come on, if there is something you know, tell us."  I said to them, "If there isn't anything new that you are telling me, you'd better leave."  Then they left.  I don't know how they got the  information that I was from Port Elizabeth to bring the news about Mohapi.

PROF MAGWAZA: Okay, thank you very much.