Human Rights Violation Hearings — Winelands — 1996-10-14

MR FAAS: On that specific day I was coming from work, I came to home that evening about 7   o'clock.  He brought his girlfriend with and he said  
Father, please give me some money, I would to bioscope.
I had money but I said
No I don't have any money for you, because you see how the boers are shooting, they going to shoot you and when you come from bioscope tonight, at that time they going to hurt your.
I said
All I could do is that tomorrow you need some shoes, go and buy some - two pairs of shoes tomorrow.  I don't want you to get hurt.
And he said
Yes, father then I'll rather take her home.
And he took her to Amstel Hof in Paarl East.  He took her away to her house and coming back the unrest was already - already there in Klein Drakenstein Street.  His friends accompanied him, when he came to Fisher's house, they said no they at Klein Drakenstein Street.  
He always told me, I can't participate in these things, but if they catch me, they're going suspend me at the University.   And therefore I had confidence in my child, we all loved one another in this house and we always shared - when I bought something for the one, I bought the same for the others.  I had another 2 sons and a daughter.  
That night I asked my wife - it was about past 10 that evening - and I asked when was he coming home and she said no if he did not come home, he was going to  sleep with Godfrey Hendricks.  If it was to late he usually slept there, I accepted that because a mother knows her children.  
That morning I got up, she had already left for work.  When I left the house, I heard the telephone and somebody said
Alex is that you.
And a voice said
Your son was killed last night, he was shot dead.
I was so shocked because I know he had taken his girlfriend home.  Then I left the house and I walked.  I put the telephone down and I went to Fisher's house.  When I came - when I left my house I saw all the people watching me and it was strange why were all these people looking at me.  
What had I done, when I came to Fisher's house Anthony was crying and he said Uncle Alex they killed him last night, they shot him dead.   I knew we are all coloured people, I didn't believe it, I wanted to see it myself.  And he said take me there and show me.
Having arrived there I saw the blood and I realized what had happened.  And I said I was going to the police station. On my way to the police station, all the people were standing outside the police station and I asked who had shot my child.  It was Boy Reed and Goldy Simon, Appolis and other policemen whom I knew because they all belonged to my church.  And they said the boers had killed your child,  Mr Faas.
I couldn't do  anything because I believed what they said,  I went home.  Afterwards I went  to my - where my wife worked and I told her.  I went back to the mortuary and they asked is that your child and I said they couldn't show me anything, I must come back the next day.
The next day I returned there, I took 1 day off and I took one of his friends as a witness - one of his University friends.  Having arrived at the morgue with my wife, there was a - Peter's was also there and all the policeman are not bad - some of them are really well behaved.  They accepted us - or received us in a friendly way and they chatted to us and they put us at ease.  
After we've had our tea  we were not so tense anymore and we settled down, then they told me what had happened to my son.  I felt very, very sad but what frustrated me even more, was that all the white policemen were standing outside and  they were showing me their fists.  And this was very terrible because my child had already been killed.  What did they want from me?  And this atmosphere was not very good - not very friendly and then I said I wanted to go out and arrange for my child's funeral.  
Outside I asked them what caused my child's death because the other pathologist said that he was bending down - the tried to pick up a stone and that caused his death and somebody said no he did not bend to pick up a stone because then he would still be alive.  Because then the shot would have not hit him at the back of his neck, on the left side - the shotgun hit him and he fell down dead.
This was - I  felt very sorry about this but as we were walking away, two white policemen came there and I asked them
Please sir, who had shot my child?
And the one Constable said
I am Captain Coetzee and this is Lieutenant Oosthuizen.
What broke my heart is that I never could think that white people will also belong to a church - that they could behave like that and this Oosthuizen took his finger and pointed on his chest and said
I killed your child
And my heart dropped into my shoes.  I felt so sad, I was at a lost for words and he said
You - you must go and ask your friends what he did, he carried the drum with the fire in it and he was wearing a white sweater and that is why I had shot him.
And this man with him said
You had shot a wrong man, you did not shoot the one with the white sweater, you shot the other one.
And Captain Coetzee said
Let's rather go.
When we came inside, Colonel Peters asked me when will the funeral be.  I can't say because I waiting for people from Bloemfontein.  
Inside a Captain Daniels was sitting at a desk.  He was a very pompous man.  He was sitting there, the doors were open and all the policemen was standing there to listen to what we were saying.  What was really shocking is that this coloured detective stood up and he put his shirt into his trousers and said
Alex, is Adri Faas your child, I could not think that you could afford a child to attend University.
Those were his precise words, I sat quietly and I thought that man - this man does not have a skin, this man does not think anything about anybody else - he's a nothing.  And Peters kept quiet and after 2 minutes he said
Captain Daniels rather read this rule because you should not be here and when you leave close the door behind you.
He left, he closed the door and after that we held our conversation.  I appreciate what Peters did for me.  He always encouraged me and he told me that I appreciate what you said, nobody would have behaved like you would have done.  I told you when the funeral would be held and he said that he will arrange everything.  When I came home, I arranged the funeral for that Tuesday.
I told the minister that I am going to hold the funeral on the Saturday and the minister said
Don't worry.
He himself will organize my child's funeral.  I didn't answer him at all because never in my life I have noticed that a minister could arrange a funeral.  
Half past 10 that morning, when he arrived at my house he said that the funeral will go down Langtana Street, Paulus Street, Klein Drakenstein Street, passed the police station and then to the hall and then right down Van der Stell Street and then back into Langenhoven Street and the we will go to the grave yard.
And I asked
You are my minister and today I'm telling you
and I left him standing outside
and today I'm telling you, you've sold me out to the boers.
And I said
How can you say that?
And you said
I'm a member of this church.
Because I was a member of the church in Joubert's time.  A coloured's funeral had never gone threw a white area.  Strauss arranged the funeral I Klein Drakenstein and he said why you and he says
Now I understand your circumstances, you should be on the relationship community.  You are part of the NP conspiracy.
And I said
I'm not going to attend the funeral.  Tell him I'm going to arrange the funeral myself.
And on that Wednesday I met him and Peter said if you want to talk to me about the funeral, I have a house you can come to my house.  After 15 minutes he came back and we spoke and I told him everything, how it is - it was from Paarl  - and why I did not want to go down Langenhoven Street because there was a farm house and next to that there were guava orchid and near that most of the policemen and detectives lived.
And also the commanding officer lived there and he was actually  their  [indistinct] because I painted that church, I know him, I great him in the mornings.  I say
Good morning Reverent.
And he would not great you back, neither will his wife, neither will his children.  And I knew that they were going to shoot more children there - more children and I said I am not going because my child is dead, I made peace with that, but I do not want other people's children to be shot and then the following day my referent - my priest is going to tell me that he did not lead the funeral.
And later Commander Peters phoned me and said there - there  was board that said the Bergram Group and that evening he said - he came to me and he said arrange the funeral the way you want to and I did that and I can just thank God for it because I can say nobody can speak - can feel your pain for you.  It's your pain, it's child - it's your child and it's your pain.  
And what was so ironic is that when we left  END OF TAPE 3, SIDE A...the whole road was full, right up until Van Riebeeck Street and the children were all following the precession - funeral precession and the hearse was stopped before this plankies school and Captain Coetzee was there and Oosthuizen and so many white policemen, but not one coloured policeman was present.  But at the shooting incident there were coloured policemen and they all gave statements but when we got to town they weren't acceptable anymore.  They had to stay out, they were - they were refused entry, but when - when they came to kill our children, the coloured policemen were present.  That's why I say thereafter many of them were promoted - many of them were promoted after my child's death.  
They were on it but I am just happy - I'm - I'm at peace because when the hearse stopped, they started shooting at 6-, 7- and 8-year-old kids and I got out of the vehicle in which I was in and I went to stand in front of the hearse and said to him
Shoot me, I am at peace with this whole thing.
Because by then I was bitter.