Amnesty Hearings — Johannesburg — 1998-04-15

MR RAUTENBACH: This shopping that we're talking about after you met him where, your version of it, what did you do, what shopping was it, what did the two of you do?

COLLEEN JUDY WHITE: Michael didn't come into the shops with me.  It's a little shopping centre, there's a grocery shop, there's a little Spar over there - I don't think the bakery was there, I think I stopped somewhere else for the bakery.  In any case we just collected a few goods and things to take to my parents' place.

MR RAUTENBACH: Ja, but the shopping, I want to know in the context of your brother, what did you two do, what do you recall?

COLLEEN JUDY WHITE: He wasn't in the shops with me.  I parked the car, I went into the shops, I did the shopping and then we went back home.

MR RAUTENBACH: Yes, but the shopping, did you do shopping together?

COLLEEN JUDY WHITE: No.

MR RAUTENBACH: Not.  What happened?

COLLEEN JUDY WHITE: I went into the shops by myself.

MR RAUTENBACH: On your own?  Where was your brother?

COLLEEN JUDY WHITE: He was in the car.

MR RAUTENBACH: He was in the car.  In the evidence - in the inquest, at page 404 thereof your brother said the following, he said
"After your sister had picked you up, did you go straight to her house"?
		- "No."
		"Yes, where did you go?"
		- "She bought some things."
		"Yes, and then?"
		- "I think I may have bought my folks a box of chocolates too.  I don't really remember.  We went to the shops, we then went home, went to her house, her and her husband's house."
Can you recall that evidence in the inquest?

COLLEEN JUDY WHITE: Is that my evidence?

MR RAUTENBACH: No, that's your brother's evidence.

COLLEEN JUDY WHITE: No, I didn't sit in at the inquest while ...(intervention)

MR RAUTENBACH: You didn't sit in while he gave his evidence?

COLLEEN JUDY WHITE: No, no.  I was under subpoena, so I could be there for my own ...(intervention)

MR RAUTENBACH: But now you recall that he wasn't in, he didn't go into the shops at all.

COLLEEN JUDY WHITE: No, he didn't.

MR RAUTENBACH: He had a recollection that he bought chocolates.

COLLEEN JUDY WHITE: No, he ...(intervention)

MR RAUTENBACH: And then he qualifies as if he can't really remember.

COLLEEN JUDY WHITE: He didn't ...(intervention)

MR RAUTENBACH: But you sat here in these proceedings and you say, because you heard him saying that he actually stayed behind in the car.

COLLEEN JUDY WHITE: No, he didn't, he did stay in the car.

MR RAUTENBACH: You say he stayed behind in the car?

COLLEEN JUDY WHITE: Ja.

MR RAUTENBACH: Because what I find quite interesting is that in the inquest proceedings you also, on page 317 thereof, say the following
"You drove with your own car?"
		- "No, I did not, I used my husband's car."
		"Your husband's car.  And after you picked Mr Bellingan up, what happened then?"
		- "We did some shopping and then we went home."

COLLEEN JUDY WHITE: Yes.  Well we did, we went and parked over there, he stayed in the car, I got out, I did the shopping, got back into the car and we drove back home.

MR RAUTENBACH: So you say that you support his version 100%, that he stayed behind in the car when you went in to do the shopping.

COLLEEN JUDY WHITE: It's not his version, it's actually what happened.

MR RAUTENBACH: I see.  That is what you stick to?

COLLEEN JUDY WHITE: Yes.

CHAIRPERSON: Yes, would that be convenient, Mr Rautenbach?  Yes.  We'll adjourn the proceedings until tomorrow morning at 9 o'clock.
COMMITTEE ADJOURNS