Human Rights Violation Hearings — Mmabatho — 1996-07-08

DR RANDERA: I know that you are going to tell us about what happened to you nephew and I am sure it is a very painful story, because he died in July 1986 when you yourself was in detention.
 Mr Tom Manthata will be leading you in telling your story, but before he does that, can you please stand and take the oath?

EVA LOKWALENG: (sworn states)

THOMAS MANTHATA: Could you tell us what happened to your family when this nephew of you was killed?

EVA LOKWALENG: Yes, I carry on and tell you what happened.  At the beginning of the year, this boy belonged to the UDF.  The police would arrive at his place.   His mother used to tell me that they were being terrorised, the children could not sleep.  They were roaming around the township.  Then there came a time when the police came to arrest this boy and they sent him to jail.
 Whilst he was in jail, because they were terrorising me regarding him and they used to search my house for him and never explained to me what they were looking for.  I only heard later that they were looking for this boy.  
 Then one day, on a Sunday, whilst I was already asleep, together with the other children, we heard a knock at the
at the door and I then asked who was at the door, they
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answered by saying, it was the police.  And then we went to open the door. 
 When they entered the house it were white policemen,  they asked who Eva was.  I said it was me and they said, wake up, put on your clothes and accompany us.  I asked them, where were you taking me.  They said, don't ask any question.  Just wake up and dress and come together with us.
 I told them that tomorrow I have to go to school, and they said to me no, come with us.  You'll be given a chance to go to school.
 When I left the house  I realised that they had many vans outside and there was also a big Hippo in which I found some of us and I also alighted that Hippo.  And then we made jokes, asking one another, where are we being taken to?   And then they took us to the cells.  I found other people like Mrs Gashe and the other children who are present here and we stayed there at the cells.
 We stayed there for about a month.  When the schools were to open on the following the day, on the 14th they took us and transferred us to Kimberley.  
 We stayed in Kimberley in July, in the middle of July, then I got the message that this boy was killed and he died on the spot.  
 They kept me in the cells from the 11th of June until September.   
 I am finished, sir.

CHAIRPERSON: Did you say people died in jail?   Beebop did he die in jail or did he die in the street?

EVA LOKWALENG: No, he died when he was shot in the street.

CHAIRPERSON: Where did they take him after they shot him?   Did they directly take him to the mortuary or to the MMABATHO HEARING TRC/NORTH WEST
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hospital?

EVA LOKWALENG: I won't say that, because by that time I was in Kimberley.  When he died, I was in Kimberley.  I was in detention and when he was buried I was also not present.   When I came back he was already buried.  Therefore, I have no evidence as to the proceedings at the funeral.

CHAIRPERSON: Why were you detained?

EVA LOKWALENG: Every time the police came to my place they would explain to me that I was conducting UDF meetings at my place and the boy's mother she was one of the members of the Women's League and they would cook the food for the youth and take the food to the prison.   And when she came back from the prison she would come and pay me a short visit.
 I think that is the reason that the police arrested me but they haven't explained to me exactly why the detained me.  When I came back from Kimberley his mother explained to me that you are arrested on behalf of Beebop because they wanted him everyday in your place and they couldn't find him.

CHAIRPERSON: What were you working as then?

EVA LOKWALENG: I was a teacher.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you.

DR RANDERA: Can you perhaps shed more light, sorry... How old was this young man when he died?

EVA LOKWALENG: I wasn't staying with him when he died, he was staying with his mother.  And I'm not sure about his date of birth and how old he was when he died.  But what I can tell you is that he already had a child with his girlfriend, so I would think he was a teenager by then.

DR RANDERA: I know you were not there at the time of your nephew's death but when you came out of prison what did his MMABATHO HEARING TRC/NORTH WEST
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mother say or what did other people say?

EVA LOKWALENG: His mother told me that Beebop is late as you heard, whilst you were in Kimberley.  And she also explained to me that by the time when they used to harass me at my place they were looking for Beebop, they would think that I have sent him away or he was hiding in my house.

DR RANDERA: I'm not trying to make life difficult, but who shot him?  I mean, was he shot in the daytime, at night, in the yard. Who shot him?

EVA LOKWALENG: His mother told me that he was shot by the police.

DR RANDERA: Did she lay a charge and was there an inquest held?

EVA LOKWALENG: I'm not sure whether...  I don't think, and I have never heard her saying that she opened a case.

DR RANDERA: Thank you.

MR MALAN: This happened in Huhudi.

EVA LOKWALENG: Yes, sir.

MR MALAN: Do you know of any other persons who might have observed the shooting.  Is there any other people that we could speak to and get information from.  That maybe their could have been eye witnesses who could have more information?

EVA LOKWALENG: By the time that boy was shot I was not there, and from when I came back from Kimberley I didn't ask any questions because let bygones be bygones.

MR MALAN: Do you still live in Huhudi?

EVA LOKWALENG: Yes.

MR MALAN: This was never discussed with anyone that have more information?  Your only communication was with the boy's mother.  Is that what you are saying?
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EVA LOKWALENG: Yes, I only spoke to his mother.    We were just talking together with the parents.

MR MALAN: Would there be other people in Huhudi still who might have information if we tried to investigate this.

EVA LOKWALENG: I think you can still ask, there are still two brothers and a sister.   May'be they know something.

MR MALAN: May I ask you then that after you stepped down from the table there, to just give the names to one of our staff members so we can approach the brothers and sister and see if they can get more information.  Thank you very much.

EVA LOKWALENG: Thank you very much.

THOMAS MANTHATA: You have worked very hard to talk of Beebop and Daphne's family by coming to tell us about this story.  It wasn't easy for you to come and tell us this story, as things happened while you were jail.  We thank you for doing that and we say we will comfort you and we once more thank you and would like you also, on our behalf, thank Beebop's family.

DR RANDERA: I would just like to, also make an appeal to people in Huhudi following what my colleague, Mr Malan, said, if there are people who were there and present at the time when this young man was shot, I think it would help his aunt a great deal to understand and in some ways close a chapter on that particular person. So if there are people
people, or if you know of people, please, statement takers are present outside and there will be statement takers in Huhudi as well, who can take statements from you.  So I appeal to you again on their behalf.