Human Rights Violation Hearings — Sebokeng — 1996-08-08

DR RANDERA: Thank you for coming today and your uncle too for coming and coming to share this story with us. We have heard what you've said.  You were not there at the time when your brother was shot and that makes it even more difficult because often when we haven't said goodbye properly to anybody, it preys upon our minds and we all feel much more guilty that way.  We hope that by your coming here today it has allowed you that opportunity to talk about your brother and that the Truth Commission will be able to help you in some way. Thank you for coming.  Ms Seroke?

UNKNOWN: Our next witness is Akina Magoda.  Akina Magoda who's going to testify on behalf of Dolly Magoda her daughter who was also shot under similar circumstances.

AKINA MAGODA: (sworn states)

MR MONTATA: Your story happened in April 1993. Can you now tell us what happened to your daughter? Tell us what happened on that fateful day.

AKINA MAGODA: In 1993 when they had gone to watch Chris Hani's night vigil, in 1993 when it was Chris Hani's night vigil, we were all watching the television and we were watching television until late at night.  As we were still watching the television my husband said he wanted to go and sleep early because he was going to work the following morning and I was left watching TV. As I was still watching TV my daughter was busy studying in the bedroom.  My eldest daughter had gone out.  The little children were left and they were sleeping in their respective bedrooms. I was remaining all by myself now in the dining room still watching the television.  Just as Hani was being brought
HRV/823 into/...
7
into the stadium, I heard a loud bang, I heard the guns twice, I heard it for the third time and at that time I ran and switched the TV off. I ran into my daughter's bedroom and I told her to switch off the lights because I could hear gun shots from outside.  I heard it a fourth time and could hear that it was getting closer and closer to the house but there was nothing that I could do.  I switched off the lights and the house was dark.  We ran into the bedroom and we decided to sleep. I did not close my gate because I was awaiting my daughter who had gone out.  Even the kitchen was not locked because I was waiting for my daughter to come back.  We got into the blanket, still in that state of confusion.  We stayed for quite some time in the blanket until such time that I was feeling sleepy.
 In the middle of the night as we were sleeping I heard somebody knocking at the door and when this person was knocking I woke my husband up and told him to go and check who was at the door. When he got to the door he saw Mr  Machobani.  Mr Machobani said, "I just want to get into the house".  This was related to me by my husband. They went outside with Mr Machobani together.  Mr Machobani pointed out that he didn't want to talk to my husband in the house because there was some tragedy outside.  He did not want to scare the children.  They went out together with Mr Machobani.  When they got outside they saw Dolly and Molebatsi who were made to lie down on their stomachs and they were being shot whilst they were lying down and the place was full of blood.  It was a pool of blood surrounding them. Mr Machobani made attempts to wake the neighbourhood, to make them aware that tragedy has struck.  That was my husband and Mr Machobani.  They went to tell the police that HRV/823 people/...
8
people had been shot.  The police came and I just saw a very bright light at the time. I saw it through the window and my neighbour was already there.  Then they told the children not to make any noise, they should keep quiet but in such a situation you cannot tell people to keep quiet.  We sat with the other women, there came a big pick-up. The pick-up had a very big and bright light.  Until such time that they had finished taking the corpses then they went away with the corpses. Towards dawn the corpses were already collected.
They told me that at LTA there was something bad happening.

MR MONTATA: Have you finished or do you still want to continue?

MARTHA HONOKO: Thereafter many people came into the house.  They were coming in and getting out and at this stage the comrades came into my house and they said to my husband they wanted their children to be buried on the very same day and the ceremony should be held at the stadium at Zone 7. My husband agreed with them, my child was buried on the 28th on a Wednesday at the Stadium in Zone 7. Now my child had a little kid, Dolly wanted to go back to school after giving birth to the child. She was also doing parttime over the weekends.  She was working at certain shops in order to maintain her child. She worked up to the moment she died.
 Just May month went by and she's  father started falling sick. He was sick and he couldn't do anything. We took him to different hospitals now.  On the sixth month her father passed away, he was Piet Magoda. I'm now left with Piet Magoda's children and my grandson. I wasn't working.  My husband had been working for me.
 I went to the Commissioner's office to apply for a grant for Dolly's child. They said, "You come so early, a 
HRV/823 person/...
9
person just died yesterday and then you come today to get the money".  Then they didn't want to listen to my requests. I'm requesting money for the child because I know that I'm not at the right age to get pension. I can still survive, but this child. I'm wondering as to what the Truth Commission is saying, because this child is going to grow up and will have to attend school.  Even if the child has uncles and aunts, they won't rear the child up to a certain stage because they have their own children. I am sick.  I'm a sick woman, I cannot do anything.

MR MONTATA: Mrs Magoda, I thank you. Your daughter is she the girlfriend to Mrs Honoko's son who'd just given her evidence?

AKINA MAGODA: Yes.

MR MONTATA: Now as parents, did you know that the children were in love?

AKINA MAGODA: Yes we knew we they were not staying far from our home.

MR MONTATA: Was Dolly involved in any political organisation?

AKINA MAGODA: No she wasn't involved, I personally was a member of the ANC, Dolly was not involved.  No she wasn't involved at all.

MR MONTATA: Mr Machobani who is sitting next to you, is it the person who saw this?

AKINA MAGODA: No the person who came to wake us up, he is the person who got the children lying on their stomachs, shot dead, yes. I couldn't see them at all, I was so confused.  At that stage I was sick. I left my house and I went straight to the doctor.  The person who saw them, who told us the whole story was my husband.
HRV/823

MR MONTATA: /...
10

MR MONTATA: The husband who passed away?

AKINA MAGODA: Yes.

MR MONTATA: The husband who passed away after five months.

AKINA MAGODA: Yes he passed away on the 18th of October and the daughter was dead on the 18th of April.

MR MONTATA: What caused his death? Was he sick or was it because of the pain he suffered at the loss of his daughter?

AKINA MAGODA: Among the children, he loved his children a lot but among them all, Dolly was the favourite. He had a daughter and a girl but Dolly was the top one.

MR MONTATA: I thank you, I will now take everything back to our Chairperson.

CHAIRPERSON: Ms Seroke, thank you.

UNKNOWN: As I was listening, you said something about LTA and you did not complete your talk. Tell us what happened.

AKINA MAGODA: I was told after a few days that what happened at my house took place in LTA as well . Now it is not far from LTA.

UNKNOWN: Did they say how many people died in LTA?

AKINA MAGODA: No they hadn't told us the total number but towards the end of the week they said 19.

UNKNOWN: Was there a child at the home at the time who was studying in the house?

AKINA MAGODA: Yes.

UNKNOWN: Was the child not affected by all this.

AKINA MAGODA: What are you referring to Sir?