Human Rights Violation Hearings — Krugersdorp — 1996-11-11

RUSSELL ALLY: Mama, you are saying that you believe, that in your statement you say the Gadaffis', they vandalised your sons house before his death.  They also left a death threat stating that should they come into contact with him, they would kill him because he was conspiring against them with the police.  This death threat that you speak about, was it a written death threat, Mama, or was this what your son told you?

M SIKO: They told him, this group of Gadaffi told my son that.  They did not write it down.  My son did not have a house.  I was the only one who owned a house because he was still a student.
 When he was discharged from the hospital he went to stay with me.  He was still attending school.  He did not own a house by then.

RUSSELL ALLY: I see, it is your house, because in your statement it says his house, but I am sure that what they meant to say was your house which he was staying in.
 In your statement you say the Gadaffis' are the prime suspects in my sons death.  Is that something that you still standby, Mama, is that what you believe?

M SIKO: Yes, I believe so because they also told me when they came to vandalise my house.  They had guns with them, they had stones, they had all the weapons when they were looking for him while he was still in hospital.

RUSSELL ALLY: And Mama, what happened after your sons death?  Was there ever an investigation, ever a court case?  Did the police follow this up?

M SIKO: There was no follow-up, it ended up at the police KRUGERSDORP HEARING TRC/GAUTENG
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station.  We were not called for the court case.  That was just the end of it.

RUSSELL ALLY: Mama, thank you very much.  I do not have any more questions.  I am going to give you back to the Chairperson.

CHAIRPERSON: Ms Seroke.

MS SEROKE: Mama Siko, by the time the Gadaffis' came to your house to destroy your property, did you report this matter to the police?

M SIKO: What was the reason for that.

MS SEROKE: Were you confused or were you scared to report the matter to the police.

M SIKO: I did not report.

MS SEROKE: Thank you Chairperson.

CHAIRPERSON: Mama Siko, I just want to ask one question.  We have already heard this morning when I asked another young man who was involved and who was arrested and tortured about what was happening in Khutsong.  He said there was war and within this war situation we are now hearing that there was a group called the Gadaffis', another group called the Mazimzims', maybe some other groups as well.  Were you aware of any relationship between these groups and the police?

M SIKO: No, I did not know anything.

CHAIRPERSON: Can I just follow that up, sorry.  How much did your son talk to you about what he was involved in.

M SIKO: He was not that open to me about their activities, but towards the end he told me saying that these boys wanted to kill him for something that he did not do, because all the things that they are accusing him of, he was not involved.  Then he was going to die just like Jesus Christ who was innocent, but killed.
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CHAIRPERSON: You also said your son was mentally disturbed before his death because of some blood in his brain.  Was he receiving medical treatment at the time?

M SIKO: Yes, that was after his treatment and he was improving when he was killed.

CHAIRPERSON: How old was he when he was killed?

M SIKO: I cannot remember, but he was born in 1979.  Excuse me, he was born in 1969 on the 11th of June.  He passed away in 1990.

CHAIRPERSON: Did he have any children?

M SIKO: No, he had no children, he was still attending school.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you Mama Siko.  Is there anything else you want to say before I.

M SIKO: There is nothing more.  It is painful because they killed my son who was going to support me because that happened just after my husband had died.  I just wanted him to go to school so that one day he could help me.

CHAIRPERSON: Sorry Mama, I am just going to ask a few more questions if you will allow me.  Do you have any other children?

M SIKO: Yes, I have other children.

CHAIRPERSON: How many?

M SIKO: It is seven of them.

CHAIRPERSON: We had Mrs Dodo talking just before you.  Do you know her?

M SIKO: Yes, I know her.

CHAIRPERSON: And have you talked about what happened between your families, between you children?

M SIKO: No, we did not.

CHAIRPERSON: Can I just go back to what I said earlier on
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about the war situation in Khutsong.  How are things in Khutsong now?

M SIKO: There is nothing happening at the moment.  The situation is normal.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you Mama.  Mama Siko, thank you very much for coming today and talking about what happened to your son.  It is still a very painful part and it is very difficult for you to talk about that.  I can see that.
 We hope that by the time the work of the Commission is over, we will have been able to answer some of the questions about the death of your son.  We also hope that by people coming together today to talk about, particularly, what happened in the community, the Mazimzims', the Gadaffis', the children who were involved, the young people who were involved in that, that we can start talking to each other, that families who have not talked to each other about these problems all these years, can start talking about those problems.  So that it can help the healing that needs to take place with you and Mama Dodo and other families who were effected.  Thank you very much for coming.  
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