Amnesty Hearings — Durban — 1999-11-18

JULIA ARENSI FERRERO: He was friendly, no over friendly to anyone in particular.  He gave assistance where he could give assistance.  He was there if anybody needed him, he was there but he was just a homely person I could say too.

MS REDDY: Did your father keep any guns in the homestead?

JULIA ARENSI FERRERO: Yes he did have guns in the homestead, his guns were guns that have been in the family for generations and generations already.  He had inherited these guns from his parents who had inherited them from their parents and so on and it was guns that were being passed on in the family.  They were mainly heirlooms and antiques.

MS REDDY: Were these guns capable of being utilised?

JULIA ARENSI FERRERO: Not unless they were serviced or maybe altered in any way but in their present form they weren't capable much of doing anything.

MS REDDY: Did your parents have any political affiliations?

JULIA ARENSI FERRERO: None whatsoever, they weren't politically minded and they weren't politically affiliated to anything and furthermore they never got much news because in the valley you couldn't even keep a T.V. because there was no - the current or what could you call it but the waves couldn't reach the valley therefore T.V. never showed in the valley.  They only had their radios for the little bit of news that they did acquire.

MS REDDY: What did your family actually keep on the farm?

JULIA ARENSI FERRERO: They had cattle, they had goats, they had sheep, they had chickens, geese, ducks and they had some pigs and that was about most of the things that they kept on the farm.

MS REDDY: Were there many offences of robbery and such like offences committed in that area round about 1992?

JULIA ARENSI FERRERO: There weren't much offences committed and it was very quiet in the area, there wasn't many people walking around excepting those that really needed help of some sort or the other but there wasn't much activity I can say on the farm.

MS REDDY: Were there any theft of livestock, machinery or otherwise on the farm?

JULIA ARENSI FERRERO: Livestock there had been reports of theft of livestock but that used to occur far from the homestead.  You know if the cattle strayed into the other areas then maybe sometimes you heard but it wasn't prominent feature as such but there were thefts.

MS REDDY: How would you describe your family's financial status?

JULIA ARENSI FERRERO: I would say the family's financial status was alright because my parents never actually got any assistance like in the form of pension or anything, they were self sufficient.

MS REDDY: How far is the Richmond area from your father's farm?

JULIA ARENSI FERRERO: Okay, the nearest is across the river but that's Richmond but the other areas, the real populated areas are far from near the farm, they are a good 30 kilometres to 40 kilometres away.

MS REDDY: Let's just go back to the incident where the first lot of firearms were stolen from your father's homestead.  Do you have direct knowledge on that?

JULIA ARENSI FERRERO: Yes I do.

MS REDDY: Can you please tell this Committee?

JULIA ARENSI FERRERO: On that day my dad, a cousin of mine had arrived, was arriving from Australia after a long time to visit and my dad came into town and picked me up and we were going home because I had been working that day so we went home a little bit late, about 7 o'clock in the evening which was late for us because we never moved around so late and when we got into the home the windows were open in my dad's room and those windows were never opened really because they had been jammed for some years before because the homestead was old and we found the windows open and when my dad checked he found that all the guns, the guns that he had kept in his room were missing and the window was open.

MS REDDY: Do you know how many guns went missing?

JULIA ARENSI FERRERO: There were four of them.

MS REDDY: How many were left thereafter?

JULIA ARENSI FERRERO: There was only one left because it wasn't in the vicinity with these others it was in a different room.

MS REDDY: How many people lived on that particular homestead including employees?

JULIA ARENSI FERRERO: Well it was only my mom and dad that lived in the house and Mtola had his own quarters below the house and then there were leases that had just started and they had employed a couple, a husband and wife that was living in the other house, little room that was below the house.  Those were the only people that were living on the homestead.

MS REDDY: Did you have any security guards on the farm?

JULIA ARENSI FERRERO: No security guards were on the farm.

MS REDDY: Do you wish to tell this Committee anything further?

JULIA ARENSI FERRERO: Yes I would like to say something to the Committee, that today is a very painful day for us and that we are very heartsore as a family to come and sit here and to hear what we've heard today because we as a family have made our peace.  We had accepted that what had taken place was a sheer robbery and a murder that had taken place and we had learnt to accept that and to let it pass by and we were shocked that today we've been called to hear other things that we've heard at this hearing today.

MS REDDY: Is that all Mrs Ferrero?

JULIA ARENSI FERRERO: Yes, that's all I'd like to say.

MS REDDY: That's all Mr Chairperson from Mrs Ferrero.
NO FURTHER QUESTIONS BY MS REDDY

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you ma'am.  Ms Loonat, any questions?

MS LOONAT: Yes Mr Chairperson.
	Madam, you understand that my client has expressed his deep remorse at the loss of your family members and your employee but you do understand that he has explained that there was no mens rea to commit either of these murders and in fact he wasn't party to one, the one that he was party to you understand was an instruction and from somebody who was senior.  This was a political activity.  My instructions are that he had to accept instructions from a comrade and this is how they functioned, you couldn't question, you just obeyed orders and it all happened very quickly.
	Further you understand my client was trained in political warfare, there was a lot of political activity, he honestly was led to believe that there was an involvement by your family members with the IFP.  You do appreciate that if they came to rob they did not steal any of the cattle, livestock which they had been losing when the IFP were fighting them.  When they attacked your father's farm it was purely to obtain firearms which they understood were being supplied to the opposing party.
	My instructions are that they just took what they really needed for their cause and you have confirmed that four guns were missing which only one was left behind.  Today he has made full disclosure to you hoping to come clean and explain to you from their side what had transpired and not to cause you more pain.  I have nothing else to say, thank you.
NO FURTHER QUESTIONS BY MS LOONAT

CHAIRPERSON: Yes.  I don't know if you wish to respond to that, if you do wish then you can respond if you want to.
Yes, is there anything that you want to say in response to that even though it's not necessary?

JULIA ARENSI FERRERO: Yes I like to say there was a lot of cattle that went missing and goats after that incident that went missing. In fact all the goats went missing and the cattle we recovered very few cattle.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you.  Mr Mapoma, have you got any questions?

MR MAPOMA: Thank you Chairperson.
	Ma'am, how old was your father and your mother at the time of the incident?

JULIA ARENSI FERRERO: My mom was 71 and my dad was 75.

MR MAPOMA: I suppose you were not residing where they were residing at the time of their death?