Human Rights Violation Hearings — Louis Trichardt — 1997-04-09

CHAIRPERSON: May I have your attention please.  Good morning.  We are ready to start our second hearings in the Northern Province and before we start, we are going to ask Pastor Puluwa of the AME Church to lead us with devotions.  Shall we all rise.
 We welcome all of you, especially the people who have come to testify this morning.  We shall read the names of those people who will be testifying this morning and during the course of the day.
 Tuwani Mudau, Vuwani, Aida Netshakhuma, Vleifontein, Pitso Manamela, Vleifontein, Muzila Phulwana, he also comes from Vleifontein.  Elisa Nthangeni, Vleifontein, Shonisani Nengovhela of Maelula Village, Makhuvha Ndouvhada from Magan,  Frans Mauda of Louis Trichardt, Malite Madiba also from Louis Trichardt, Piet Maswanganyi from Tshikota, Tshibili Siobo also from Louis Trichardt and Maruoini Machete also from Louis Trichardt.
 We welcome you all.  We will call our quests who are here today.  We have heard about Pastor Puluwa, who opened for us with the prayer and Mr Chia from the Child Welfare and Reverent Matize, Reverent Joseph Sicombo and Mr Machakwane and Mr Ramodise from the Department of Education and Father Hogan from the Catholic parish of Njelele and Father Steven, he is also from the Catholic parish of Louis Trichardt.  Yes, I think, so far, those are our visitors.  We welcome you all. 
 I will introduce the panellists who are in front of us on the table.  On my extreme right, Dr Russel Ally who is serving in the Human Rights Violations Committee in the Johannesburg Office of the TRC.  Next to him is Dr Fazel Randera, the Commissioner and the convenor of the TRC Office in Johannesburg.  On my left is Mr Tom Manthata, who serves on the Reparation and Rehabilitation Committee of the Johannesburg Office of the TRC.  I am Joyce Seroke, who also serves on the Human Rights Violations Committee in Johannesburg.
 I am going to ask Dr Russel to explain how we are going to use the interpretation - to explain the channels.  I will repeat that explanation in Tswana, once he is finished giving the explanation.

RUSSELL ALLY: Thank you Chairperson.  The way these channels work, with the black boxes and the head sets, you get simultaneous translation.  And there are four languages.  The first, on channel one will be Afrikaans, when required.  On channel two you will hear English all the time.  On channel three you will hear Venda.  On channel four Northern Sotho or Tsonga.

CHAIRPERSON: I have been asked to repeat that in Tswana.  I will explain this in Tswana again.  People who do not understand English or Afrikaans or Venda, among these four languages, if you are using this small radio equipment, channel one will be Afrikaans and channel two will be English and channel three is Venda and channel four will be either Tsonga or Sepedi.  We request you that if you go out for tea or breaks, please leave this equipment behind.  Do not take them with you.  They must be left on the chairs where you were seated.  If we go outside or where ever we go or whenever we go out, you must just always leave this equipment on your chairs.
 We are going to take more statements from the people of this community.  Our statement taker, Wele, I do not know whether he is here.  He will be busy taking statements in the showrooms behind this hall.  Anybody who would like to give a statement, please go to the showrooms behind the hall.  It is very important for us, now that we are nearing the end of the TRC, to have as many statements as possible.
 We will request people who have got painful stories to go to the showroom at the back of this hall and to give their statements there.  Many people have already given their statements.  Others are surprised, why are they not able to appear here today, on this hearing.  We are not in a position to allow everybody to come forward, who has given us a statement.  Therefore we would like to explain that each and every statement that we have taken is very important.  It is very important.  It does not mean, if you are not appearing today, your statement is less important than those statements of those who will be appearing today.  So please bear with us.  We just had to choose a few of those statements, but all of them have equal importance.   The testimonies we are going to hear today, range from 1964 to 1993.  I will now call upon Pitso Manamela to come forward please.
 Our next, may you find out if Tuwani Mudau has since arrived or Aida Netshakhuma?  They are not here.  Well, we will go and we will continue and ask Muzila Phulwana to come forward.
 Welcome Mr Phulwana.  Can you hear me?

MUZILWA PHULWANA: Yes.

CHAIRPERSON: Will you introduce the person who has accompanied you this morning.

MUZILWA PHULWANA: It is my son's wife, Doris Phulwana.

CHAIRPERSON: We welcome your daughter-in-law and thank her for accompanying you.  I shall ask Dr Randera to take the oath and I will lead the proceedings thereafter.

DR RANDERA: Mr Phulwana, if you will stand for me please.  Just repeat after me.

MUZILWA PHULWANA: (Duly sworn in, states).

DR RANDERA: Thank you.

MS SEROKE: Mr Phulwana, your case is related to the resistance of the Vleifontein community to the incorporation into Venda.  You were arrested in June 1986.  Could you tell us briefly what happened to you at that time.