Human Rights Violation Hearings — Alexandra — 1996-10-29

MS MKHIZE: We greet you, Mam.  You have been waiting for a long time since morning up to this time but we are happy that you have your time.  You are here in front of the Commission, Truth Commission, today.  Before I hand over to the person who will be leading you in your evidence I would like you to stand up to take an oath.

SEKITLA ANNA MOGANO: (s.s.)

MR LEWIN: Mam Mogano we would like to welcome you and thank you for staying on to come and tell us your stories which in fact is a story in two parts about your two sons, one from 1985, one from 1990.  If you could just tell us about what happened to them starting with Silas in 1985 and then your second son in 1990.  Please feel that you can speak in your own time and in your own words.  Thank you.

SEKITLA ANNA MOGANO: My son Silas on the 7th March 1985, it was on a Sunday, he said he was going out.  Since he left at that time he never came back again.  On the Monday we started enquiring about him.  I told people to go and look for him at his friends but he was not there.  Even the friends were asking where Silas was.  That happened until the whole week.  We were surprised that how can he disappear for the whole week.  We went to the police station.  We produced his photo, we told the police that he disappeared and we were looking for some help.  They said we must go to the mortuary of number 4 because there are people who have been killed.
ALEXANDRA HEARING TRC/GAUTENG
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We went to that mortuary but he was not there.  We went to John Vorster Square but he was not there.  We came back home.  We were so confused because we didn't even have a clue but we left his photo at the police station.  We were confused.  After five years, on the 7th March 1990 Matepe, one of my children, he was killed by the white men.  We were in the house, it was during the night, it was on a Friday.  He left, he said he was going to school, he was going to study there.  He was a student in one of the schools in town.  He was in Braamfontein, he was doing standard 10.  When he left it was round about half past 8.  After a few minutes we heard gun fire three times.  His brother Lucas went out to see what was happening.  He said here is Matebe, he is shot.  We went out, my Matebe fell down.  We saw a van, a white man's van driving away.  We asked him what was happening, he said those people shot me. We took Matebe to the house, we were still wondering what to do.  He was still talking.  His brother went out and got a car.  He asked for some help and he told the man that Matebe is shot by the boers.  They took Matebe to the clinic with the car.  When they arrived at the clinic Matebe died on arrival. They came back, they told me that when we arrived at the clinic Matebe was certified dead.  I lost strength, my brother Molepo and Lucas they made funeral arrangements.  I was very sick and weak, I couldn't go to the mortuary, I couldn't do anything because I was very weak at the time.  On a Saturday morning we got the canisters, they took them to the police station, they were in my gate, they were right at the gate at home.  The police asked if we knew the people, we said no we don't know them.  We just saw this car that was driving away, we don't even know who were the people. There was no case
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because we didn't know whom to accuse.  We made arrangements for the funeral.  The most painful thing he left a girl who was three months pregnant.  This girl brought the child to me, I was working for the Council and I used to take this child with me and I had to take the child to the creche, pre-school and now I am not working, I don't know how am I going to support this child.  This is the most painful thing in my life.  What is he going to eat because I am not working now.  I don't have money.

MR LEWIN: Thank you very much, Mama.  If I could ask a few questions just to make the story clearer for us and start with Matepe and the child.  How old is the child now?

SEKITLA ANNA MOGANO: On the 18th September he will be seven years old.

MR LEWIN: And the mother, are you looking after her as well?

SEKITLA ANNA MOGANO: I don't even know his mother.  When I went to check her at her home they said she left with other gentlemen.

MR LEWIN: Then if I could go back to the disappearance of Silas in 1985.  Could you tell us a little bit more about him, how old was he.

SEKITLA ANNA MOGANO: He was born in 1957. He was working.  He was born in 1957.  He had disappeared in 1985.  He was working.

MR LEWIN: You described him in your statement as having been a 1976 comrade.  In 1976.

SEKITLA ANNA MOGANO: Yes, that is correct.

MR LEWIN: And a member of the UDF?

SEKITLA ANNA MOGANO: I am not sure about that.

MR LEWIN: Was he active politically?

SEKITLA ANNA MOGANO: I only know that he was a comrade.
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MR LEWIN: And do you have - have you ever heard anything more about him or have you any idea what happened to him?

SEKITLA ANNA MOGANO: No, I know nothing.  I heard nothing about him.

MR LEWIN: When you went to John Vorster Square, you say in your statement they told you to go to Mandela to find out about him.

SEKITLA ANNA MOGANO: Yes, that is correct.

MR LEWIN: ... with Shell House, whether his name is there amongst missing people?

SEKITLA ANNA MOGANO: I have been to all the places but I couldn't find him.

MR LEWIN: And then going on now to Matepe and 1990.  You say it was a yellow car or was it a yellow police van that you saw driving off?

SEKITLA ANNA MOGANO: Yes, that is correct.

MR LEWIN: So it was a police van was it, or a car?

SEKITLA ANNA MOGANO: All I know it was the white man that used to visit my home.

MR LEWIN: And were these policemen?

SEKITLA ANNA MOGANO: Yes, it was white policemen.

MR LEWIN: And when you spoke to your son after he had been shot he said those men shot me. Is that right?  So he saw who shot him.

SEKITLA ANNA MOGANO: Yes, he told me so.

MR LEWIN: Was he involved politically as well?

SEKITLA ANNA MOGANO: Yes, he was the leader of the comrades.

MR LEWIN: ... the police said that he was misleading the youth and that he had guns.  Did you ever see him with guns?

SEKITLA ANNA MOGANO: No.

MR LEWIN: ... they wanted to attack him.

SEKITLA ANNA MOGANO: They used to come home looking for him, they
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said he is teaching other children to write on the walls.  I asked if they had seen him doing that, they said yes some people told them.  I told them to bring that person to me.  They said they won't do that.  I told them that they must that person who told them that, they must bring that person to me, he must explain to me when he saw him writing on the walls.

MR LEWIN: And after he died you say nothing was done.  Was there a post mortem?  Was there a case?  No case?

SEKITLA ANNA MOGANO: We were unable to open the case because we didn't know those people.  Because even after his death they came to me and asked for him and I asked why were they asking me that question because they told me that they were going to kill him but I was unable to open the case against anybody because I didn't know the people.

MR LEWIN: And could you identify them now?  Would you know who they were?

SEKITLA ANNA MOGANO: I don't know them.  I don't know those people.

MR LEWIN: Thank you very much, Mama.  I will pass you back to the Chairperson.

MS MKHIZE: Thank you, Mam.  We are going to make a follow up.  Did Silas have any friends before his disappearance?

SEKITLA ANNA MOGANO: He used to have some friends on 14th Avenue but on that day of his disappearance we went to his friends and we enquired there but all they said is that they don't know anything.  I don't know today where are those friends.

MS MKHIZE: Did they try to help you maybe by giving you some clues?