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

CHAIRPERSON: I greet you Mrs Malebohang. Before you tell us your story I would like you to stand up and take an oath.

MALEBOHANG SEBINA KHOSI: (sworn states)

MS SEROKE: Mr Tom Mantata will lead you in your evidence.

MALEBOHANG SEBINA KHOSI: Can I please make a request.  I have a problem my daughter was in an accident on Tuesday.  I don't know whether will I be in a position to tell you the whole story.

MS SEROKE: Please raise your voice so that we can all hear you.

MALEBOHANG SEBINA KHOSI: I have a problem.  My daughter was involved in an accident on Tuesday.  I don't know as to whether will I be in a position to give you all the facts.

DR RANDERA: Mrs Khosi I am very sorry to hear that your daughter was involved in a car accident.  Is she in hospital or?

MALEBOHANG SEBINA KHOSI: She passed away.

DR RANDERA: Mrs Khosi our deepest sympathy go out to you.  As a parent I can quite understand how you are feeling today.  I think you have got to guide us yourself.  We have your statement.  We will definitely consider your statement.  If you feel that you would like to be excused we will gladly allow you to be excused from giving a public statement here today.  But your statement will still be considered and we will still listen and read the statement of Tebogo Ramisayo, the person you have come to talk about today.  Would you
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like to be excused Mrs Khosi?

MALEBOHANG SEBINA KHOSI: I don't know Sir.  I will be in a position to speak but I don't think I will be able to tell the whole story.

DR RANDERA: Okay.  Mrs Khosi we are then going to allow you to tell your story, but I would like us all to take note of the death of your daughter and just stand in a moment of silence please.
A MOMENT OF SILENCE IS OBSERVED

DR RANDERA: Thank you very much.  Mr Mantata will you continue?

MR MANTATA: As you have already told us take your time and tell us what happened to your son.

MALEBOHANG SEBINA KHOSI: On the Monday I got a message, it was in the morning.  The message was from Zone 7, and the message was that Tebogo had been killed.  Then we left with my other daughter.  We went to the hospital.  We searched for him in the hospital but we couldn't find him.  We were then told at the hospital to go to the mortuary to search for him there.  And then we left.
 We went to the government mortuary.  I was the first to get in and they said can you identify him among the five people?  And I found him there.  He was among the five dead people.  His cheek didn't have the skin.  When we left for home to prepare for the funeral.  And after the funeral the police came, three in number.  I was still sick at the time.  My daughter that was with me went to see them and they further went on to the court in Vanderbijl Park but it never gave any fruits.

MR MANTATA: Thank you.  How many children have you got Mama, that is those who are still alive?
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MALEBOHANG SEBINA KHOSI: /...
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MALEBOHANG SEBINA KHOSI: Six of them are still alive.  There are now five because the other one has now passed away.

MR MANTATA: And where is the father, that is the husband?

MALEBOHANG SEBINA KHOSI: He passed away long ago.

MR MANTATA: Are the remaining children working Mama?

MALEBOHANG SEBINA KHOSI: They are not working.  The one who used to work has passed away.

MR MANTATA: Back to Tebogo, was he a student at the time when he was shot?

MALEBOHANG SEBINA KHOSI: No Sir.

MR MANTATA: What was he doing?

MALEBOHANG SEBINA KHOSI: He was selling apples, he was a hawker.

MR MANTATA: Have you got an idea of where he was shot?

MALEBOHANG SEBINA KHOSI: I never went to the scene.  His sister and his aunt went to the scene.

MR MANTATA: Was he perhaps in the street selling apples?

MALEBOHANG SEBINA KHOSI: No Sir.

MR MANTATA: Here you talk about the person who killed your son having perhaps left the country, I don't know what it means the perpetrator had fled, did you eventually get to know who the perpetrator is, that is the name?

MALEBOHANG SEBINA KHOSI: I never came to know his name Sir.

MR MANTATA: So I understand you to say that you didn't even know where he had fled to?

MALEBOHANG SEBINA KHOSI: No I don't know.

MR MANTATA: I quite understand the activities of the youth you know away from the knowledge of the parents, the knowledge  and the support of the parents.  No further questions Mama.

PROF MEIRING: Mama I would like to ask you only one question.  You have come to the Truth Commission with the
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story of your son who was killed, what do you think the Truth Commission will be able to do for you?  What is the request in your heart?

MALEBOHANG SEBINA KHOSI: I would request the Commission to assist me because the deceased left a child and I also need help.  I don't know what kind of help can the Commission offer me.

PROF MEIRING: Thank you very much.

DR RANDERA: Mrs Khosi before I ask you to leave I just want to remind people of this incident in which Tebogo died.  This happened at the Erica Tavern in Zone 7 on July the 7th and there were five people killed and 14 injured.  We in fact have the names, unlike other situations we have mentioned we have the names of the people who also died there.  There was Tebogo, there was Kwinamabe Zinka, Charles Ngalo, Shadreck and one other person.  From the information we have Mrs Khosi, and I don't know whether this will help you, and I hope we will be able to share that information with you as well, that a certain Mr Thabo Mofokeng from the Kwamadala Hostel was arrested and charged.  Also charged was a Mr Darky Chonko.  So these two people were charged. I don't know what the outcome was.  We will let you know and I hope that will give you some peace.  You came today to come and talk to us about the loss of one son.  But you have also told us that another very important person in your family died in a car accident on Tuesday.  Our heart goes out to you today Mrs Khosi.  To lose two children in such a short time cannot be easy for any mother.  We thank you for coming here today and we hope you go in peace.  Mr Mantata just wants to say something else.

MR MANTATA: My other question Mama is do you belong to any church?
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MALEBOHANG SEBINA KHOSI: /...
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MALEBOHANG SEBINA KHOSI: Yes Sir.

MR MANTATA: And do you belong to any stokvel's, that is a group of people who are around you when life is hard like it is now?

MALEBOHANG SEBINA KHOSI: No Sir.

MR MANTATA: Otherwise who is with you in the family as we are mourning the death of the daughter?

MALEBOHANG SEBINA KHOSI: My mother.

MR MANTATA: And the people who do come occasionally in the evening?

MALEBOHANG SEBINA KHOSI: My cousins children are visiting me in the evenings.

MR MANTATA: My request is just that please have faith and be supported by those people around you.  Let them give you strength.