Human Rights Violation Hearings — Messina — 1997-04-08

THOMAS MANTHATA: Thank you.  I'd like to conclude by saying that, the pain which you went through as an Advisory Board caused and made the youth to realise that the Advisory Board was useless to them and that's how they came to, to decide to go to exile and train as soldiers.  What we are saying to you is that your work of trying to bring together families and the community to talk issued out was helpful but was not solving the main issues.  Wait a minute.  That's why we are saying that you worked hard during those times and it really hurts us to know that they evicted you with your three year old child and we really feel pain to, to hear all that you tried to explain to us.  Let me conclude by saying that.  Thank you.

DR RANDERA: Mr Thelele, thank you very much for patiently waiting.  I want to echo what Tom Manthata has said and it's clear that after so many years that the pain that you experienced at that time is still with you.  I hope by you coming here to-day and talking about experiences during the 1970's, it has helped in some way.  We thank you again for coming and we wish you all the best.  Thank you very much.
 Ladies and Gentlemen that brings us to the end of these hearings but before you leave I just want to make a few points.  You, as I said right at the beginning, we received a number of statements and we chose those statements that you have heard to-day but clearly the statements that we've heard to-day do not reflect everything that has happened.  I'm sure that if I was to walk and talk amongst you to-day, there would be many of you who would say, why did you choose this statement,  and not that statement?  First of all, we can only go by what we have and at the same time we are aware that that is not the complete picture.  This area for example, besides a pass, a passing reference to the, to the SADF and the SAP involvement, we've heard very little of cross-border raids for example.  We've heard something about how young people were passing through Messina but at the same time we have not  heard enough of how the community actually dealt with that situation.  Hundreds of people must have gone through Messina and hundreds came back through Messina but we haven't really heard from you as individuals and as members of the community, the role that you played in assisting people.  
 We heard earlier on and I said earlier on about land mines and, and the deaths that took place from those land mines but again nobody has come forward to make a statement.  We heard one statement in Pietersberg but that's all we've heard.  I'm told to-day by some of the people from the media that there was a land mine explosion yesterday.  Several people have been very seriously injured.  Now again I'm sure that you're aware that there's been an international movement to ban land mines.  We, from the, from the example of yesterday, we certainly may have many more land mines still in existence in, still present in this area and perhaps we need to make the authorities aware and I'm sure yesterday's incident and the injuries of those people will make them aware that the, these mines still exist.  But we need for people to come forward and talk about these.  I said earlier on that we have informed all the people, the alleged perpetrators mentioned but clearly there were attacks on councillors in this area.  There were attacks on police officers in this area.  We haven't heard any stories from them.  The deadline for amnesty application once again is just around the corner.  As you know, the original deadline was the fourteenth of December 1996.  We asked for a, for an extension of that period and the President agreed to it, extended the period to the fourteenth, to the tenth of May of this year.  Now  the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission is based on trying to gather all this information and it gives the opportunity to all of us who were, who either suffered human rights violations or were perpetrators to come forward, to tell their story and to contribute towards our new democracy.  So I want to appeal once again to all of you who have been here listening very patiently to go back into your communities, speak to your friends, encourage them to make statements.  The designated statement takers I was talking about earlier on, will be taking statements at the Parliamentary Constituency Office.  I'm sure all of you know better than I do where that is.  I understand it's behind the Chicken Licken here in town and for all, for those who want to know, the num,  the phone number there is 01553-3520.  
 The last point I want to make is, in the last week the Reparations Committee and Mr Manthata is part of that Committee, had a conference in Johannesburg and some of you may have heard on the radio or read in the newspaper that a Draft Reparation Policy has been put forward.  They're working  on the final touches to that Policy.  I know that question has not been raised from the people who have come forward to tell their stories to-day but our feedback from our statement takers is that that is something that many people ask., wanting to know, what is this Reparation Policy going to be?  It is our, our, our plan to come back to report on this, on this hearing as well as other issues and I hope that when we come back to, to, to the community, we will spend a great deal of time talking about this Reparation Policy.  
 I thank you again and I want to es, especially thank all those people who have come and  told their stories to-day and thank you for giving us the opportunity for being here with you to-day.  I want to also thank the, the Council of Messina for giving us this hall and, and all the other assistance that the Council has given us as well as the North West Government.  So, thank you very much and I wish you well on your journey home.   Sorry, Mr Manthata tells me that this follow- up meeting that I was talking about will be on the third of May in Pietersberg.  We will, through the structures that we've been working with in this area send that message through your, through to you again.  Can I please ask the Priest from the Catholic Church to come forward.  Is that Mr Flemming, to say a prayer?
Hearing closes with a Hymn and a Prayer.

DR RANDERA: Thank you, Father Flemming.  Sorry, before you leave, please, please, please leave these boxes behind.  It's of no use to anybody outside this hall.  Thank you.