Human Rights Violation Hearings — Nelspruit — 1996-09-05

MRS MACHABA: Yes.  My son was the youngest. He left home in the evening on Sunday.  He left for a long time. After a while I heard - then I said I can't see my child, but I heard some gun sounds.  Then he said well, he is busy playing somewhere, and then I stayed with my husband. It was not easy for me to go to sleep. Then I woke up and had to
walk around. Then I realised that the boy is not coming back.  I said to my husband let's go and look for this boy.  My husband said don't worry, he will come back.  I think we stayed there until the cock crows.  
 At round about four o'clock, because our village is so big, I went to my cousin to check whether maybe he slept there.  Only to find that he did not sleep there. Then I went back home and I informed my husband that well, he is nowhere to be found.  Then he said what must I do. I said let's go around.  We went to Naas, because we had already heard a rumour that something had happened.  As we arrived at Naas, we asked another boy and this boy said to us no, go to Komatipoort.  
 We then went to Komatipoort station although we did not have any money.  I had to get money from home before getting to Komatipoort. On our arrival there we went to the police station.  The police said no, go there, they are there where we are keeping the corpse. He was not there, because he was too small.  Then we said to them he is not there.  
 We went back home again. On our arrival at home, before
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we could enter the house, we went past the Mangweni Trust at Mangweni.  It was round about five o'clock they opened the mortuary.  When they opened the mortuary, when I saw him there, I said well, is this my boy?  He still has his clothes on.  The eye was bulging and in other words, when they shot at him, the eye came out.  Then we went back home. That's where I realised in fact that ...

YASMINE SOOKA: Take your time.

MRS MACHABA: We went back home.  In other words, we discovered the boy at the mortuary at Mangweni.  I don't know the person who shot at him.  I only heard that police
shot him, because I did not see him, it was already dark. That is how it happened.
 Now the day came when a funeral was to be held. Then people came to assist us. They took us to a stadium. From there the mass funeral was held there and we went to Block C, that is the village where I stay.  That's all what I saw on my boy.  My boy was so small, he was not as old as all that.  He was actually the last one and I hope that this boy will look after me when I grow old.

YASMINE SOOKA: Thank you, Mamma. Can I just ask you a few questions, please.  Mamma, was your son a member of the comrades?

MRS MACHABA: I am not sure there.  Because he only left home to meet his friends where they normally meet. I am not sure.

YASMINE SOOKA: Were there lots of trouble in the township then, Mamma?

MRS MACHABA: It was quiet, there was nothing. I think that was almost the first day.

YASMINE SOOKA: Mamma, how old was your son at the time that he
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died?

MRS MACHABA: He was only 12 years old.

YASMINE SOOKA: Was he still going to school at the time?

MRS MACHABA: Yes, he was attending school.

YASMINE SOOKA: After this had taken place, did the police ever take a statement from you?

MRS MACHABA: No, they did not bother themselves to come.

YASMINE SOOKA: Was there any charge ever laid against the policeman who shot them?

MRS MACHABA: No, we did not lay any charges.

YASMINE SOOKA: Thank you, Mamma. I am going to ask the other
Commissioners if they want to ask you any questions before I ask the other mother to tell her story.

CHAIRPERSON: We want to thank you, Mamma. Wynand Malan?

MR MALAN: I have no questions, thank you.
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YASMINE SOOKA: Could I ask Mamma Thebela now to stand so she can take the oath, please.

MRS THEBELA: ;  (Duly sworn, states).

YASMINE SOOKA: Thank you, Mamma, you may be seated.  Mamma, will you tell us briefly about your son, please.

MRS THEBELA: In 1986 while we were fast asleep, I heard them singing. They were singing slogans.  Some children outside.  Now my child came out of the house, to join them. As he was going, I heard a gun sound at Naas township. It was round about nine at night. It was not yet dark.  The others were singing then. They were shooting.  Shooting in the air. Then from there a few minutes therafter some came running, and they came knocking at my door. As they were knocking at my door, they said I must come out of the house.  Then I woke up. Then I said to myself what has happened now with my child.  Then they said to me let's go.  I discovered my boy was almost dead.  I cried there, where he lay. After that he said to me no, don't cry, Mamma, I won't die.  I discovered that the bullet went inside the right leg and the other bullets went inside the body, from the back.  From there we took him to the clinic at Mongweni. At our arrival there they transferred him to Shongwa Hospital. At Shongwa Hospital they did not help him.  During that night they had to transfer him to Nongeni Hospital.  On his arrival there there was nothing that could assist him.
 Now I am told that there were six soldiers who were actually guarding him at the hospital.  As they were guarding, surrounding the bed, if they wanted to assist him to remove the bullets, these soldiers refused. If he was asking for water and the soldiers refused that he should be given water.  At the end they were just guarding and 
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surrounding him in the bed.  From there he died.
 When we went there we discovered that he has already passed away.  Then we asked.  Well, they said to us he is dead already.  
 We said we wanted to see his whereabouts. They refused.  Later on we went back again. I think it was almost after a week, we went there. On our arrival there they took us, they told us where he was kept.  They removed the clothes which he had on.  We said to them they had better transfer him from Ngondeni Hospital. They refused.  They said no, he cannot be transferred, because these people are actually prisoners. We had to ask a question;  whom did they kill, why, what's wrong with them, because they have never killed anybody.  These people were just singing and they tried to join them and they were shot at.  They were young in fact at that stage. They only joined their friends.  Then they transferred them to Nelspruit mortuary.  
 Actually it was said that we are not going to get the corpse, because they have done something wrong against the government.  We asked the question; what wrong have they done.  They were refusing that we should have the corpses for the funerals.  Until to a stage where we had to take this matter up with the high authorities.  Then they released them.
 The day came for the funeral.  We went, we had a funeral, a mass funeral.  As we were waiting for them, they brought them.  Then we went to the stadium where the mass funeral was to be held.  Actually on that day it was sort of like a rally.  But to us, who were affected, it was painful.  But people were laughing, some were singing and after that they said well, we can take the corpse for the funeral.
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 At the burial there, nothing was given to us.  There is nothing that we saw.  There was no follow-up. It was just quiet and that was the end of it.

YASMINE SOOKA: Mamma, how old was your son, Mamma, at the time of his death?

MRS THEBELA: He was only 15 years old.

YASMINE SOOKA: Was he still at school?

MRS THEBELA: Yes, he was a scholar.

YASMINE SOOKA: Mamma, I am going to ask the other Commissioners if they want to ask you any questions.

CHAIRPERSON: We want to thank you, Mamma.
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