Human Rights Violation Hearings — Krugersdorp — 1996-11-11

CHAIRPERSON: Mrs Siko, welcome.  Good morning.  Mrs Siko you have come to tell us about the death of your son, John Siko, John Tamsange Siko.  Before I ask Dr Russel Ally who is going to help you to take over, can I just ask Ms Seroke to help you take the oath.  Thank you.

MS SEROKE: I greet you Mrs Siko.  I would you request you to stand up to take the oath.

M SIKO: (Duly sworn in, states).

CHAIRPERSON: Mr Ally.

RUSSELL ALLY: Good day to you Mama.  Welcome and thank you for coming.  Are you following me clearly enough?  Is the interpretation coming through?

M SIKO: Yes, I can hear.

RUSSELL ALLY: Mama, you have come to speak about your son, John, who was abducted while at a night vigil and later his body was discovered.  I would like you to just take us through your story please, your statement which you have given to us.

M SIKO: My son asked for permission to go to the night vigil of a friend whose mother was dead.  He went there.  In the morning we were told that he was killed.  He was thrown next to Teachers College.  Tamsange was killed by a group of boys (inaudible).  They took him to kill him somewhere else across the road next to the teachers quarters.  They took
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big stones and they put big stones over his body.  The police came and took him.  They took him to the mortuary.  The following week we buried him.  
 The boy who came to take him to the night vigil, the following week he was killed.  We heard that he was also killed.  The one who was giving the police information as to what happened when Tamsange was killed, he was also killed.

RUSSELL ALLY: Is that all you want to tell us Mama or is there anything else you would like to tell us?

M SIKO: There is something else that I would like to say.  Before Tamsange was killed he was involved in an accident with police.  It was on the 31st of May 1990.  One of his friends came to identify him and said he was with him somewhere else.  Maybe it was a crime and then he was arrested.  On the way they were involved in a car accident.  All the police died and even the boy who came to identify him.  He was the only one who survived.  He was admitted in Rhatong Hospital for a month.
 While he was still there at the hospital this group of Gadaffi came to my house.  They said they were looking for Tamsange.  I said Tamsange is not here, he is at the hospital.  He was in a car accident with the police.  They said we want to kill him, we want him.  They came and they vandalised everything in the house.  They were destroying everything in the house.  They went out to my home.  They did the very same thing there.  They destroyed furniture.  The only boy that I could identify was Pitcherman and one girl whose name is Nokutla and Pacamilea and Banama.  I do not know the others.  When they finished they left the house.  I kept quiet.  
 After some time my son was discharged from the 
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hospital.  He was undergoing treatment because he was mentally disturbed and the doctors said there is a drop of blood in his brain.  He was still undergoing treatment.  After three months still he could not come alright.  Towards the third month there was some improvement.  Then my son decided to go to Church until when he was killed.

RUSSELL ALLY: Mama, thank you very much for that.  I am just going to ask you a few questions, if you do not mind, just to try and put some of the pieces together and try to get some understanding of what was actually happening.  I am going to use your statement which you given to us and just ask some questions to try and clarify some of the issues.  So, please if you would just be a little more patient.
 In your statement you say that your son was a member of the ANC.

M SIKO: Yes, that is correct.

RUSSELL ALLY: Could you just speak a little bit about that?  Was he an ordinary member?  Was he in any structures, was an office bearer maybe or was he just an ordinary member of the ANC?

M SIKO: He was a member of the Youth Congress.

RUSSELL ALLY: Now you say that your son was detained because of his political activities and when he was released from detention you say he decided to be less politically active.  Is that correct?

M SIKO: They were arrested in 1986.  He was still a student.  When he was arrested, I do not know what the reason was.  He was identified by one of his friends.  That was in 1990.

RUSSELL ALLY: Thank you Mama.  Now, this is a very important part of your statement and I want you to just think about it KRUGERSDORP HEARING TRC/GAUTENG
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and then maybe just to tell us a little bit more.  
 You say he was released from detention and then later you say he became less politically active.  Then you say that his Comrades decided to carry out their political activities in an undisciplined fashion.  Thus, Tamasange had to quit.  Could you just speak a little bit about that?  You say that the Comrades were being undisciplined.  What do you mean by that?

M SIKO: When he decided to quit the politics they were together, they were in the struggle.  They were undisciplined, they were just fighting amongst themselves.  There were others who were necklacing the others and he decided to quit the struggle because it was no longer their mission.

RUSSELL ALLY: Mama, if you can, if you cannot then we will understand, but if you can, this fighting that was taking place.  Do you know a little about it?  Did you understand some of the reasons maybe?  Did your son speak to you and do you know who the different groups were who were fighting amongst themselves?

M SIKO: I use to hear the people saying it is the Gadaffi groups and the Comrades.

RUSSELL ALLY: Mama, do you know anything, did you then know anything about these groups, the Gadaffi group?  About where they came from or what type of group they were?

M SIKO: I do not know because I was not involved in their activities, but what I know is that they were just fighting amongst themselves.  They were in the struggle together, but at the end they were fighting amongst themselves.  I do not know anything about them.  That is why my son decided to quit.
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RUSSELL ALLY: Mama, did you hear about another group called the Mazimzims?  Does that name mean anything to you?

M SIKO: Yes, I use to hear a lot about that.

RUSSELL ALLY: And your son, as far as you know, was not involved in either the Gadaffi group or the Mazimzim group.

M SIKO: No, all I know is that my son was in the Youth League, but when they were fighting he decided to lay down the tools.  I do not know anything of his involvement in the Mazimzim group.

RUSSELL ALLY: Mama, so you say that your son then decided that he would quit, he would leave politics because of this fighting that was taking place.  You say that because of this decision threats were made against his life and you implicate the Gadaffis' or the group known as the Gadaffi group.  You are saying that they are the group who made the threats.  Is that correct?

M SIKO: Yes, that what he use to tell us.  That this Gadaffi group is threatening him.  That is what he use to tell us.

RUSSELL ALLY: Mama, I am going to ask you something that may be a bit difficult especially in the light of the last witness, Mrs Dodo, who was speaking about what happened to her family.
 In your statement one of the people who you name making the threats, you say from the Gadaffi group, you say Pitcherman of Carletonville.  We heard earlier of a nickname Pitcherman.  Is there any connection?  Is this the same person?  Do you know or do you not know.

M SIKO: Yes, I know that she was referring to the same person.

RUSSELL ALLY: Is the same person, Mama, who you were speaking KRUGERSDORP HEARING TRC/GAUTENG
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about.  Pitcherman?

M SIKO: Yes, that is correct.