Human Rights Violation Hearings — Bloemfontein — UNKNOWN

WITNESS: Yes, up to today I don'tknow anything. When we checked the statements we found that the death certificateswere identical, but they told us that they were still going to investigate.The details in the death certificates were similar in all the certificates.

MR LYSTER: (Inaudible) ... they didn't say that he was stabbed.

WITNESS: No,they never said anything. We saw it from the corpse, as well as the clothesthat my son was wearing. They indicated that he had been stabbed quite severaltimes.

MR LYSTER: Where is your husband now?

WITNESS: He is in Kroonstad.

MR LYSTER: Are you still living together?

WITNESS: We are staying together,but we don't talk to each other. He has absolutely no peace with my two childrenbecause they always accuse him of being the cause of the whole fracas.

MR LYSTER: (Inaudible) ... as the Commissioners before have said thatwe know in your statement there are the things you have asked for that the TruthCommission could help you with. Our duty is to take these and pass them to theState President, and make some recommendations, and he is the one who makesthe final decision, and his Cabinet. We are very sorry about your situation.Thank you.

WITNESS: I am always sick. Even yesterday I went to the doctor. I wastaken there by my brother. Even my husband doesn't care about my health. Heis always depressing me even more.

MR LAX: Mrs Xhoso, I've just got one or two questionsthat you might be able to help us to take the matter further. Firstly, how oldwas your son when he died? What was his date of birth if you know that? Youcan't hear me? Can you hear me now?

WITNESS: Yes, I hear you, How old was your son when this happened to him, or what washis date of birth? --- He was born in 1966 in August.

MR LAX: Thank you. Now, do you have any idea of the witnesses who mighthave seen what happened to your son?

WITNESS: Yes, there are people who saw this,especially the one who used to work with him. He saw everything that happened.

MR LAX: (Inaudible)

WITNESS: Yes, we went to him to inquire. We asked himwhether was he prepared to be a witness, and he gave us his addresses and hisidentity documents. He gave us all his particulars.

MR LAX: (Inaudible)

WITNESS: Yes, I don't have them with me here. They arein Kroonstad.

MR LAX: That will help us to follow up the case and maybe have it re-openedagain. Thank you, Chairperson.

MR LAX: Mrs Xhoso, I am very concerned about you and your family. Youdid say that you have to see the doctors and get some medication. What's wrongwith you?

WITNESS: My body is always aching. At times I feel like I am losing mymind. I am so forgetful. If I put something I never know where I put it. I alwaysgive things to my children to put away for me, because if I can put them I neverever remember where I had put them.

MR LAX: (Inaudible) ... you are getting is it helping you?

WITNESS: I amtaking treatment at the hospital, but it doesn't really help. There is anothertreatment that I get from a private doctor. I think that helps me a little bit.

MR LAX: I also want to express to you that we don't want to  forget about your sons, because they are part of the familyand they did lose a brother. How are your sons? Have you noticed anything thatshows that they were badly affected by this?

WITNESS: They have been badly affected.The other one was doing standard nine, but he failed. He was also forgetful,he wasn't concentrating in class. He passed the following year. Even the last-born,he always used to talk about his brother and he would cry. When he was in gaolhe got a baby boy who was Nkosinathi. The second-born was born after he haddied. They are always talking about him. That's why I cannot bear it. It makesme not to forget him also, because whenever they see his photos they alwaysremind me of him.

MR LAX: (Inaudible) ... two children?

WITNESS: Yes, he has two children.

MR LAX: Who is taking care of those children?

WITNESS: I am taking careof these children. My sisters as well as my father help me with his pensionmoney.

MR LAX: We will give you our support as much as we can, but I wouldlike you and your family to get some counselling, because I also think yourhusband was affected.

WITNESS: Yes.

MR LAX: Thank you very much.

MR LAX: Sorry, Mrs Xhoso, just one other question justfor the record. Implied in your story is the fact that your son was a memberof the ANC. What was his actual political affiliation, just so that you canhelp us there please?

WITNESS: It seems as if this other organisation was a youthorganisation, but I am not sure as to the name of the organisation, but it wasa youth organisation.

MR LAX: /MR LYSTER

MR LYSTER: Thank you, Mrs Xhoso, for coming in todayand speaking to us. Again we express our very deep sympathy to you. We havewatched you suffering here as you relive the memory of your child's death. Itmust be particularly hard for you to relive the memories of how he died, particularlyof how he was abused - his body was abused after he had died by police, whoshould have been there to give you support and sympathy.
As Dr Magwaza has said, we believe that you should take theopportunity to get counselling. It's clear that you have been very traumatisedby the death of your child. And we will arrange for you to see somebody in thearea in which you live if you want to spend time talking to somebody about howyou feel. 
And, as Mr Lax has said, we will follow up on the inquest orthe court case to see what became of that, and why the people who were responsiblefor your son's death were not convicted.
Again thank you for coming in to talk to us, and we wish youcourage and strength as you go. Thank you very much.

MR LYSTER: Thank you for coming in today, Mrs Bosch.You've come from Selosesha township in Thaba Nchu, and you have come to talkto us about the death - sorry, about the detention, assault and torture of yourbrother, Raymond Siboto, at the hands of the police.

NOMVUYO BOSCH: Yes, that's true, Sir.

MR LYSTER: Before you give your evidence could you pleasestand and take the oath.

NOMVUYO BOSCH: (Sworn, States)

MR LYSTER: Thank you. Please take a seat. I am goingto ask my colleague, Mr Mdu Dlamini, to help you in giving your evidence today.

MR DLAMINI: Thank you, Mr Chairman. I greet you, Mrs Bosch.How are you?

WITNESS: I am fine, thanks, and how are you, Sir?

MR DLAMINI: (Inaudible) ... opportunity that you have accorded the Commissionto share the experiences that your brother, and yourself as the family, wentthrough. First, before you can tell us what happened, and how it happened, wouldyou firstly tell us about the family, the parents, as well as your brother,and also what we are interested in is that how is he now, and is he in hospitalor at home? So the family background first.

WITNESS: My name is Mrs Bosch. I am theelder sister to Raymond Siboto. There's only the three of us at home. I am theeldest. At the moment the one who is after me is in hospital. He has suffereda stroke. He was staying between Thaba Nchu Sun and Tafes(?). Where he was stayinghe was staying with a little boy. His name was Gufuthi.

MR DLAMINI: The one who has suffered the stroke, are you referring to Bafane?

WITNESS: Yes, I am referring to Bafane.

MR DLAMINI: And you also mentioned in your statement that Bafane has children.Can you tell us more about his own family now? Does he have a wife, and howold are the children, what are they doing, who is looking after them?

WITNESS: Bafanewas married, he had a wife before. He has two children. He has been divorcedby his wife.

MR DLAMINI: (Inaudible) ... the children now, and how old are they? Arethey at school?

WITNESS: The other one is staying with the mother. He is doing gradeA. The other one is staying with my mother. That is Bafane's mother. She isdoing standard four.