Human Rights Violation Hearings — Soweto — 1996-07-26

MARY MAFA: After he had been killed, they killed him on a Saturday, the 24th of May and it was Sunday, and on Monday he didn't arrive at home.  I know every time he would be away he would give me a call, but I got worried.  Then I called my sibling in Alexandra and we went all over to search for him. Nobody came to me to tell me that he died.  We went to different places, searching for him, and I asked young boys where is he.  They would say a Qibasa member was killed there.  And I would say no, my son is not a Qibasa member, he had been to Robben Island, and we would ignore that.  We went to the Azapo offices.  When we arrived at the Azapo offices, his friend was talking to another friend of his, and he said they started stoning Martin, they hit him.  I said to my sibling, let's get out of here, my son is now dead.

MR LEWIN: And you buried him?

MARY MAFA: Yes.

MR LEWIN: And I know now it is very difficult for us to comfort you in this loss.  Could I just ask, do you think the same sort of thing could happen now?

MARY MAFA: I think the law is now strict.  Even if they can
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do it, they know that they will go to jail for many years.

MR LEWIN: Is there the same hatred and passion between different groups?

MARY MAFA: I don't really know, because I am not involved in this whole matter, I don't really know whether is there passion or not.

MR LEWIN: What would you like us as the Commission to do especially?

MARY MAFA: At this moment that child was my only resource.  I don't have a child, I don't have anything, he was the only thing I had.

MR LEWIN: Thank you very much, Mrs Mafa.  I will pass you on to the Chairperson.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you.

MS MKHIZE: Could you please quickly tell us you say you stay at Mofolo Central, but this happened in Chladi. Now how did they know him, that he had been to Robben Island, because Mofolo are far apart from each other.

MARY MAFA: Do you understand the people who are in politics?  On his release he was published in the newspapers.  You will find out that this boy knew Martin exactly where and Martin didn't know him.  Martin didn't know him, but he knew my Martin.

MS MKHIZE: In other words you are telling me that the person who killed him, knew exactly the person he was killing?

MARY MAFA: This person spoke, he said he thinks he is clever because he has been to Robben Island, that is what the said.  It means he knew him.

MARY MAFA: The other thing I would like you to briefly brief us on, he was together with other people. Were they members
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of Azapo?

MARY MAFA: Yes.

MS MKHIZE: Now why didn't they come to you to tell you that they escaped?

MARY MAFA: I have been asking so many questions.  I haven't seen those ladies even today, Joyce Houtkop and Lorato Munaghotla, and the police station is so near. When you are at the place of the incident, you just turn.  He was pulled out of the car and they proceeded to the funeral. They went back to eat and enjoy their meals.  When the other members of Azapo asked where is Martin, because Martin was taken in their presence.  They said no, he is around here, he is eating.  But you know, they saw the incident when he was taken out of the car and at that moment when they pulled him out of the car he had already been assaulted. I suspect these women, that is where my suspicion is.

MS MKHIZE: You say you had been to the Azapo offices.  Didn't you tell the Azapo leadership that you have problems, because he was together with other comrades, but when he was pulled out of the car they proceeded to the funeral and they didn't report this and they didn't tell you anything.

MARY MAFA: They did the same thing, they never came to me.  I was on my own searching for my son.  They never came. I was just on my own and I found him in the mortuary. They came on a Friday, if I am not mistaken.

MS MKHIZE: I want to know, did you speak to any of the leadership of Azapo as what happened, that your son was killed in their hands?

MARY MAFA: No, at the time of Martin's death I was now sitting on the mattress, I couldn't say anything to them. I was now quiet, mourning.  And after the funeral nobody came
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to me. They all left.  I didn't even take initiatives to take to their offices any more.

MS MKHIZE: I thank you.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you, Mamma, for sharing your story with us.  I think one of the hard lessons we are going to have to learn in South Africa, is that if we don't share the same poitical views, it does not mean that we have to be enemies.  So many people's lives have been lost in this country, because even amongst ourselves we have fought with each other. We grieve for you in your loss and we hope that we will be able to assist you, with understanding why all of this happened.  Thank you very much for coming to tell us this story.  Thank you, Mamma.
APPLAUSE
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