NONASONTO MERIAM NAPHAGA (s.s.)
MS SOOKA: Mama, could you share your story with the Commission please.
MRS NAPHAGA: In the year 1986 the boers actually killed my child. At round about five o'clock we were sitting at home. Some boys came telling me that John has been shot dead and yet we heard some gunshot sounds and on the third gunshot killed him. And then we went to the boys who were playing football at Driekoppie and we were told that my son has been shot and I asked myself - I did not know exactly where I am going to find him. When I arrived at the place of scene I found him facing upwards. I went to that particular house, I took him with my hands, I lifted him up and I thought perhaps by lifting him up will say is he feeling sore or pain somewhere and some other boys went to a nearby house at Mr Lobesi's home. They requested a vehicle there and at that time she was actually my sister-in-law. And my brother actually brought them up, those kids. We took the child to the hospital. On our arrival at the hospital we went to the registration place. As we were waiting there a nurse came to us and she said to us where is the mother of the child. And then she said we must move to another room. We went in there and the doctor told us no, this boy is dead. I did also notice that he was already dead as we were sitting behind the bakkie. We went back home and we told
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the relatives that the boy is dead. And then we slept. The following day many people came to give condolences and make prayers and they prayed. As people were busy praying there the boers came in. They came there, they had Hippos I believe because they came from all directions. On their arrival there as we were right inside the house they actually - they throw the tear-gas inside - the house actually has got eight rooms and after breaking the window they went through inside the window and people who were inside ran out and many things were broken. They threw some tear-gas and the beds were broken and everybody was confused. The following day - people actually ran away and some broke even the fence and there was no fence the following day. The following morning, it was on Wednesday, because he died on the 19th May. On Tuesday the people came to give prayers. On Wednesday morning ambulances came because there was someone actually who owned a farm and they informed him that people are being killed there so he summoned the ambulance to come and to ask whether is there nobody who has been injured here. And there was one actually who was beaten and he was taken to the hospital and he died. And by the time when the ambulance arrived there people who were injured, most of them had wounds all over. On Wednesday again the police from Tonga came to fetch us to go and give statements. We did make statements and then they said to us well we will call you. After that then they called us. They called even some witnesses and my brother was there, he was still alive then. We went there. On our arrival there it took a long time and nothing was discussed and then we were told again to go back home, we will be told to come back again and it might happen that we will not be
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called. And they have never called us up till today and then we just remained at home because we realised there is nothing that they can do to assist us.
MS SOOKA: Mama, thank you for sharing your story with us. I just want to ask you a few questions so that we can understand your story better. How old was your son at the time when he was shot?
MRS NAPHAGA: He was 18 years of age.
MS SOOKA: Do you know whether he was a member of any political organisation?
MRS NAPHAGA: He was not a member of any organisation. He was just an ordinary boy like many boys.
MS SOOKA: Do you know why the people shot him?
MRS NAPHAGA: I really don't know because you know these boys were actually playing and I was only informed that oh there is a boy, now he is shot dead.
MS SOOKA: Do you know whether it was soldiers or police who shot him? Did anybody afterwards remember what kind of clothes these people were wearing?
MRS NAPHAGA: Yes. I think there is a person and that boy is even present here who was also present at there. I brought that boy, he is here, I can ask him to come and witness.
MS SOOKA: We will ask him just now just to tell us if he knows who shot your son. Could you also tell us how many other boys got shot in the same incident?
MRS NAPHAGA: Nobody else was shot again.
MS SOOKA: How many other children do you have, Mama?
MRS NAPHAGA: I have got six children. He was the seventh child.
MS SOOKA: Thank you. We will just ask the person who was present there if he could just join you for a few minutes to
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tell us a little bit about what he remembers of the incident.
JAMES MALALA: (s.s.)
MS SOOKA: Mama Maphaga has told us that you were present at the incident. Could you just tell us very briefly what actually happened and who the people were who shot John.
MR MALALA: It was on the 19th May 1996 where myself and the deceased and other friends, we were busy playing football at the ground at Driekoppies Primary School. It was round about past five. It was actually a normal thing for us to go there and play as people who love soccer. Then myself and together with the deceased we were members of the Apostolic Church, we were members there. Even now I am still a member. As we were busy playing there there came a green Landrover. This Landrover came straight to our direction. As it was approaching us it went straight inside the centre of the playground and that Landrover was actually chasing us and we left the ball and we realised that actually they are just after us. They were chasing us. Then we went to the nearby homes because my home is actually next to the school and we went to our houses. The landrover was following us. I went to my brother's house. We jumped the fence of my brother's house. As we were jumping the fence the Landrover stopped. Myself and the deceased we jumped the fence simultaneously. As we were jumping they shot at me and the bullet went past my head and they shot my colleague and we ran. They continue shooting close to five bullets. Up until we were about 500 kilometres away and John the deceased now fell there. It was next to the hut of my grandmother. My grandfather was actually ill. He was sitting outside, he was ill. That bullet went through to
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the hut and my grandmother was inside there and as he heard the gun sound he went outside and he realised that John was lying dead. As we were jumping to the next home this car went past. As it went past the house of John's there was another person who is known as Xolile Simwayo. He was not a police then. We went back to check the whereabouts of John and next to the hut of my grandmother we found him lying facing up and then Xolile went back to inform my mother that John has been shot dead. And then we checked him and then we took him. As we took him we were not aware whether he was dead or not. I took him, Xolile was on the side, at the other side, and my uncle came and Mr Lobese was actually driving a white bakkie Isuzu. Then we requested him to take this deceased friend of ours to the hospital because we don't know what has happened. Now they went to the hospital. On their way back as they came back they told us John has already died. That is where we are actually.
MS SOOKA: Thank you. Could you tell us the people that shot at you from the Landrover, were they army personnel or were they from the police or were they farmers? Have you any idea who these people were?
MR MALALA: It was ex soldier John Schoeman.
MS SOOKA: Did you know him before the incident took place or did you learn about his name later on?
MR MALALA: I happened to know this white person because during school holidays we used to go to his farm to do some temporary work. I used to know him and I know him, he was a very cruel person. He used to trouble us.
MS SOOKA: Why do you think he was chasing this group of boys around, why would he want to shoot you?
MR MALALA: I think the reason behind on that day there was
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a stayaway campaign and they were forcing us why don't we go and work for them because most of the people actually did not go for work, did not report for duty on that day.
MS SOOKA: Were you and John members of any political organisation at the time?
MR MALALA: That really I can't give confirmation because at that time it was at a very initial stage for the liberation movements at that time. We were only seeing a lot of people singing and we could only join them because we liked the way they were singing.
MS SOOKA: Were you working at the time and so on that day you did not go to work?
MR MALALA: Yes, I can say that I felt somehow because I was attending school I used actually to play with them but that day I could not play, I just went to the ground just to see, they asked me to play, I said well I don't want to participate in the play but I can only give you the ball. But that day I could feel somehow that no, my ...
MS SOOKA: Thank you.
CHAIRPERSON: Any further questions?
QUESTION: I want you to give us more clarity about the distance between your grandfather's hut. You said 500 metres or ....
MR MALALA: Actually although I may not be sure because I am not sure of the measurements, I failed maths at school, it is just from that wall to the other wall here in this very room.
QUESTION: I thank you. If I may ask you a question. According to you what must be done in order to help those people who were of your age at that time who actually witnessed the shooting of their colleagues and some of them
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even died? As you have rightly said that you felt very much sorry because of the death of your colleagues. But we are now at the time of reconciliation. Now what can be done in order that you can sort of forgive or be ...
MR MALALA: I will say that it was actually we were not supposed to live this struggle of the people because myself I continued with the liberation movement and I even joined the MK and we have said now that we are in the new South Africa and we are against that some whites were forcing us, together with that you must assist the government so that what has happened in the past should not happen again.
QUESTION: You said you joined as an MK. What can be done that the soldiers should not repeat what has happened before?
MR MALALA: I think what should happen now there should be some reconciliation. People should actually be open enough. If I have got a problem with that particular soldier I could go to him and say well I have got this problem but I should not just shoot him at a distance. That shows some cowardness. I think if that farmer could have come and talked to us nicely that we should go and work in his farm we could have negotiated that but to shoot a person at a distance, it shows some cowardness.
CHAIRPERSON: We want to thank you to you Mother there. What is painful, I think as you were telling your story you said that it was just boys who were playing football there but those people were just shot at. Some people may say well this is just a tale story, it is something that never took place. It is something which is untrue. As we are now in the new South Africa if you think of things that happened in the past people will say this person is just daydreaming. NELSPRUIT HEARING TRC/MPUMALANGA
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Such a thing never happened. But people who are here they told us, they give us their witnesses, the people are saying that people were just shot at random as if they are just wild animals. It is very, very difficult to you Mother more especially. It has been very difficult, you know we don't even have words to show that we really feel the pain with you. We want words that would be an ointment to the wounds that you have sustained but as we have been saying it is very important to note that today you are among people who are your friends, people who are your relatives, people who have listened to your story, people who feel the same pain. People who would say we have listened to your story. This was a terrible thing that happened. But Mother today we want to thank you that you brought us a hero in this world, even if he wasn't prepared to meet his death on that day but he was a sacrifice and today we are reaping the fruits of his work. He has passed away, we are reaping the fruits. We are here today sitting here, we have a president chosen by the people, we have the premier of the province who is our premier. We have the government that belongs to the people. These things were not just achieved easily. It was a heavy price paid to achieve such things. Many people died, like your son. We say to you today we thank you and we hope that we will be in a good position to investigate as to who the perpetrator is. You have given us a few names but we would like to know from the person the reasons why he shot at your son. He should also come forward to seek amnesty. We want to thank you very much.
