CHAIRPERSON: I hand you first to Dr Randera and then Mrs Seroke.
DR RANDERA: Mr Hadebe good afternoon and welcome.
MR HADEBE: Good afternoon also.
DR RANDERA: You are also going to tell us a very sad story about your daughter Patricia Hadebe who was killed and Mrs Joyce Seroke is going to help you.
NOTILE HADEBE: (sworn states)
MS SEROKE: You are here to tell us the story about Patricia your daughter. On the 20th of June you were together with your family going to visit your brother-in-law. We will kindly ask you to share with us the events of that day leading to Patricia's death.
MR HADEBE: It was on a Sunday on the 20th of June 1993. We had planned to visit Zone 8. We left our shack around 12. I think it was about 30 minutes walking on the road when we came across a funeral procession. We crossed the street and we were walking along the left-hand side. The funeral procession was coming on. There were also some cars that had boards written "Peace" and there was a helicopter also hovering around. That was the funeral of the IFP. One of the IFP followers was in the bus, he came through the window of the bus and the gun was pointing at us. It was myself, Patrician, Priscilla, Kumlan, Israel was at the back of the mother. He was two years old at the time. That guy shot three times at us. I was looking at him. There was no HRV/770 way/...
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way to run around. There was a fence along the side. I could not do anything. On the other side there's a funeral procession, cars. Suddenly I just heard a scream and I found that Patricia was already lying down. She was shot. The police came at the scene of the crime. I pointed to that bus and I told them that the second seat from the back seat there was a guy who shot at her. There was nothing that they did. One of the boers asked are you angry? I answered back I said I don't know, I'm just confused, I don't know whether I am angry or not. At that time the ambulance came. There was a driver and the two assistants of the ambulance driver. They rendered some first aid. The police said I should get into the ambulance with Patricia and the other two assistants. I said I am not leaving any member of my family behind, I have to go along with them.
We all went into the ambulance. Patricia was crying throughout, even today I can hear her voice crying, asking what have I done mum? How will I live mum if I cannot walk, because she could feel that she was numb from the waist down the feet because the bullet penetrated into the right-hand hip throughout the left-hand hip. She was quiet suddenly after that until we arrived at the hospital.
When we arrived at the hospital the doctors attended to her, suddenly I was left with Priscilla and Pumelani outside. One man approached us, I don't know wether it was a police or it was a journalist, he came to me direct and asked what happened? And I explained to him, I told him the very same story, that that person who shot at us was in the bus and he shot. He asked me the very same question that that boer asked me, that am I angry? I really wouldn't know if that guy was a journalist or it was a policeman, I told
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him the very same thing I told the boer that I don't know. This was annoying to me because I was just all focus on my child. We left the hospital around 4:30. I said to my wife Betty let's just leave we probably will come across another violence or something.
On Monday morning at 8:30 we left for the hospital. When we got to the gates it was myself and Betty my wife and my brother-in-law and his wife. We were the four of us. The security at the gate said you cannot come in the hospital and I begged them. My child is in there can I please come and she is in a bad condition, and he said only two can come in. It was myself and my brother-in-law who were allowed to come in. Fortunately one lady who was there the other day saw me and asked me to follow her and I asked how was Patricia. I saw her that she was not prepared to tell me, to give any answer to me and I suspected right then that there was something wrong. After a few minutes one lady came in in private clothes. I sort of thought that was a social worker. I wouldn't be too sure, she greeted us and we responded. She said we tried all we could and the doctors tried all they could to save Patricia's life but it was to no avail, she had died.
The other nurse came with Patricia's clothes and she gave us those clothes. We left with my brother-in-law. Now the problem was when I get to my wife what am I going to tell my wife because she was left at the gate, but luckily I said to my brother-in-law let's just tell them that we shall come back at three because she's still in a bad condition. I was not too comfortable about telling her the truth because I could not anticipate her reaction. We truly told them that Patricia was in a bad condition, we have to
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come back around three in the afternoon. We left. When we got back home in my shack I called my neighbour. She came. That was when I explained that Patricia had left us, she has died. People wept. It was heavy. I was also confused not knowing whether I am coming or going. Even today I am still confused.
On Tuesday I went to submit a statement to the police station. I made my statement. After that the police of Houtkop took me to Everton Police station where we got in and they opened a case for me and they gave me the case number. I used to go to the mortuary, to and fro to the mortuary looking for the corpse. On Wednesday the corpse was not there. They told me it was still in the hospital. Then on Thursday I went back to the mortuary again and the corpse was there, and they gave me the number. And they told me that this is the corpse number, that's the number you will use to enter the mortuary.
You know what I have seen that day I will never forget in my life because that mortuary was sort of a wall and there were tables. On top of those tables were those corpses, many corpses just lying on those tables and I had my number trying to locate where my corpse is. Finally I found the corpse. I went back, I told them well I have found the corpse. They said okay now you can go and get your undertaker in preparation of the funeral. I went back to Everton and I went to Zone 7. I approached the mortuary of Nkwenyana, that's where I made the funeral arrangements, and that's where I got the undertaker from. I buried her on the 3rd of July, it was on Saturday.
From that time that act destroyed us, from myself to all the family. Patricia was in standard five in that year. HRV/770 She/...
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She passed. The following year when she was in standard six she failed. She kept failing, she failed three times, even now she is repeating her standard six. I don't know what the problem is with her.
The younger one Israel, he is always sick and he talks, his mind is no longer that of a child. You know he has turned to be an older person. Each time he's sick he tells us that what he is suffering from is leading him to his death and he's going to die exactly like his sister who was killed by the police. According to him it was the police who killed the sister. Even today he is still entertaining the fact that it was the police who killed his sister. Even with the toys he asked for the gun. He refuses any kind of toy except for the gun. He always wants to buy guns. He never forgets, he wants the guns. On this very Sunday, the very past Sunday he was not feeling well in the afternoon, his stomach was unstable when the mother asked what's wrong he said it's the heart. He said my heart is just painful. So all this scares me about this child. Throughout the night his stomach was just unstable, so Monday morning I asked my wife just check on the child. She did, she woke him up and asked how are you feeling? He said I am just fine. She said just tell me what were you suffering from yesterday? Then he said I told you yesterday that I am suffering from the heart attack. He is six years old now. I don't have money to take the children to the psychologist or some treatment of some kind and also find out how affected are they mentally. Even when you try to stop him from doing some other things, the way he looks at you he looks at you so timidly and that shows that he's deeply thinking about something that's bothering him.
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I am asking for the Commission that the case I opened shall go on. I want to know the killer. And I also want to know from the police that as they were in that funeral procession were they there as spectators or were they there to save the situation. Because according to me the perpetrator was supposed to be arrested right away at the scene of the whole thing, but nothing was done. They just said to me go and open a case.
MS SEROKE: Thank you Mr Hadebe. What you have just shared with us is so painful. This funeral you said it was an IFP funeral, how sure and how certain are you that that was an IFP funeral? Were there any signs?
MR HADEBE: Yes, I could recognise their flag and also that bus where the perpetrator was in was packed, it was full, choc-a-block. They were having some shoes that were made out of leather of some kind.
MS SEROKE: That day you were visiting your uncle with your family, did you know that there was going to be a funeral?
MR HADEBE: I did not know actually. I was surprised seeing this funeral procession coming. I didn't know, I was not even made aware that there was going to be a funeral. But when we were going on I realised and I could tell definitely that was an IFP funeral. I said to my family don't be afraid of this funeral because there are policemen around and there's a helicopter hovering around so we are safe. It's all peaceful, we won't be hurt.
MS SEROKE: When you saw that person pointing the gun at you did you perhaps show some kind of a sign that was proving to them that you were looking down upon IFP, or you were just....
MR HADEBE: No there was no sign at all that I, there's
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nothing I did that would have proven me being against that funeral. I was respecting the funeral and I was just walking along peacefully.
MS SEROKE: So that means you were surprised because that funeral was supposed to be held in peace but suddenly the gun was pointed to you from the bus.
MR HADEBE: Not it was actually not the bus which was (...indistinct) that day, because I don't fall asleep so sound at night. At time I try to sleep I dream of funerals. I dream of corpses. I can't sleep at night. At times it will be four in the morning, I wouldn't have slept that evening. I will just wake up and there will not be any sign of being drowsy or to sleep.
MS SEROKE: Do you have any hope that if the police approached that bus that will have caught that perpetrator?
MR HADEBE: Yes easily, they were going to catch the perpetrator easily.
MS SEROKE: Did you explain also, describe the perpetrator to the police?
MR HADEBE: I just said to them that bus, the second seat from the back, that's where the perpetrator is. But they did not take that seriously. They completely ignored that, they simply said to me go and open a case.
MS SEROKE: This is so painful to just realise that some people when they go to funerals they carry guns along. And another bad thing is the damage that occurred to your family from the children up to you and your wife. We as the Truth Commission have already heard, we will try our best to help the children, especially the little boy by the name of Kumbelani, who has completely lost his childhood. Who is always asking for guns. We thank you for coming Mr Hadebe. HRV/770 I/...
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I will pass over to the Chairperson.
CHAIRPERSON: May I just then say Mr Hadebe, in the same words as Mrs Seroke we do appreciate your coming and the pain and the anguish you feel we feel that too. How can any parent not be moved by the story you told us. What Mrs Seroke said that we will take up the circumstances of your family, the psychological support you need we will take that up very urgently. And the other requests which you made for information on that you want to know who the killer was, why the police did not act, we will take that up and hopefully we will come with answers that may help you, help to relieve the pain. Thank you, and as with the other witnesses we really pray that the Lord will bless you and keep you and your family, your children, all of them. Thank you for coming to us. You may step down now.
