MR MANTHATA: Mr Musekwa, who is with you on your side?
MR MUSEKWA: I am the only one here, the people I was supposed to have brought, are not here.
MR MANTHATA: And this would have been? Who would have been with you?
MR MUSEKWA: I should have brought my sister and also my first born.
MR MANTHATA: I guess they are at work, that is why they couldn't make it?
MR MUSEKWA: Yes.
MR MANTHATA: Could you please just relax first, can you just tell us about yourself. Your activity and who you are right now, what are you doing?
MR MUSEKWA: Right here, I come from (indistinct), there is talk about the fact that the youth are saying this which one elderly lady said (indistinct). The van arrived, when it arrived - the youth said they didn't want a car.
When Ramandela left to (indistinct) office, he said the youth wanted to burn the van and the police had to come back with guns.
The police came back with a motor car. When they went in, the youth, it was just hullabaloo and they ran away. When I wash when it was nine o'clock, eight o'clock it ended there and people were arrested. Some spread and my son came back and he approached my sister and he left with Segada
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Marode to the nearest cafe dealing to (indistinct)
When they came back, there was a policeman waiting right on the yard where he stayed and pointed at him on the side.
He killed him using a gun, just right through the head and my sister went through and wrapped him on her dress and told me that my child was shot. I came out on my vest on sandals and I fell. On the pointed at the van and said it is (indistinct) and they said they wanted to fetch the son to the hospital before he died.
Ramadigela was there, Pathela was there, they asked us as to where we were taking him and we said Elim Hospital and on arriving there, I was shedding tears, I shed tears and he was quite far.
They were treating him. The van arrived and the pointed at him and they asked me as to what standard he was and I said standard nine.
Are you getting that? I pointed at my finger. The nurse arrived, calling me and she said the child had died and said you must search this child, take off the shoes, the watch and when we were in Elim, the one who shot - they were sending him to Vehem, just right at the same time, to Vehem.
The following morning it was still a tough situation when people were sent to jail. The second week people were getting arrested and the cases, we told those people as to why they are not concentrating on my child's death and they are concentrating on the people who are still alive, and they said, no your case is not going to be held here, but the other people, we are going to deal with that.
When the policeman arrived he said when this son died, I was not there. When I arrived at Haramancha, I learnt
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that at Haravilla that somebody had been killed, shot dead.
Another police said okay, fine, if people are saying that (indistinct) and that is where you are going to get these three White people who are going to investigate the very same case.
Those people, those White people are going to investigate, that is where I went there to present the case. After having done that, those three Whites used to transport me because my - I was staying quite far and they said to me your case is - if that case is going to (indistinct), you are going to be called in court.
And it came here in Sebatsa and I came here three times. The fourth day, the very same policeman was standing on the box, and I was on the other side, he had bribed the White man, the lawyer. The lawyer who was White, said to me this son of yours was not killed by this policeman.
I said, okay, how do you say that because you have bribed this man. What have you come here to say then? And they said all right, if you are saying that we are going to arrest you, we are going to detain you and I said yes, do it now.
Send me, detain me. If you do that, I know all the person who sent me, who killed my son is going to account in heaven. Are you listening to that?
I am not through yet, my heart painfully angered and his mother also got sick because of those things. We are not free that way, but there are a lot here that expired since then.
We are not free at all. We are still thinking, we are reliving the past, but the same policeman is still working. But when he shot my son, now he has been promoted, he's got
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stripes and my son is dead, buried and dead.
MR MANTHATA: Is this policeman who killed?
MR MUSEKWA: The policeman that I am talking about is Rovele.
MR MANTHATA: You talked about a situation where a shop was being burnt down and then there was confusion and your son got killed in the process. Was this being done by students at that time or by the youth?
MR MUSEKWA: The students were doing that and where it occurred, the very same Rovele that I talk of, he was boarding on the neighbourhood and it was just next to the road, that's where it happened.
MR MANTHATA: Whose shop was it?
MR MUSEKWA: Are you referring to the burnt shop?
MR MANTHATA: The burnt shop.
MR MUSEKWA: I couldn't get that, can you repeat please?
MR MANTHATA: Whose shop was it, that is the shop that was burnt, to whom did it belong?
MR MUSEKWA: The burnt shop at my place, I don't know exactly, I haven't heard of that, but I was born and bred there, I am now an old man, I don't know of it.
MR MANTHATA: Would you say your wife and or your children could know the owner of the shop that was burnt down?
MR MUSEKWA: Well, maybe those ones - my children might know. Maybe they know. I was at work then, I was working. This is where I used to work - are you able to see me? Spoorweg. Spoorweg, can you see this one?
MR MANTHATA: Thank you. Thank you. So you were able to get the child back for burial, am I correct?
MR MUSEKWA: ; Yes. And even the day he was buried, the other son who is a soldier belonging to Ramashana regime,
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the soldiers came and they were pledging solidarity there, they were called there to go there with guns and I denied that he should not be killed, shot dead.
During the evening at my place, I had to stand up and said look, this people all this people who are here, at a funeral, I don't even want to see anybody making noise because otherwise we are going to see somebody dead here. You must just keep quiet, maintain silence because I think the situation will be volatile.
We realised that somebody might say something different and then again they got a lot of guns. Are you listening to that. We buried our kid and that was quite well.
Then we settle at home. At (indistinct) we went to court four times, four times, they were just lingering, just beating around the bush, beating around the bush.
The very same court that I'm talking of, around which is here at Sebatsa number 1 court, just facing the other side, number 1, went three times. The fourth time this boy called Marobene Sqatiqa, with whom my son was, I don't know whether he was bribed or whatever, this is where this lawyer was found, and he could not appear and we searched all over, we couldn't get him. Are you listening to that?
MR MANTHATA: Who was the White lawyer? What is the name of the White lawyer?
MR MUSEKWA: This lawyer that I am referring to, this White man is in, there were three. The White people were three, they were trying to stop this case, all the cases as you are doing now. They were trying to defend big boy's case.
These are the people who revealed big boy's case, who was alleged to have killed somebody and then they buried
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him.
This White people said to me, they said this case that belongs to our son, we are going to consider it and send (indistinct). If we go there and it passed, you are going to go to the office, then it passed. I was then receiving a paper that I was called and tell no police.
MR MANTHATA: Yes, that is quite a painful thing. I can see that every time you refer to it, you know, it hurts you more. Was there ever an inquest conducted in this case?
MR MUSEKWA: Yes, this - there was an inquest but because this son was killed by the police, I went to (indistinct). I found (indistinct), the one who is the leader of the police and I told them, about this police and you must give me the van and the police and you must take me to Sebatsa, because I've got no money to pay for the transport.
Then they gave me a (indistinct) to accompany me to Tando.
MR MANTHATA: Perhaps what I can do would be to request you if you have anything or documentation, be it at home or with you here, that you leave them with us. Perhaps our investigating team can look into the matter, because it seems the matter that is so confused and yet it is so painful. I will stop there and leave it over to the Chairperson for further questions.
MR LYSTER: Mr Musekwa, can you ...
MR MUSEKWA: I do not have those papers. And I think the papers are here in the Magistrate's court here in Sebatsa and (indistinct) and I think they cannot destroy the file, those police.
MR LYSTER: Mr Musekwa, can you just go back to the beginning of your statement. Do you know why your son and
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the other young boys, why had they gathered at the Chief's place, Rovele? Why were they there, do you know anything about that?
MR MUSEKWA: Oh, those boys are saying that a certain boy was working during the night and when somewhere seeing that he is going to teach himself mathematics.
In arriving there the old lady took him and he never returned back at home. And he disappeared, because you know how the Venda's work. I think you know how the Venda work.
When he disappeared, a certain boy came back and said that I am coming here to take your son so that we can go to school and he was sent to the hut, and they found that the blankets were there, laying there, seeming that no one slept there.
And then he went back to the grandmother and the mother said no, maybe he might have visited a relative. But the next week, they went to the Sangoma's and the Sangoma's told them that the son is there, he is still alive, they have not yet cut his tongue and God will help him, he will be back.
And after five weeks, that boy came back, unable to speak, he was unable to speak. Making mention of Rovengo, in that time, those boys went to that grandmother and then they took that grandmother to the Chief's place.
In arriving there at the Chief's place and they told the Chief that we are here to show you that the one who's practising witchcraft is this one.
And the police van came with Mr Ramidagana and he was alone. Ramidagana when he arrived, the boys said no, we don't want the van.
Then the van were sent back and then it was said that the boys are intending to burn to van and then the police
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were told to take their guns and go to the Chief's place.
And somewhere arrested it, somewhere in (indistinct). Some people are used to that, it is that year in which people were used to be burnt. Being alleged of witchcraft.
After that, I've got a watch here, this watch is very old. I think even here no one is in possession of this watch, it is an old one. It is an old one, I don't think there is any one with it here. Now, It is then that - is there were the fight started and my son was shot and he was shot while the strike was over and he was shot after coming from the shop to buy a white sweet.
And that sweet was found in hospital after he was dead. There is another paper which is coming from the hospital. If those people of the past, if they - we can take them, I think they will issue that paper.
MR LYSTER: How old was your son Enos Canghana when he died?
MR MUSEKWA: When he died, in fact, I've forgotten the years, but I can bring them, I think his mother maybe, his mother is still in possession of his ID, but I don't know at this stage.
When I went to the police, his mother is against that and his mother does not want police and she does not want me to - she does not want to see police because of this incident.
MR ALLY: If you could just tell us very briefly about political view or activities of your son when he and the group went to the place of that Chief. Was he involved in any politics or are you aware of anything?
MR MUSEKWA: No, I don't know that. He was not involved in that, but they have just gathered and they were not
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practising politics, they were, they have called the witch and took her to the Chief's place and they never hurt her, they just took her to the Headmen.
And this is where all these things started. He was not shot while there was that confusion when there were people running up and down, he was shot when the - all these incidents were over and he was shot by the certain policeman who was boarding next to us there and that policeman then was standing next to the yard and he shot him through the head.
That policeman, he went to Beaba police station, this policeman. And even that policeman who shot my son, I've got nothing wrong with him, I just let him live. Maybe he is thinking that I am happy because he took my son's life.
MR ALLY: Think about - in your statement you indicated that he was somewhere related to this person who was accused of being a witch. Can you just explain to us the connection, how they were related?
MR MUSEKWA: That police, when entering (indistinct) he hired the place to, where this lady was staying and he used to boarder there, but he was boarding there not knowing that those people are practising witchcraft.
That lady was working somewhere which is called Ndondoro and it is said that she ran away from our places, because of witchcraft and she is now residing here at Hadtsivhasa.
MR ALLY: We thank you Mr Musekwa, for coming forward and relating your story to us. There are obviously many things in what you have said which as Mr Tom Manthata has said, will have to be looked into. Particularly the question of this policeman who was identified and you say the court case VENDA HEARING TRC/NORTH WEST
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was a complete farce, that the court case wasn't conducted properly.
And we will certainly see what we can find out in connection with your son's death and the circumstances. Thank you very much for coming to speak to us.
MR MUSEKWA: Well, even if my children did not arrive here because they have got problems, I am coming here, and I've decided to come to this Commission because I want to see you.
Can you compensate with me because that man have killed my son but he is still alive and working?
MR ALLY: Just to explain to you sir, that what will happen is that we as a Commission, we are not in a position to make any compensation. What we do do is we report and make recommendations to the President and we report back to him on what people have been saying and it is the President and for Parliament and I see that one of the members of our national Parliament who is also going to be testifying tomorrow, being Farasane has come in.
And it is to the President who then to Parliament will take whatever recommendations come from the Commission.
But the Truth Commission as a body does not, is not able to compensate, but what we will certainly report and relay your story and your request. Once again, thank you very much.
