PROF MEIRING: Mrs Welhemina Nkete Mangwele, I invite her to come to the podium.
Mrs Mangwele, are you comfortable, can you hear me?
MRS MANGWELE: I can hear you.
PROF MEIRING: May I say a word of very warm welcome to you today. Thank you for coming and for telling us your story today. You have brought somebody with you, sitting on your right-hand side. Please introduce her to us?
MRS MANGWELE: This is my daughter, Ningwe Sithole.
PROF MEIRING: Mrs Sithole, a word of welcome to you too. Now Mrs Mangwele, may I ask you to stand to take the oath before you tell your story.
NKETE WELHEMINA MANGWELE: (Duly sworn, states).
PROF MEIRING: Thank you very much. Please be seated. Mamma Mangwele, Tom Manthata will help you to tell your story to us. I give you over to him.
MR MANTHATA: I want to request you to relax, please feel at home. We welcome you and we welcome your daughter.
Can you briefly tell us who you are, Mrs Mangwele, tell us about your family and how many children do you have.
MRS MANGWELE: I was born in the Mangwele family, I am the daughter to the Mangwele family here in Potchefstroom.
MR MANTHATA: Are you married?
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MRS MANGWELE: My husband passed away a long time ago.
MR MANTHATA: How many children do you have?
MRS MANGWELE: I have four children. Four boys and two girls. The other one is married in the Transkei and the other one is married in Ventersdorp.
MR MANTHATA: Are the boys working or are they still depending on you?
MRS MANGWELE: They are not married as yet, they are depending on me.
MR MANTHATA: Are they schooling?
MRS MANGWELE: No, they are working.
MR MANTHATA: Are you still working? Do you still feel very strong to be able to work?
MRS MANGWELE: I am not working, I am at home. MR MANTHATA: In other words, they are working for you?
MRS MANGWELE: Yes, they are working and I also get a pension.
MR MANTHATA: Just tell us briefly about this day when your house was attacked by White people.
MRS MANGWELE: We were told it was the White people wearing the soldiers' camouflage.
MR MANTHATA: Did you know the political party they belonged to, as they were wearing their uniform?
MRS MANGWELE: I only saw their uniform, they were wearing boots and as I was to be out of my house, they were already present.
MR MANTHATA: What did they do to you?
MRS MANGWELE: They assaulted me and I went unconscious. As I was unconscious they surrounded my house. I don't know how did I get to the hospital, but when I woke up, I was at the hospital and I had three wounds on my head. I regained
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consciousness in the hospital. In the morning I realised I was in hospital and I asked these women who are working at the hospital what happened. They said no, the police van brought you here. The clothes that I was wearing was full of blood. The bed I was lying on, was full of blood. The blood just couldn't stop flowing.
MR MANTHATA: When you regained consciousness at the hospital, what did they say to you about the children that were with you in the house?
MRS MANGWELE: It was myself and two daughters. The other one managed to escape, but the little one couldnt' wake up because she is so fond of sleeping, and she only managed to run underneath the bed. But the bed was fully packed underneath and she forced her way through and they couldn't see her, as they were unpacking everything underneath the bed.
MR MANTHATA: What was the condition of the house? Did they burn it, did they destroy the house?
MRS MANGWELE: They destroyed my furniture, the doors were broken.
MR MANTHATA: Where were the boys?
MRS MANGWELE: The boys were not present, they were scattered as they were working.
MR MANTHATA: And as they were coming to see you at the hospital, did they say anything?
MRS MANGWELE: Are you referring to my boys?
MR MANTHATA: Yes, the boys.
MRS MANGWELE: They came to see me at home, after being discharged from the hospital.
MR MANTHATA: And what did they say about your assault? Didn't they say anything about the police, didn't they talk
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about laying a charge against the people who assaulted you?
MRS MANGWELE: No, they didn't say anything.
MR MANTHATA: What made them to be quiet?
MRS MANGWELE: I will not be in a position to know, because I was injured.
MR MANTHATA: I am saying, were they shocked or did they take it as a common practice?
MRS MANGWELE: I do not know.
MR MANTHATA: You only know that they kept quiet?
MRS MANGWELE: Yes.
MR MANTHATA: Were nearby families also attacked?
MRS MANGWELE: Yes, they were attacked.
MR MANTHATA: And did you come together as families that have been attacked?
MRS MANGWELE: Yes, we came together and the ANC branch at Klerksdorp came to see us.
MR MANTHATA: What did the ANC say?
MRS MANGWELE: They were taking statements and they left. They said they would come back, but up to this day they never came back.
MR MANTHATA: How do you feel now towards the boers who attacked you?
MRS MANGWELE: I do not know what to say.
MR MANTHATA: I am saying do you think there is still that fear that they would attack you any time?
MRS MANGWELE: Because this incident took place in 1991, where we thought that White people would attack Black people any more. We spent sleepless nights because we think, we feel, we are scared they will come and kill us.
MR MANTHATA: What should be done really?
MRS MANGWELE: I do not know what should be done.
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MR MANTHATA: As a group living in that area, living in fear, don't you have ideas, maybe that would help you overcome this problem?
MRS MANGWELE: I think prayer is the solution, we should just pray, we should say God help us!
MR MANTHATA: With regard to the damage to your property, was there an estimation as to how much damage has been caused?
MRS MANGWELE: No, nobody gave us the estimations.
MR MANTHATA: You have been to the hospital. How much did you spend to consult with the doctors?
MRS MANGWELE: I have been to doctors, government doctors.
MR MANTHATA: How do you feel today? Do you feel healthy?
MRS MANGWELE: No, every time when I get my pension I have to make a turn at the doctor.
MR MANTHATA: I thank you. I will stop there.
DR RADERA: Prof Meiring?
PROF MEIRING: Just a short question. I would like to ask about your children. How are they after the attack, do they still suffer emotionally, do you have problems with the children or are they at peace after the attack?
MRS MANGWELE: They are there, they are staying at their own places. They come rarely at home. They came last month.
PROF MEIRING: Thank you very much.
DR RADERA: Mrs Mangwele, I don't have any questions for you. Except to thank you for coming here today. Before I make my closing remarks, would you like to say anything else?
MRS MANGWELE: There is nothing I want to say further. I want them to pay me for the damage they have done to me.
DR RADERA: Thank you, Mrs Mangwele. Thank you. Can we
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please settle down?
Mrs Mangwele, you know about three or four weeks ago I sat as part of the panel listening to what happened in Boipatong, which is in the Vaal. There people were not as fortunate, many people died on that night, when in that situation, it was a different group of people. They happened to be Black in this situation, although it is not clear, it seems like most people have said, the people happen to have been White. But what seems to have been common, is that these people were not concerned - I mean here you are. You ae not 68 years old. At that time you were 63 years old. This happened about five years ago. But these people were not concerned whether they were attacking children, young people, elderly people. The question has to be asked: what manner of humankind is this, that go into other people's homes, attack them, sometimes kill people, sometimes cripple people, as has been mentioned here. In your case also, your biggest concern, is the damage that was done to your property. One can just hope and pray that these sort of events never take place again in our lifetime, and certainly in our country, and that you can find peace in this new South Africa that we have.
I thank you for coming.
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