CHAIRPERSON: Ms Maloma we are very glad to welcome you. We thank you very much for coming. You are going to tell us about what happened to you yourself and before I ask Miss Mkhize to take over I am going to ask Jasmin Sooka to help you to take the oath.
SIBONGILE MALOMA: (sworn states)
MS SOOKA: I believe that your father is also going to give his version so if I could ask you to stand please so that I could ask you to take the oath.
FATHER TAKES OATH - no name is mentioned
MS MKHIZE: I greet you. I will start with you Sibongile. I want you to briefly tell us about your background. You were still at school and to make your fate, tell us what kind of life were you leading before?
MS MALOMA: We were in the classrooms learning. As we were learning a group of boys from Stililese(?) Country School came, the were coming from the other direction. The school principal saw the boys and he ran to his office to call the police, and when he came out of his office he went to all the classes, he said we should get out of classes, we should go home because the boys are now around the school to strike. And we took different directions to go home. And when I approached the corner I saw a Hippo and a gun was pointed at me and they shot me with this pellet gun and I was unconscious.
MS MKHIZE: I need to help you so that you can give us your NELSPRUIT HEARING TRC/MPUMALANGA
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facts in order. You said you were just sitting in the class and the school principal said to you you should disperse to go home, now this police that you have just indicated that he had a gun in his hand, did he say anything to you, did he give a warning or he just shot at you?
MS MALOMA: We were just at the corner - the police that the principal had called already arrived, but while we were at the corner we met this policeman and he shot me with his pellets on the face and I fell unconscious.
MS MKHIZE: Did you have any position in school at that time? Or were you involved in a political organisation?
MS MALOMA: No, I was far from those things.
MS MKHIZE: I will request your father to briefly tell us his statement so that we can ask him a few questions.
MR MALOMA: I am the father of this child. I am Petros Maloma from the Nyamazane District or village. I heard while I was at work that my daughter had been shot. I took my wife, that is her mother, and then we went to the hospital to check as to what happened to her and truly she was shot. We left the hospital and went back home. When I arrived at home I stayed a short while and went straight to the police station and I wanted to see the station commander himself, and I was taken to him. I was talking to him, telling him that my daughter has been shot, can he please furnish me with the reasons why she was shot. The station commander couldn't give me an answer. I asked him again. If they shot her on the face what did they use to shoot my daughter? The station commander said, pellets. I asked him what are these pellets, are they iron or rubber? The station commander said they are iron. I said what if my daughter is not going to see again? He said no we don't
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know, we will see when things turn out that way. That was the station commander's words. Today my daughter doesn't see. She has lost everything, her future as well. Till when is she going to suffer this way? Now the thing that is in my heart I will request the Truth Commission and the Government of the day I want help with regards to my child. She should be cared for. What kind of help can she be offered in this life? And the people who shot at her should come forward and they should tell us the reasons why they shot at my daughter and maybe I will have peace. I will stop there. Thank you.
MS MKHIZE: I thank you Mr Maloma. I am going to ask you a few questions so that you can clarify a few things. You said you went to the station commander were charges laid with regard to the shooting of your daughter?
MR MALOMA: Yes, I went to lay charges, but I didn't go to the police, I went to the attorneys and that's where I gave my statement and laid charges against the police. The attorney handled our case and it was completed, that was in the previous government. A compensation was given out and the case was finished.
MS MKHIZE: In your statement here you say you received
R25 000, now was the compensation enough or do you feel you need more?
MR MALOMA: That was not enough at all because this is a human being, she is alive. You know if she was dead I would only need money to buy myself a cool drink to cool off, but now this person is alive. I see her every day of my life. I can't say I want money, I just want the government to take care of her. I need the government to help her with her life.
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MS MKHIZE: I thank you Sir. Sibongile, before I give other Commissioners a chance to ask questions I want to ask you two things. You are blind and you were not born that way, how was your life affected? How do you live now? Do you still have the future plans you had before?
MS MALOMA: This really disturbed me. I was really looking forward to finishing my matric but I can't see now and I cannot go forward with what I wanted to achieve. I am blind.
MS MKHIZE: I just want to know what do you do. At first you used to go to school but now after being released from the hospital what kind of life did you live?
MS MALOMA: I am still staying at home.
MS MKHIZE: What is it that you wish to do? Is there anything that you'd like to do maybe? I will repeat my question. What is it that you wish to do because you do not see now? Tell them what it is that you want to achieve in this life.
MS MALOMA: I wanted to complete my matric and I wanted to carry on with further education.
MS MKHIZE: Is there a specific career you want to follow? When you grow up you want to become a teacher, you want to become a nurse, now what do you want to be in future? Sibongile what is it that you want to be.
MS MALOMA: I can hear her question but I do not understand exactly what she wants to say. I want to work.
DR BORAINE: What we would like to ask you is what kind of work would you like to do and what kind of training would you need for that work?
MS MALOMA: I would like to pursue a typing course.
MS MKHIZE: We thank you. Sibongile the other thing that
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I want to ask you, we heard since yesterday of young people like you who met terrible things in their lives, now what is it that we can do to revive the youth? Don't just concentrate on yourself, but concentrate on the other youth who got injured or who got maybe disturbed in the past. Sibongile did you get my question?
MS MALOMA: Yes I heard your question, but not clearly.
MS MKHIZE: Can you hear me clearly now?
MS MALOMA: Yes.
MS MKHIZE: Now I have a question. Many young people like you were injured in the struggle, but now don't concentrate on yourself only, concentrate on the others as well, what can be done to revive the youth so that there can be reconciliation, so that you can live happily again?
DR BORAINE: Sibongile you don't have to answer the question. Please just feel very relaxed. We know it's not easy. We may come back to that in a moment. Just relax and we'll go on with some other questions. Mr Lewin - sorry did you want to say something Sibongile?
MS MALOMA: I want to go to school Sir.
MS MKHIZE: We thank you very much.
DR BORAINE: Thank you. Mr Lewin?
MR LEWIN: Sibongile if I could just ask and take you back to the time when you were shot you said in your original statement that you actually recognised one of the policemen?
MS MALOMA: Yes that's correct.
MR LEWIN: Had you seen him before?
MS MALOMA: Yes I've seen him before.
MR LEWIN: Do you think you gave him any reason for shooting you?
MS MALOMA: There was no reason.
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MR LEWIN: Thank you.
DR BORAINE: Sibongile we have listened very carefully, one of the tragedies that we have listened to in many parts of the country is the number of people who were shot in the face. We don't understand it. We don't know why this happened, but many, many people have come to us and have lost either the sight of one eye or both eyes, and people have been plunged into darkness, sometimes at a very young age. You were only 15 when this happened to you. You are still a young person. I think we would like to encourage you to find a new meaning in life in terms of work, you mentioned you want to continue your schooling, you mentioned that you would like to learn to type, we will make enquiries and we will be in touch with yourself or with your father to see how we can help to make some opportunities for training to take on new life that even in the darkness there can be some light. Thank you very, very much for coming and we are going to be in touch with you as soon as we can be. Thank you very much.
