Human Rights Violation Hearings

KONSATSAMA ELIZEBETH MABONA (s.s.)

COMMISSIONER: Thank you Mrs Mabona. Mrs Mabona, you are also going to talk today about what happened on the 18th March 1960. And the person you are going to talk about is your husband. Professor Piet Meiring is going to be the person who is going to lead the questioning so I am going to hand over to him.

PROFESSOR MEIRING: Mrs Mabona it is my privilege to assist you in telling your story. Before you tell your story about your husband who passed away, that was long ago, 36 years ago, can you just please tell us about himself. How old he was, whether you had a family, whether you already had children the day he died.

MRS KONSATSAMA ELIZABETH MABONA: On the Friday of the 18th March when we woke up in the morning we received letters in our post box. When we looked at those letters we found out that it was written that on the 21st March 1960 we should not go to work. Those letters were telling us that. We never went to work on that day. We got back and we slept. After Saturday and Sunday, on Monday when we woke up we found out that it was bad outside. People were all over in the streets saying no one is going to work, anyone who will go to work will be killed. We went and we were standing by the corner. That is when we saw the police vehicles. There were six cars approaching and there were policemen also.

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When they got there they saw smoke at the corner and realising that they decided to turn. While we were still standing they made another U-turn, the last car to pass us belonged to a policeman, a white policeman who pointed a gun at us and he said you are going to (indistinct) today and then we took different directions. When we arrived at home no one was available at home. We left, we went to the police station and at the police station we sat down, we were singing hymns, you know it was just a jolly atmosphere. Everybody was taking his feelings out. We spent that whole time at the police station until the jets arrived. We didn't mind, the sirens went off and then we just ignored them. Now the people from the PAC approached and when they came that is where they said we should disperse, we should go home and at about dinner time we should come back so that there can be another meeting. Yes, we dispersed. At the time we left the deceased was between the clinic and the police station and they were told to jump off the fence because they would be injured. It then happened that we left. We were now going home. When we arrived at home we spent some few minutes - I was worried, I wanted to know where my husband was but I couldn't get anything and another girl called Agnes came in and we left together with this Agnes and we were going back to the police station. On our arrival I couldn't remain in that situation not knowing what was happening. And I searched for the people I know. I wanted my mother, where she was, and I found her. I went on to search on for my husband and when - I didn't find my husband. And I wanted to go back to the people, which of course I did. I searched all over for the deceased and I couldn't find him. And I met his friend and I asked him

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where the deceased was, because they were together. He said no he is around, please go. Why do you involve yourself in issues involving men. After listening to those words I decided to leave then but when I was at home I had a running stomach and I wanted to urinate. I went to the toilet but there was nothing coming out. I went back. On my way I could feel this heavy burden in my heart. I went back to the people. I was so uncomfortable. Every time I would turn back. When I looked at the police station I saw a saracen parking, this armoured vehicle. A white person was busy working on the saracen. I asked another woman to accompany me but she refused. I said no I will hit the road alone. But I didn't know what to do. We got into our street. As we were walking we heard gunshots. I ran, I opened the door at my house and I opened all the doors until the kitchen door. I came back again. I was confused. I didn't know what was happening. I felt something that was right on my chest and I said to myself where is my husband at this moment. As I was wondering another gentleman came and he said the whites are killing people in a very brutal way. I said to him are you talking about guns. He said yes, they are using guns. You know I was so hysterical and I started crying. I didn't know where to go. Now our neighbour three houses from mine came and the neighbour was coming with another Mr Matsela and the neighbour had been shot and we realised that he had been badly injured and when seeing this I said oh my God now what is happening to my husband. And I was crying, I was hitting myself on the ground. Now the women came, they took me to the house next door, they said be calm, there is nothing wrong happening, your husband will come home. Why do you have to do this.

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Don't you think you are bringing him bad luck. Please be quiet. While we were still sitting another gentleman came and he called another woman. Now the woman he called is now late. The woman went to him and they spoke for a few minutes and they went around the corner but this feeling inside me got worse. I felt that something was just wrong. I cried continually. They tried to console me. They said no come, let's have a cup of tea. And this other woman who had been called by the gentleman said to me come here I want to talk to you and she said to me please don't cry, there is nothing happening. She took me into the house and she let me sit down and another woman came. When I saw the two men getting into their house I realised there was trouble and they said to me your husband is dead, please don't get worried, he is now in town. When we were still talking a car stopped outside. This car took me - it was the car belonging to my brother-in-law. He said can we please go and check the hospital whether he is not there. We drove off with him. That time it had already rained. You know after the first shots a heavy rain fell. Now it had rained and we are now driving off to the police station. When we arrived there they said do you want to die further. We said no, we don't want Africa, we are just here to search for our loved ones. We checked the hospital, my husband was not there. When we saw that he was not there one of the women said it is better if we go to the police station. We then decided to go to the police station. When we arrived there we saw that everybody at the police station, I mean the people that had been taken to the police station were all dead. They said to me please don't have a look, we will look. After that we went back home. While we were still at

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home I was made to sit down. The next day the police arrived, they picked me. They took us to Sharpeville. They were asking us questions. Five times they came to fetch us. They picked us up on the Tuesday, they came again and again and again. And the last time and we were just telling them the same story. And that was the end of it all.

PROFESSOR MEIRING: Mrs Mabona, thank you so much for relating your story to us. May I ask you a few questions just to give more light to the story. The first question is how old was your husband when he died?

MRS KONSATSAMA ELIZABETH MABONA: He was 27 years old.

PROFESSOR MEIRING: Thank you and did you already have children?

MRS KONSATSAMA ELIZABETH MABONA: Yes. We already had children.

PROFESSOR MEIRING: How many children did you have?

MRS KONSATSAMA ELIZABETH MABONA: Two children.

PROFESSOR MEIRING: Two children. And your husband, was he a member of the PAC at that stage?

MRS KONSATSAMA ELIZABETH MABONA: No, sir, he was not a member of the PAC that time.

PROFESSOR MEIRING: Do you think that the police may have thought that he was a member of the PAC, that they looked for him, that there was some misunderstanding?

MRS KONSATSAMA ELIZABETH MABONA: Yes, they thought he was a PAC member.

PROFESSOR MEIRING: Thank you. I read in your written statement that you say that on that day, on the 18th March many people went to the police station because you were tired of the dom pass. You were very tired of the dom pass. Can you tell me a little bit about that. In which way did

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the dom pass disrupt your life? What was so bad about carrying a pass?

MRS KONSATSAMA ELIZABETH MABONA: People hated the dom pass. Because if you were a Lesotho citizen you would be taken back to Lesotho. And you wouldn't just go free. People were disturbed in many a ways by these dom pass.

PROFESSOR MEIRING: Did you have to carry it with you every single day?

MRS KONSATSAMA ELIZABETH MABONA: Yes, sir.

PROFESSOR MEIRING: Thank you for the answer. After your husband died you buried him. May I ask whether there was any compensation, did you receive any money from the government to help you with the burial, with the funeral and also afterwards with your family?

MRS KONSATSAMA ELIZABETH MABONA: No, no compensation of any kind did we get.

PROFESSOR MEIRING: And what happened to you afterwards? How did you cope with your children, being a single mother then?

MRS KONSATSAMA ELIZABETH MABONA: I was working when my husband was alive, I had to put in extra effort to the work that I was doing. Mr Mtembo helped us a lot. We would go to his place every time and get the intestines of a sheep and then we would carry on with life. There was nothing else to do.

PROFESSOR MEIRING: Were the intestines of the sheep to eat? Was that as a meal for you and your family?

MRS KONSATSAMA ELIZABETH MABONA: Yes, he was giving us the intestines so that we can live on, so that we can eat.

PROFESSOR MEIRING: Thank you. Just two more questions. The PAC was very active in Vereeniging area in those times.

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Was it only the PAC or were there other political parties also active?

MRS KONSATSAMA ELIZABETH MABONA: I think it was only the PAC because every time we would only hear PAC, PAC.

PROFESSOR MEIRING: Thank you. Then just a last question. I see in your written statement that you say when the police vehicles came one came driving a cannon. Can you please describe that to us. Did you see a cannon with the police vehicles?

MRS KONSATSAMA ELIZABETH MABONA: It was a saracen, an armoured vehicle. This is the vehicle that was pointing to the people, to the crowd.

PROFESSOR MEIRING: Thank you Mrs Mabona. Sorry to bother you with the different questions. I do think that some of my fellow Commissioners, committee members, would also like to ask a number of questions.

MS JOY SEROKE: Mrs Mabona, you say on your statement PAC said people should not go to work on that day. Did you actually believe in what they were doing? You thought what they were doing was something that was acceptable?

MRS KONSATSAMA ELIZABETH MABONA: No. You see PAC it was the only organisation. I was just taking part as an onlooking, just to have a look at what was happening.

MS JOY SEROKE: Did you believe in this protest?

MRS KONSATSAMA ELIZABETH MABONA: Not at all.

MS JOY SEROKE: You say you were singing hymns at the police station. Now these hymns that you were singing, what kind of hymns were they? And what meaning was contained in the hymns? Were you satisfied?

MRS KONSATSAMA ELIZABETH MABONA: We were singing these hymns as Christians because we were just rejoicing. And we

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didn't know what will follow thereafter. We were just joyous because we thought that same afternoon we would get a message.

MS JOY SEROKE: After a long search for your husband where was he shot?

MRS KONSATSAMA ELIZABETH MABONA: My husband was shot behind the shoulders. Just in the middle.

MS JOY SEROKE: You further said they didn't have any space at the police hostel. Why was there no space?

MRS KONSATSAMA ELIZABETH MABONA: I don't know. Maybe their rooms were full to capacity because many people really died on that day and they couldn't fit in all the rooms.

MS JOY SEROKE: In other words you say many people died.

MRS KONSATSAMA ELIZABETH MABONA: Yes. Now they didn't have enough place to keep them all in.

MS JOY SEROKE: You say the government promised to bury these people. Did it happen?

MRS KONSATSAMA ELIZABETH MABONA: Yes. They said you don't have to worry about buying coffins, we will provide coffins and the cars to transport the corpses to the cemetery.

MS JOY SEROKE: You say the police came to ask you questions, to interrogate you, to even tell you that your husband was a member of the PAC. How were they interrogating you? Were they angry or were they just soft with you?

MRS KONSATSAMA ELIZABETH MABONA: They were very angry when asking such questions. They were asking us whether our husbands are the ones who burnt their passes.

MS JOY SEROKE: You say they said they will give you a consolation prize or they will compensate you for the death of your husband. Did you receive the compensation they

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promised you and if you ever received it how much was it.

MRS KONSATSAMA ELIZABETH MABONA: No, I didn't receive anything. I only received promises and promises. They sent me a letter to confirm that but I never got any compensation.

MS JOY SEROKE: I thank you, madam.

DR RANDERA: Mrs Mabona, I don't want to make things more difficult but I just want some clarification. You said that on the day when people were going to work there were other people saying you can't go to work, if you do you will be killed. Is that what you said? I know it is not in your statement but that is what you said earlier on. Is that what people were telling you or were they just saying you must go to the police station?

MRS KONSATSAMA ELIZABETH MABONA: They said if you go to work, if you don't go to the police station today in the evening you will never spend time in your houses, we are going to burn you. Now we all wanted to take an initiative to go to the police station then.

DR RANDERA: You also said that people hated the dom pass, but you only went to the protest as an onlooker.

MRS KONSATSAMA ELIZABETH MABONA: That is correct, sir.

DR RANDERA: Was your husband a member of the PAC?

MRS KONSATSAMA ELIZABETH MABONA: No, he was not a member of the PAC.

DR RANDERA: I want to just go to the hostel and in your statement you say they told us that the government will bury them. Does that mean that most of the bodies were in fact buried by the government or did you have a special burial for your husband?

MRS KONSATSAMA ELIZABETH MABONA: I don't know about the

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others. The police station - we were just told that the government will assist in the burial of these people. That is the only word we got.

DR RANDERA: Were you given any assistance?

MRS KONSATSAMA ELIZABETH MABONA: Yes, they helped.

DR RANDERA: And at the end of your statement

"They promised us consolation prizes for our late husbands but they didn't do that".

Now I want to ask did you report the death of your husband first of all to the police, was there an inquest held? Was there any investigation at the time and did you get to know about the investigation?

MRS KONSATSAMA ELIZABETH MABONA: We were never called, there was never an inquest about the death of my husband. I was never even called about the consolation. Nothing of that nature took place.

DR RANDERA: Thank you very much.

MISS MKESE: Mrs Mabona, I just want to know from you whether you can assist us. I will take you a little bit back to the funeral. You have said in your statement also here that your husband was buried by the government. Can you just tell us about the day of the funeral, was there a strong police presence, were there people who were speakers, whatever you can remember. That will help us a lot to get clarity of that picture that you have given us.

MRS KONSATSAMA ELIZABETH MABONA: I can't say anything about the funeral. People came in large numbers. And we were taken to Sharpeville veld and then we were asked questions as to what happened that led to the death of my husband but we have never received any threat of any kind on that day. MISS MKESE: One last question from me. There are many HRV/793 women/...

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women whom we have heard who tells us that their beloved ones were killed. I would like you to assist us as a Commission and just give us your opinion as to what needs to be done to help those women to heal.

MRS KONSATSAMA ELIZABETH MABONA: I find it too difficult to raise the children, to send the children to school. You know so many things that will bring their real condolences to a person. They should take place.

COMMISSIONER: We thank you very much, madam. We are very weak but we are trying to bring our condolences to all those who suffered the way you have. I would suggest that the women in our nation should be praised, we should thank God for this precious gift that he has given us, the women like yourself because most of the women suffered a lot and many times when we look men are portrayed heros but when we look deep into our history we have to give women the first preference, we have to refer to them as real heros because they have carried this burden, they have carried their terrible pain and still today you still see them as women. You see them as people who guide their children, who teach them and who raise them. We have to say to women we thank you for the assistance that you have given us to achieve the freedom that we have today. We thank you.