MS BURTON
Good morning Mr Zono - can you hear me well.
MR ZONO
Yes I can hear you.
MS BURTON
Please will you stand to take the oath.
JAMES NTSOKOLO ZONO Duly sworn states
MS BURTON
Thank you very much. Mr Zono you live in New Brighton in Noupoort is that right?
MR ZONO
Yes that’s right.
MS BURTON
You have come to tell us about the death of your brother - Simon Booi Zono.
MR ZONO
Yes that’s correct.
MS BURTON
Please will you tell us what happened on that day in September 1985.
MR ZONO
Nomalanga came to call my brother together with his friends, they were sitting in my sisters house and they went to Nomalanga’s home because Nomalanga told them that Booi was there. And Booi came out of the house and he fired shots and he shot my brother. And he shot the other one.
Yes he was a policeman.
MS BURTON
[indistinct] the people who went to the house, go speak to him.
MR ZONO
Nomalanga called them so that they can chase away Booi because the policeman were not allowed in the location.
MS BURTON
I see thank you - please go on.
MR ZONO
He shot my brother and he covered him with a zinc and he went to the police station - he came back with a van and he took my brother with the van to the mortuary.
And I was working for the Municipality at that time and they told me there that my brother is dead and he told me that I was needed at home - I was called at home. And when I arrived at home there were many people at home and they told me that my brother was shot - he has passed away. They told me my brother has passed away.
MS BURTON
Thank you Mr Zono - do you know if other people were injured at that time?
MR ZONO
Yes there was one but he is not here in the hall - his surname is Kebane he is in Johannesburg now. The bullet was taken out in Bloemfontein from his body. And the police took him to see my brother who has passed away.
MS BURTON
Now there was an inquest into your brother’s death and our investigators were able to get the inquest record - do you know about that?
MR ZONO
No I don’t know anything about that.
MS BURTON
[indistinct] that we can inform you that an inquest was held and Constable Booi Jack did make a statement and explained that he was hiding from a group of young people and then he decided to fire at them and that is how your brother was killed.
But the inquest found that nobody was responsible - that’s what they said at the inquest. And so nobody was ever charged or found responsible for your brother’s death.
Is - do you know where constable Booi Jack is now?
MR ZONO
No I don’t know where he is.
MS BURTON
[indistinct] in Noupoort anymore.
MR ZONO
No he left Noupoort a long time ago.
MS BURTON
[indistinct] the sad lost that you and your family experienced Mr Zone. I am just going to ask my colleagues if they want to ask you any other questions.
ADV POTGIETER
Mr Zono did you brother - later brother leave any children behind?
MR ZONO
No he doesn’t have any children he was still young.
ADV POTGIETER
Would you like to tell us what happened at the funeral were there any restrictions at the funeral.
MR ZONO
There were many policeman monitoring the funeral.
ADV POTGIETER
And they - were they placing any restrictions on the funeral telling you what you should be doing.
MR ZONO
They told us that people were not suppose to be over 50 - people who attended the funeral.
ADV POTGIETER
[indistinct] thank you very much.
MS BURTON
Mr Zono was your brother a leader in any community organisation?
MR ZONO
No he was not a leader.
MS BURTON
He just happened to be with that group of people who went to gather around the house where this constable was hiding.
MR ZONO
Ja he just happened to be there.
MS BURTON
Is there anything else that you would like to say to the Truth Commission.
MR ZONO
No there is nothing else.
MS BURTON
Let me just thank you very much for coming and we once again offer our sympathy to you and to your family for the loss of your brother. Thank you very much.
