CASE NO: CT/00436
VICTIM: CHRISTOPHER MOKHUWANE
VIOLATION: DIED OF HEAD INJURIES
INFLICTED BY THE POLICE ON
SCHOOL PREMISES
TESTIMONY BY: MABU MOKHUWANE
DR BORAINE
Chairperson the following witness who is called to the witness stand is Mabu Mokhuwane - Mabu Mokhuwane. Good afternoon Ms Mokhuwane can you hear. Okay can I just say to the briefers you can leave the light on - no it looks as though it doesn’t work, the light comes on and off so we will have to carry on if we can - so please that’s right - leave that off. Right we just trying to see if we can’t adjust - now is that okay - ja.
Right the miracle has happened the lights are on we can start. Ms Mokhuwane I want to say on behalf of the Commission that we are very grateful to you for coming and being willing to share with us your own story. Before I ask you to tell that story, I have to ask you to stand for the taking of the oath, would you please stand.
MABU MAGDELINE MOKHUWANE Duly sworn states
DR BORAINE
Thank you please be seated and please make yourself comfortable we want you to try and relax as much as you can - that’s better. I am going to ask you a few questions to try and help you tell your own story, but if I interrupt you will just ignore me and tell your own story. It’s a story of the death of your grandson is that correct?
MS MOKHUWANE
Yes.
DR BORAINE
And his name was Christopher Mokhuwane. Please tell us a little bit about your family and about Christopher and then tell us what happened in 1990 when he died.
MS MOKHUWANE
When Christopher died, I was visiting my daughter. I went ther because I was sick. When I was there, Christopher went to school. I knew that he went to school. It was Tuesday in the evening, I was his uncle coming and he told me that, mum, Christopher is in hospital. The teacher came to collect me to go to the hospital but I did not go. In the morning I went to the hospital, I found that my child was not promising and I told myself that God should take him. The way I saw him it was not that he could still live. Oh, God take him. I can’t tell anything further. All the news are with the "comrades", they helped me a lot. Myself being one of them. They buried him for me and never heard anything further from them or any progress as I thankful for the Truth Commission. The commission took the feel which was on me. I am asking the commission to help me with whatever I am going to ask form it. Some days when I am sitting and see school kids, who are his age I ran into the house. He was doing standard nine.
DR BORAINE
Thank you very much, I have a few questions just to help us a little bit, first of all how old was Christopher when he died - can you remember?
MS MOKHUWANE
I can’t remember clearly. I think he was 19 if not 20.
DR BORAINE
Okay - about 19 or 20 thank you very much. Can you also remember perhaps the name of the school he went to.
MS MOKHUWANE
It was Thabane, Thabane School.
DR BORAINE
Thabane School - okay, now you are the grandmother but do you know was their a death certificate issued after he died in hospital?
MS MOKHUWANE
There was no certificate, Sir. When I was at the place where we get our pension, there was a madam who was holding a certificate, however it was not a death certificate. It was only mentioned that he had head injuries in that certificate. They called his uncle to go and signed for his injuries in the head.
DR BORAINE
Okay thank you - now again I have to ask you to try and think back to that awful-awful day when you got the message and you were sick yourself. But can you - did they tell you who took Christopher to hospital after he was injured - who took him there, did the police take him - did the comrades take him - who took him to hospital?
MS MOKHUWANE
He was taken to hospital by the teachers as I have heard. Then they came to collect his uncle to the hospital, and they said that he must go and sign.
DR BORAINE
Okay thank you and tell us a little bit about the funeral were you at the funeral for Christopher?
MS MOKHUWANE
I was attending his funeral. Unfortunately, his witness is no longer here. We don’t know where he is. Myself personally, I think everything is at Thabane school. I cannot fully remember because it is very long, if I can meet his witness, he can tell us the whole story. I am so heartbroken because of my child, he was so young.
DR BORAINE
Of course ja - Ms Mokhuwane this is very painful for you I know but can you remember the name of the boy who was a witness that perhaps we can try and find him.
MS MOKHUWANE
His name is Jerry Tumi, but I did no know his firstname very well, however his surname is Tumi, I am quite sure.
DR BORAINE
And he still lives next-door to you?
MS MOKHUWANE
He still leaves next to me but at this time he is not around. He is the one who picked up Christopher ‘s shoe at Thabane. The people from Thabane should be my witness. I am very geatful for this, I don’t know whether this was going to be known public. I cannot know the police and the pupils cannot know the police because they were also running. I think he was very unfortunate because when they were running, he fell, I do not say something that I know but it is just a hear-say.
DR BORAINE
Okay, thank you what we do know and other people have told us is that there was a police raid on the school that day and they chased the children and used batons and guns and some people were hurt and obviously your grand child was badly hurt and died from his wounds.
We will continue to try and find out what happened and we feel for you very deeply and for your whole family and we hope you will take back with you to all the members of your family the love and the care of the Commission. Is there anything else that you would like the Commission to try and do if it could help in any way?
MS MOKHUWANE
Thank you for that. I do not know what I can say, I will like the commission to build a tombstone in order for remembrance. If the commission which helped me to come and sit here in my elderly age. I am 76 years, I will be very greatful for that
DR BORAINE
We have heard you and we have taken notes and we will certainly make that recommendation. I have no other questions so I am going to hand you back to the Chairperson.
CHAIRPERSON
Thank you - any questions - Denzil Potgieter.
ADV POTGIETER
Thank you Chairperson just one question - was there a case any court case - anything after the death.
MS MOKHUWANE
No, sir. There was nothing.
ADV POTGIETER
Thank you.
CHAIRPERSON
When we hear old people talking like you, we feel very proud. Even if you have been hurt so much, you can still laugh. Even you request, that you can be given that the way in which you can remember Christopher. You said you are very greatful for this Commission for relieving you, the secrets that you were having. This commission, tries to help the people like you, who thinks that they are nothing, and if they are relieved, this commission will be very happy. We will like to thank you very much.
STATEMENT FROM MABU MOKHUWANE
I am very heartbroken because of my small child Christopher Mokhuwane. I was sick and was at my daughter’s house when my first born child came to tell me that Christopher was in hospital. He as badly beaten by the police on the head. He went to hospital on 17th July 1990 and died on 21st July 1990. The comrades helped me bury Christopher. I don’t know what happened at the school.
I want the Truth Commission to help me because this child is my child’s child but he was staying with me. We were like mother and son and my hope was that one day work for me so that I would not suffer as I was suffering.
OBITUARY BY COSAS AND SAYCO - KIMBERLEY BRANCHES
The recent brutal killings our comrades are a manifestation of the last kick of a dying donkey i.e. the apartheid monster but death or not victory is certain. The two who had been murdered are Ivan Segamie, 19 years old and Christopher Mokhuwane [COSAS member[. Comrade Christopher died in hospital after the police stormed into Thabane Senior Secondary School and shot at the students at random using bird shot, rubber bullets and batons. The Thabane incident happened on 17 July 1990 and Comrade Christopher died on 21 July 1990 at the Kimberley Hospital.
SUMMARY
During the 16th and the 17th July 1990 there were several incidents of unrest around Thabane School in Galeshewe. Around 14:15 on 17th July 1990, Riot Squad Police entered the premises of Thabane giving chase to students. During this incident Christopher was injured on his head and he was taken to Kimberley Hospital.
Police claimed that he was hit by a stone thrown at him from outside the school yard. The post-mortem photo’s show bloody stripes on his body as if he was hit by a blunt object. His medical reports stated he had severe head injuries that caused clotting on the brain. He died three days later at hospital.
The Investigating Unit went to the parents in order to get names of witnesses to the incident. They were not able to help us and they were not even able to tell us which school he attended.
The Headmaster of Thabane Mr Harms, was employed at the school when the incident took place. He remembered the incident, but only the damages that were done on the building. He called other teachers that were employed at the school at the time, but none of them was able to recall that a student was injured in the yard. The school records were scrutinised and Christopher had never been a student at that school.
It is recommended that the case must be further investigated to trace the witnesses.
RESEARCH NOTES
Around the 17th of July 1990 Galeshewe township was rocked by student protest and police action. A main reason for the protest was the cutting off of electricity and water.
The Diamond Fields Advertiser of 18th July 1990 reports the following incidents:
Violence ensued particularly on Old Barkly Road in Galeshewe. Three vehicles were stoned on Old Barkly Road, three others were burned at Tlhomelang Secondary School. At Thabane Secondary School singing and chanting students were dispersed with tear gas. Later during the day police used tear gas, baton charged and bird shot, several students were admitted to Kimberley Hospital and Dr M Matlaopane’s surgery - three people were arrested. The newspaper does not mention any deaths resulting from the violence.
On Monday students marched to municipal offices to hand a memorandum to the Town Clerk Mr JJ van Rensburg. They occupied the building for 20 minutes, they were dispersed after the police fired tear gas. Some students burned and partly ransacked the Municipality offices in Phajane and in Vergenoeg were also damaged. On the same day another group gathered at the Bantu Hall and were dispersed with tear gas. Near Phatsimang College of Education police used tear gas and bird shot, apparently after their vehicles were stoned. Several roads in the township were barricaded. One 16-year old youth was arrested, after allegedly injuring a policeman.
Apparently Dr Matlaopane regularly treated victims of violence.
