hrvtrans HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS, SUBMISSIONS QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 1997-05-23 BALFOUR 1 ANNA M MOTLOUNG JB3348 https://sabctrc.saha.org.za/hearing.php?id=54942&t=&tab=hearings https://sabctrc.saha.org.za/originals/hrvtrans/balfour/10balmot.htm DR ALLY Could I please call Anna Motloung to come forward. Anna ? Anna, excuse my earlier pronunciation. Is it Motloung, is that how you pronounce your surname ? MRS MOTLOUNG Yes, I am Motloung. DR ALLY MRS MOTLOUNG (sworn states) DR ALLY Thank you very much, Anna. MR LEWIN Mama Motloung, can you hear me through the headphones ? MRS MOTLOUNG Yes, I can hear you, thank you. MR LEWIN As the Chairperson has said, this relates to an incident which took place in June, 1993 and concerns your son. If you could please, just in your own words tell us what happened. Tell us about your son, who he was and how you saw the whole thing. Thank you. MRS MOTLOUNG MR LEWIN Please take your time. MRS MOTLOUNG MR LEWIN Mrs Motloung, could I ask for some explanations. Lindiwe was in the room with Mendi, was she ? MRS MOTLOUNG Lindiwe was in the room with Mendi. So they found her but at first, in your statement you say they did not find him. MRS MOTLOUNG They found Mendi together with Lindiwe in the room. MR MANTHATA In your statement you say that he was under the bed. Is that right ? MRS MOTLOUNG MR LEWIN Was there only one shot that you heard ? MRS MOTLOUNG They only shot once. MR LEWIN And they gave no explanation to you at the time what they were doing ? MRS MOTLOUNG They used to come to my house to search for Mendi and when I asked them, why were they looking for him, they said he was in possession of a firearm. MR LEWIN Had this happened several times ? MRS MOTLOUNG Yes, it happened several times. Sometimes they would come and say Mendi fought with a policeman. MR LEWIN Did you ever see Mendi with a firearm ? MRS MOTLOUNG No Sir. MR LEWIN So as far as you know, he never had a firearm. MRS MOTLOUNG I have never seen him with a gun, Sir. MR LEWIN Why do you think they came so often ? MRS MOTLOUNG They were looking for Mendi. MR LEWIN Do you think it was, I see in your statement you say he was a member of PAC. Was it because of that, do you think ? MRS MOTLOUNG Yes, he was a member of the PAC. MR LEWIN Was he an activist. You say he was also a member of PASO. Does that mean that he was very active ? MRS MOTLOUNG I really do not know. MR LEWIN What is puzzling is that this is June 1993, which was less than a year before the election. The first democratic election. So there could have been nothing illegal that he was doing by being a member of the PAC. You must have thought about it a lot. Why do you think they were after him ? MRS MOTLOUNG They were after him because he was fighting the policeman. MR LEWIN Why particularly, why was there this fight at that stage in our history? MRS MOTLOUNG I do not know, I was only given the news that he fought with the policeman. MR LEWIN Where did you get that new from ? MRS MOTLOUNG I heard this from Lindiwe. MR LEWIN Was that after he had died. MRS MOTLOUNG No, before he died. MR LEWIN MRS MOTLOUNG No, she never told me anything. I only heard that Mendi was running up and down with a policeman, fighting. MR LEWIN Did you ever discuss it with Mendi himself ? MRS MOTLOUNG MR LEWIN MRS MOTLOUNG He never explained anything to me. MR LEWIN What was he doing at the time ? Was he still a student ? I see you say he was twenty one. MRS MOTLOUNG Yes, he was a student. MR LEWIN What did he intend to do after his schooling, after his studies ? MRS MOTLOUNG MR LEWIN MRS MOTLOUNG No Sir. MR LEWIN After they came on the fifteenth of June, after they came to say that he had died, did they bring a death certificate ? Did you ever get a death certificate ? MRS MOTLOUNG I went to look for a death certificate in Heidelberg. My brothers went to look for it. MR LEWIN And did you find it ? MRS MOTLOUNG Yes. MR LEWIN Can you remember what the death certificate said ? MRS MOTLOUNG MR LEWIN MRS MOTLOUNG Lindiwe and my other daughter and a relative of mine went on that same day to the hospital. MR LEWIN Did they get a chance to talk to him before he died ? MRS MOTLOUNG MR LEWIN Was any policeman ever charged ? Was there a case against the police ? MRS MOTLOUNG No, there was no case against the police. MR LEWIN Also in your statement Ma Motloung, you mentioned some specific names who people who Lindiwe said she saw actually shooting him. Was there ever a case made against them ? Any charge brought against them ? MRS MOTLOUNG MR LEWIN MRS MOTLOUNG I do not know, I only learnt later that one of the policeman shot himself dead because he shot a person earlier on. MR LEWIN Someone different to Mendi ? MRS MOTLOUNG Yes, this was another person and after shooting this person he turned the gun on himself. MR LEWIN COMPANION Only the date of death and the place, Heidelberg. MR LEWIN MRS MOTLOUNG There is nothing specific Sir. MR LEWIN Would you like us to try and follow up with the police ? MRS MOTLOUNG MR LEWIN But we could also follow up with the hospital perhaps. MRS MOTLOUNG Yes, carry on Sir. MR LEWIN What would also help us is if you could get Lindiwe to make a statement for us because that would give more details as well. Would that be possible ? MRS MOTLOUNG This is Lindiwe next to me, Sir. MR LEWIN Then could I ask Lindiwe. Would you be prepared to make a statement ? MISS MOTLOUNG No. MR LEWIN MISS MOTLOUNG Yes. MR LEWIN Thanks very much. Mr Chair, I have no further questions. DR ALLY