hrvtrans HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION HEARINGS 1996-06-18 GEORGE 1 CT/00837 PATRICK MARENENE NTSIKELELO MARENENE FATHER ATTACKED WITH AN AXE AND THEN NECKLACED https://sabctrc.saha.org.za/hearing.php?id=55098&t=&tab=hearings https://sabctrc.saha.org.za/originals/hrvtrans/george/ct00837.htm MS BURTON Can you hear us all right - thank you and welcome Mr Marenene and this is your wife, thank you for coming. Can I ask you if you are willing to make the oath - please stand. NTSIKELELO MARENENE Duly sworn states MS BURTON Thank you very much, Ms Seroke is going to be facilitating your testimony. MS SEROKE MR MARENENE [indistinct] MS SEROKE MR MARENENE I was 12 years old. When my father was killed, it started - it all started on a Thursday and we were in the house. Whilst we were sitting in the house, we heard the sound of the toi-toi from outside. I went to look for my father, when I got outside, I heard that my father had gone to another lady teacher who was also a victim of the toi-toi. When he came back, I told him that there were some toi-toiing outside the house and we went to bed. Late at night, three of - his three cars were burnt, they were parked outside - this cars were burnt and then the toi-toiers came towards the house and my father threw us out the window so that we could escape. We went to my mothers home that night and we spent the night there that evening. As he was coming to the corner of 4, the toi-toiers were coming, he was carrying a gun, but he was someone who had never shot at any person. He shot in the air and then the people were chasing him and he was facing the people but moving back, he was sort of retreating. As he was retreating, he was tripped by another Coloured and I was next to him, when this Coloured tackled him, he was caught. I told Bonakele what was going on, he said I should go with his wife towards the - to their house, so I went with them to the house and Bonakele came back to tell us that my father had passed away and asked if his wife had called the police, because we had called the police. The people from the law enforcement came and they took me in for safe keeping, Saturday morning I found people in Bhongolethu had been moved out, on a parade and the boers asked me to identify one. And then I identified Desmond Majola and he was the one who identified the others about my fathers dead. MS SEROKE So did you watch when your father was being necklaced? MR MARENENE Yes I was - I was standing over him. MS SEROKE Did you run away thereafter. MR MARENENE MS SEROKE Do you think what - what - what do you think was the reason for people committing this act? MR MARENENE He was wa community councillor in the township therefore his house was also burnt down and I - and the Government sent me to school. And in doing that the Government - I have stayed there waiting for the trial in Cape Town and then I was fetched by the law enforcement people to - to the court in Cape Town. MS SEROKE In your statement here, you say your mother was also suspected by the people who killed your father. MR MARENENE Oh! yes she was - she was suspected of being part of the killers. MS SEROKE But was she not staying with your father now? MR MARENENE MS SEROKE Who is occupying the house now? MR MARENENE MS SEROKE Who is that Mbele how is he related? MR MARENENE No we are not related, when this rioting started - what could have been the reason for that - I can think - seeing that my father was in the - member of the community council this came out of the meeting, but because I think there were some people who had decided, taken a decision about him, including that Mbele. MS SEROKE MR MARENENE Yes. MS SEROKE For what reason? MR MARENENE MS SEROKE Seeing that you were still very young at 12 - this - this must have been very sad to - and painful to seeing your father being necklaced. MR MARENENE Yes it was, it was very painful. MS SEROKE What did you think of this kind of punishment. MR MARENENE MS SEROKE MR MARENENE MS SEROKE What happened to Desmond Majola and Patrick Manginda and Dickson Madikane? MR MARENENE On my return we were in court in Cape Town and then I was asked to identify those people I had seen, Desmond Majola had already identified him, when - at the stadium in our township and he said he was not going to jail alone, so he revealed the other two. When I came back from school I came to find that there were others that were not arrested. MS SEROKE In the papers we have here it is said that these people were sentenced but they escaped being hanged, they were given five years all three of them. MR MARENENE In my knowledge they served three years. MS SEROKE MR MARENENE MS SEROKE Would you like us to pursue that thing of the house and you will be clear for who is the house belong too. MR MARENENE MS SEROKE Where are your brothers and sisters that you have mentioned in your statement? MR MARENENE I do have sisters and they are in the house. MS SEROKE Are they all with you with this thing? MR MARENENE Yes we are. MS SEROKE But as you have listened the whole day as we have started in the morning, do you really know and realise that the situation there was very painful - people were getting into conflicts fighting one another because of the white people and the past regime. This anger was caused by the past regime, do you realise that Benedict? MR MARENENE Yes I do understand. MS SEROKE Thank you. MR MARENENE MS SEROKE MR MARENENE Thank you. CHAIRPERSON Thank you - any questions - any further questions - Mary Burton. MS BURTON We spoke a little earlier about the fact that you have referred to the people who have been convicted for the killing of your father - we want to point out that all those people have been convicted and sentenced - they have been convicted and imprisoned and some of them I think have completed their sentence and are now once again members of society. CHAIRPERSON Russell Ally. DR ALLY At the time when your father was killed, he was still a community councillor not so? MR MARENENE [indistinct] DR ALLY MR MARENENE DR ALLY [indistinct] by the Government when he was killed - do you know anything about that? MR MARENENE I know nothing about that. DR ALLY In your statement you say that the Government sent you to a school and paid for education, want that one way of compensating or were they just taking you away for safety? MR MARENENE Yes they were just taking me away from the people, so that I should be removed from the people in case something could happen to me. They were just taking me away in case something could happen to me. CHAIRPERSON MS BURTON Thank you very much Mr Marenene - ... end of Tape 3, side A ...