hrvtrans HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION HEARINGS 1996-10-07 KAROO 1 CT/01517/KAR LESLEY KELEMI LESLEY KELEMI SHOT BY POLICE https://sabctrc.saha.org.za/hearing.php?id=55357&t=&tab=hearings https://sabctrc.saha.org.za/originals/hrvtrans/karoo/ct01517.htm MS BURTON Our next witness is Lesley Kelemi and we ask him to come to the stage. Good morning Mr Kelemi. MR KELEMI Good morning Ms Burton. MS BURTON You are going to speak to us in Xhosa I believe. MR KELEMI In Xhosa. MS BURTON So will you like to put on the head phones. Can you - can you hear me all right? MR KELEMI Yes I can understand. MS BURTON Would you stand to take the oath. MR KELEMI Duly sworn states MS BURTON Thank you. Your testimony is going to be facilitated by Ms Joyce Seroke. So I will hand over to her. MS SEROKE Good morning Lesley. We are glad that you have the opportunity to tell us your story that happened in 1987. Please tell us in a few words and go back to that year and tell us what happened. MR KELEMI It was in July 1987, my neighbour had asked me, her name is Lindi, to go get paraffin. When I got out of the gate I came across policemen. They were standing next to a bus. The second house from my home, that is where I was going. When I was coming back I got shot by the police, I then fell, I got unconscious. When I got home, he fetched me - I did not know why the police fetched me. They took me to a Court of Law. They said they found me guilty of having burnt down a clinic. I told them I do not know anything about this. The court case lasted a few days. I did not have an attorney. The witness I had was not called to the stage. That witness was my mother. She was mentally disturbed. When I asked them - when I asked them if my witness could talk, they just gave me a five year suspended sentence. I wanted to know why I was found guilty, but I was not told. I still do not know who has shot me. I want to know who shot me. I was just a laughing matter. People were just laughing at me. At school I cannot participate as much as I would like to. I fail all the time. I repeat every standard five times. Could the Truth Commission please find those people, because they have destroyed me. That is all I have to say. MS SEROKE Thank you Lesley. I just have a few questions. In 1987, how old were you? What were you doing at the time? MR KELEMI I was fifteen years of age. MS SEROKE Were you studying? MR KELEMI Yes, I was. MS SEROKE What standard were you doing? MR KELEMI I was in standard five when I got injured - it was standard five. MS SEROKE What was the situation at your village at the time? MR KELEMI It was calm, it was calm. MS SEROKE Was there stone throwing? MR KELEMI No, there was not, it was just calm. MS SEROKE Were you a member of any political organisation at that time? MR KELEMI No, I was just a school child. MS SEROKE Apparently there was an organisation called Monwabisi Student Organisation. Were you a member? MR KELEMI No, I was not a member. MS SEROKE So you say you did not see the police that shot you. MR KELEMI No, I did not see him. Even at court they did not show him. MS SEROKE What are you doing now? MR KELEMI I am studying. I am in standard ten. MS SEROKE How does your one eye treat you, the one that is functional? MR KELEMI My eye gets tired very quickly. It is sore now and again. I sleep very quickly because my eye gets very tired. MS SEROKE So you were shot straight in the eye. MR KELEMI Yes, I was. MS SEROKE After you were released from hospital, you say that you investigated who shot you. How did you go about investigating? MR KELEMI After I was shot, I was unconscious, I then asked the people that were there, that picked me up, I asked them the name of the policeman. They did not know. MS SEROKE We have heard your request to the Truth Commission. I am going to hand over to our Chairman here, Chairperson. ADV POTGIETER Good day - Mr Kelemi, what do you do at the moment. MR KELEMI I am studying. ADV POTGIETER What are you studying? MR KELEMI I am in standard ten. The name of my school is Monwabisi. ADV POTGIETER Thank you. And then just one other thing. Who took you to the hospital after you were shot? Did you find out afterwards who took you? MR KELEMI It is the police. ADV POTGIETER And at the hospital were you under police guard or what happened to your there? MR KELEMI Yes, my whole bed was surrounded by police. ADV POTGIETER And when you were discharged from hospital, what happened to you. Were you taken into custody? MR KELEMI I was escorted by them. They wanted to take me into jail, but my parents refused. ADV POTGIETER And when did they actually charge you with this public violence charge. Was it after you were discharged from hospital or what happened? MR KELEMI Yes, it was after I had left hospital. ADV POTGIETER Was it immediately or only after a while or what? MR KELEMI It was a while after I had left hospital. ADV POTGIETER [indistinct] go to lay a charge at the police station for the shooting. MR KELEMI No, they were not able to because they did not know who shot me. ADV POTGIETER Thank you Mr Kelemi. MS BURTON Mr Kelemi thank you very much for coming to tell us. We see that you have suffered a serious loss with the loss of your eye and that is has continued to affect you, even until now. We - we see no reason why people should laugh at you or mock at you and we hope that you will be taken seriously as you try to achieve your - and pass your standard ten exams this year. We wish you success in your studies and we will see whether perhaps some counselling could help you with your concentration and your tiredness from your studying. We are very grateful to you for coming today. Thank you very much. MR KELEMI Thank you.