hrvtrans HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS, SUBMISSIONS QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 1997-04-08 MESSINA 1 MATHIYA JAMES THELELE https://sabctrc.saha.org.za/hearing.php?id=55612&t=&tab=hearings https://sabctrc.saha.org.za/originals/hrvtrans/messina/mesthele.htm DR RANDERA Can I please call Mr Thelele. Mr Thelele, good afternoon. MR THELELE Good afternoon, Sir. DR RANDERA Welcome. Mr Thelele, can you please stand to take the oath. MATHIYA JAMES THELELE (sworn states) DR RANDERA MR THELELE DR RANDERA Thank you. Thank you, Mr Thelele. In your statement you said that after Mr Klopper, who was a superintendent in Messina at the time and was also a member of the Board. Is that right? MR THELELE DR RANDERA After he gave you seventy two hours notice, you in fact contacted a Mr Minnie, the Chief Magistrate of Messina to tell him of what had happened and the Chief Magistrate said he could do nothing about it. Is that right? MR THELELE DR RANDERA So it was that common the way the legal Magistrate almost took no notice as to what happened to citizens in, in the area? MR THELELE This White man was a snake. He used to run and he used to be a liar. He was just a snake. DR RANDERA Thank you. Can I ask you to please settle, settle down. Thank you very much. Mr Thelele, you left with your family and you went to live with your in-laws. Where did you go to? Where were they living? MR THELELE DR RANDERA ..........................................? MR THELELE DR RANDERA And you left your house and belongings here in Nancefield? MR THELELE DR RANDERA belongings. MR THELELE DR RANDERA Did he every give you a reason ...(intervention) MR THELELE ......(indistinct)........ They said you must left Messina. DR RANDERA Are your children all all right? Thank you. My last question is ... (intervention) MR THELELE DR RANDERA My last question is, when did you return to Nancefield? Are you living in Nancefield now? MR THELELE DR RANDERA Sorry, are you, are you saying that you did not get your house back, somebody else is staying in your house. MR THELELE DR RANDERA MR THELELE DR RANDERA Is Mr Kloppers still around in, in Messina? MR THELELE DR RANDERA Mr Manthata earlier on said that when he was, when a similar .... (..intervention).. sorry, let me finish. What he said earlier on was that Mr Klopper also asked him to leave Nancefield but accused him of being a Communist. Where you also being, where you also accused of being a Communist? MR THELELE DR RANDERA Thank you Mr Thelele, I have no further questions. Mr Manthata! MR MANTHATA Thanks. MR THELELE MR MANTHATA Thelele. MR THELELE Thanks. MR MANTHATA MR THELELE MR MANTHATA Are you saying people were being evicted because they were making noise during the night? MR THELELE MR MANTHATA MR THELELE Yes, we were able to solve them. MR MANTHATA MR THELELE We used to call their parents, their fathers and mothers to sit down with them and discuss those problems and not to run and go to the White person. And the police used to be against us and used to say to us we were just wasting time and we were powerless as a result. MR MANTHATA MR THELELE As an Advisory Board we used to sit down, call the parents and everyone, the community do discuss the issues so that we could satisfy peoples and not take the matters to the courts. MR MANTHATA DR RANDERA Hearing closes with a Hymn and a Prayer. DR RANDERA