hrvtrans HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION HEARINGS 1996-11-27 GUGULETU 7 POLLSMOOR 2 CT/00116 ZANDISILE S MJOBO EDITH MJOBO [mother] SHOT AND KILLED BY POLICE https://sabctrc.saha.org.za/hearing.php?id=55764&t=&tab=hearings https://sabctrc.saha.org.za/originals/hrvtrans/polls/ct00116.htm ADV POTGIETER Thank you chairperson. We will put him to work immediately. I call the next witnesses. Andile Mjobo and Edith Mjobo. Perhaps Chairperson, whilst the witness is settling down - just to make it clear that we have made an arrangement with the photographers that they will be allowed an opportunity to take photographs at the beginning of the testimony of a witness and we have an understanding that they will not come in and do that in the course of the testimony. Because it could become quite destructive, but we do have that understanding, just to explain their presence at this stage. Ms Mjobo, good morning to you. MS MJOBO Good morning. ADV POTGIETER You hear the translation over the headphones? MS MJOBO Yes, I hear. ADV POTGIETER Thank you, and with you is your son Andile. MS MJOBO Yes. ADV POTGIETER Good morning to Andile as well and welcome. MR MJOBO Thank you. ADV POTGIETER Both of you will be speaking? MS MJOBO No, I will be the only one that is going to speak. ADV POTGIETER Andile is just giving you some support. Well thank you Andile for that. Then Ms Mjobo, I am going to ask you only to take the oath, so I am going to ask you to please stand. EDITH MJOBO Duly sworn states ADV POTGIETER Thank you very much, you may be seated. My colleague Dumisa Ntsebeza will assist you in giving your evidence over to him. ADV NTSEBEZA MS MJOBO Yes, I am aware of that ADV NTSEBEZA MS MJOBO Yes, I am the only one that is going to testify. ADV NTSEBEZA MS MJOBO we are not well at home, because of this and they arrested my husband once and my twins ran away. They came here in Cape Town. And then one day I decided to come here to Cape Town to look for them, because at this time they were not contacting us. And then I told my husband I was going to Cape Town to look for my sons and we both decided to come here in Cape Town and we were told that they were in Athlone. I wanted to go there, but I was not allowed to go to Athlone to look for them and we went back. It was on Sunday, that time, we went back home. On Tuesday, one police - one black policeman came and he asked me where my husband was. And then I said he was at work. And this policeman told us that one of my twins have been shot. ADV NTSEBEZA MS MJOBO And they told us one of my sons have been shot. And then they told my husband to go to Salt River and he came back, he said that he identified him. He was the one who was shot. And my son was nowhere to be found, but apparently the police found him. He was arrested here in Cape Town, but I am not sure about the place and then they transferred him to Malmesbury. And then they took him to Victoria. They were torturing him all this time. What I forgot, is that after we buried the other twin, the following day, a police van came and then the police took me with the van. They took me to the police station and they asked me who were the leaders in the funeral. Who were the people giving speeches there in the funeral. And then I told them I did not know, because I was not looking at the people who were talking there, because I was still in pain, because my son had tied. ADV NTSEBEZA MS MJOBO I think it was around January, early January. But they used to contact us, they used to come at night and contact us to tell us that they were well, but in February they disappeared. ADV NTSEBEZA So, it was about January and February in 1986 - where were you staying at that time? MS MJOBO We were staying in Mbekweni in Paarl. ADV NTSEBEZA After their disappearance, you decided to come here to Cape Town. Were you from Paarl? MS MJOBO Yes, I was from Paarl. ADV NTSEBEZA When did you come here in Cape Town? MS MJOBO It was in 1986. ADV NTSEBEZA After their disappearance? MS MJOBO Yes after their disappearance. ADV NTSEBEZA And then here in Cape Town, where did you stay? MS MJOBO I stayed with my sister here in Crossroads. We stayed there. ADV NTSEBEZA Were you staying in Crossroads? MS MJOBO Yes I was staying with my sister in Crossroads. ADV NTSEBEZA And then you said there was this black policeman who told you that your son is dead, where was this? MS MJOBO It was in Paarl. This policeman came to tell us this news in Paarl, it was on Tuesday. He came and tell us that my son has been shot. ADV NTSEBEZA Were you in Paarl at the time? MS MJOBO Yes, I was in Paarl. ADV NTSEBEZA Do you know the name of this policeman? The black man who came to you? MS MJOBO His name is Gala, but I think he is on pension now. ADV NTSEBEZA He was known as Gala. Was he a sergeant or...[intervention] MS MJOBO He was an investigator, his name was Gala. ADV NTSEBEZA Did this policeman tell you what exactly happened? MS MJOBO ADV NTSEBEZA What I want to know, is that, was this policeman telling you because he knew the family or was he sent by the police to tell you? MS MJOBO ADV NTSEBEZA And then, what happened to the other twin? MS MJOBO He was released from prison when my husband was sick. ADV NTSEBEZA I was talking about Arthur. MS MJOBO Yes. ADV NTSEBEZA Is he working now? MS MJOBO Yes, he is working in the military in Durban. ADV NTSEBEZA He came back in 1990 - Arthur him back in 1990 MS MJOBO Yes, he came back in 1990, no, it was Mongazi who came back in 1990. He was the one who disappeared and came back in 1990. ADV NTSEBEZA And then, what about Arthur, when was he released? MS MJOBO He was arrested and then he was released. He was arrested here in Cape Town and transferred to Malmesbury and Victor Venter and then at the time when my husband was very sick, I saw Arthur arriving at home. And then I thanked him for coming back, because my husband was so sick and then he went to the bedroom to look for his father and his father cried a lot. ADV NTSEBEZA Shortly you have lost one of your twin - of your twins and the other one was arrested and your husband was arrested and he was assaulted in the prison and your other son disappeared? MS MJOBO Yes. ADV NTSEBEZA MS MJOBO They were assaulting her, kicking the doors and my twin bought another door, because the police kicked the door and it broke. And he - my twin went to buy another door and then they arrested him, saying that he did not buy this door, he stole it. And my mother tried to fight with the police to stop them from arresting my twin. And at the time of all this, my son succeeded to run away, because my mother was trying to defend him and they assaulted my mother. They kicked her and then he ended up undergoing an operation in the face. ADV NTSEBEZA I have a last question. I think that at the time of this you knew that there were seven young men who were shot at the time. MS MJOBO Yes, at the time we have already buried my son. They were looking for my other twin. ADV NTSEBEZA Where did you hear that your son was amongst the Guguletu 7? MS MJOBO We heard this after the funeral when we were told to go to Athlone. ADV NTSEBEZA MS MJOBO One other thing is that I would like to thank the witnesses. They have helped me a lot. They came forward and they sacrificed their life to come and testify and I would like to thank them very much. CHAIRPERSON