hrvtrans HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS, SUBMISSIONS QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 1997-04-10 TZANEEN KOMAPE D MOLAPO 3379 https://sabctrc.saha.org.za/hearing.php?id=55985&t=&tab=hearings https://sabctrc.saha.org.za/originals/hrvtrans/tzaneen/tzamolap.htm MR MANTHATA Our next witness is Komane Molapo. Komane Molapo. DR RANDERA Mr Molapo, good morning. Can you hear me clearly ? MR MOLAPO Yes, I can hear you. DR RANDERA Thank you. Mr Molapo could you please stand to take the oath. MR MOLAPO DR RANDERA KOMAPE MOLAPO (sworn states) DR RANDERA Thank you. MR MANTHATA Thank you Komape. We heard that people shot you, not because they intended to shoot you. You just happened to be the victim, because you were there. What we call cross- fire. Could you please explain to us shortly how, how it happened that you got shot at the time. MR MOLAPO The youth have had a meeting just a week before Good Friday at Namagale Church. Before they dispersed, as they were dispersing one car hit one of the youths and the youths started to attack that car. They hit one soldier and the other soldiers were able to run away to their camps. After those kids left, they thought the one, that soldier had died. They went home but the others went to one hotel at Namagale. From six in the evening until twelve I was seated there and after a while I heard some noises in the hotel. I crawled to those people and they happened to see me. They were there seated with the owner of the hotel and he managed to take us to the hospital. I stayed at the hospital for a week and I was released after that and I went home. I used to go to the hospital to receive treatment and I was, I could go back to work. I could only work for a week, because I started to get sick again and my, finger could not heal properly and I was supposed to go back to the hospital and they cut it off. They amputated it. MR MANTHATA You can continue, Sir. MR MOLAPO It was in 1987 in January. I cannot remember well the date but it was on Saturday. I went to that hotel but I was going to the bottle store. I was with a friend of mine and we were looking for some drinks there. When I wanted to buy some drinks some policemen approached me and there were many of them. More that twenty policemen from Lebowa. They said to me they were looking for me and that I should leave that place and they promised that they will release me to go back and buy my drinks. I went with them to go and talk with them. MR MANTHATA MR MOLAPO MR MANTHATA How, how many hours did they keep you there? MR MOLAPO MR MANTHATA Where they called peoples magistrates? How long did they torture you ? MR MOLAPO MR MANTHATA After they tortured you, did you go to the doctor ? MR MOLAPO Yes, I consulted the doctor after a week because I was kept in a cell. MR MANTHATA After beating you, did they take you to their cell ? MR MOLAPO Yes, Sir. MR MANTHATA How long did they keep you in a cell ? MR MOLAPO MR MANTHATA At the time were you unemployed, because you could not, work because you were injured. MR MOLAPO Yes, I was working. MR MANTHATA Where were you working ? MR MOLAPO I was working in Phalaborwa. MR MANTHATA What were you doing there ? MR MOLAPO I was an artisan. MR MANTHATA Were you a member of the union ? MR MOLAPO Yes. MR MANTHATA What union was that ? MR MOLAPO MR MANTHATA: In full? MR MOLAPO MR MANTHATA Thanks. In your first case when these youths were at the hotel talking to the employees of the hotel, were you able to hear what they were discussing about ? MR MOLAPO They were discussing about the incident where one of their colleagues was hit by the police car. MR MANTHATA (Not tranlated) ...who this comrade was? MR MOLAPO: I did not know - actually I could not understand what happened, because I had just arrived at the hotel and I was trying to approach the employees and they told me to wait a little bit because they were trying to discuss what happened. MR MANTHATA Who was the owner of the hotel ? MR MOLAPO MR MANTHATA They way I heard you explaining, I think you said John Mogodi was manufacturing handgrenades or bombs. MR MOLAPO MR MANTHATA Was he arrested ? MR MOLAPO Yes, only for a day when they called me to testify. That was on the 17.11.1986. MR MANTHATA MR MOLAPO MR MANTHATA Even at the time of the funeral were you at the hospital ? MR MOLAPO Yes, I was still at the hospital. MR MANTHATA Thank you. DR RANDERA MR MOLAPO Could you please repeat the question ? DR RANDERA MR MOLAPO Yes, you understood me well. The hotel owner was charged but it was just only to confuse other people. It, that was not the case. DR RANDERA So in your opinion it was somebody else that was doing the shooting and the throwing of the grenades. MR MOLAPO DR RANDERA MR MOLAPO DR RANDERA Okay. The question is related to something you said about the militarisation in the area and the existence of Namibian askaris. Can you just tell us something, a little about that ? MR MOLAPO DR RANDERA Thank you. DR ALLY HEARING ADJOURNS