hrvtrans HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS, SUBMISSIONS QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 1997-04-10 ZEERUST NAKEDI ELTON RAMALEPE 2813 https://sabctrc.saha.org.za/hearing.php?id=55988&t=&tab=hearings https://sabctrc.saha.org.za/originals/hrvtrans/tzaneen/tzaramal.htm DR ALLY MISS SEROKE Our next witness is Nakedi Elton Ramalepe. DR RANDERA Mr Ramalepe, good afternoon. Welcome. Can you please introduce the gentleman who is with you. MR RAMALEPE DR RANDERA NAKEDI ELTON RAMALEPE (sworn states) DR RANDERA Mr Manthata! MR MANTHATA Good morning. You are here to tell us about your brother who was killed. Is it Ngoako? MR RAMALEPE MR MANTHATA MR MANTHATA Did Robert give the statement to the Commission? MR RAMALEPE Excuse me. Could you please repeat your question, Sir? MR MANTHATA I was asking you if Robert has given, has already given the statement to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission? MR RAMALEPE MR MAKOGA Yes, I did give the statement, Sir. DR RANDERA ROBERT MAKOGA (sworn states) DR RANDERA Thank you. MR MANTHATA Could you please continue Robert and say what you know about that day. MR MAKOGA MR MANTHATA MR MAKOGA MR MANTHATA And you Nakedi. Did you go to the police station to report? MR RAMALEPE No, I did not, Sir. MR MANTHATA What step did you take? MR RAMALEPE As this was the students issue and they had their own lawyer. We found out that they were the ones who were handling the issue and they, they had already taken it to the lawyers. MR MANTHATA MR RAMALEPE What we knew as a family is that this, this was taken to court and there was a trial in, in 1988. Several times. MR MANTHATA During the trial who were called? Who were accused of the murder? MR RAMALEPE MR MANTHATA The people who were accused, were they Leboa policemen? MR MAKOGA Their station commander was one of them. Mr Ramulta who was the one who gave orders to the police to fetch us from the police, from the shopping centre. MR MANTHATA Was there an inquest? MR MAKOGA Yes. MR MANTHATA Who was accused? MR MAKOGA It was the policemen and that was the only thing that I knew. MR MANTHATA Was that the only thing that, that you had Nakedi? MR RAMALEPE MR MANTHATA Robert and Ngoako, were you the leaders of the students at the time? MR MAKOGA Yes, Ngoako was the President and I was the Secretary to the SRC. MR MANTHATA What were your complaints at the time? Was it political matters? MR MAKOGA MR MANTHATA MR MAKOGA The SRC was, was the organization to represent the students. MR MANTHATA MR MAKOGA It was the complaints coming from the students and we were only the representers. MR MANTHATA MR MAKOGA They used to complain about sexual harassment between lecturers and students. Again they, we were not allowed to go outside the school gate and it was, it to, it was only for thirty days and the boys were only allowed on Wednesdays and Thursdays and we were unhappy about that. MR MANTHATA MR MAKOGA MR MANTHATA If I understood you well, when the police came to the college and started fighting with you. Did they get any permission from the Principal? MR MAKOGA When the police, they found that in, in the shopping centre in Gampane not at school. They took us from the shopping centre and they took us to the police station. To the police station. MR MANTHATA When they found you in the shopping centre, were you not from any meeting? MR MAKOGA There was a march in the township. MR MANTHATA What was this march for? MR MAKOGA There were other comrades who were arrested in the, in the township. So they were released and people were happy for their release. MR MANTHATA So it was a march of celebrating their release? MR MAKOGA Yes. MR MANTHATA No further questions. DR ALLY