hrvtrans HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION HEARINGS 1996-10-15 WINELANDS 2 CT/00433 RONALD ROBINSON PHEBEL ROBINSON [wife] TORTURE BEATEN TO DEATH https://sabctrc.saha.org.za/hearing.php?id=56132&t=&tab=hearings https://sabctrc.saha.org.za/originals/hrvtrans/wineland/ct00433.htm DR ORR MS ROBINSON Yes, my niece. DR ORR Your niece, welcome to you too. Thank you for coming to support your aunt. Ms Roberson - Ronbinson before we hear your evidence can I ask you to stand to take the oath. PHEBELE ROBINSON Duly sworn states DR ORR MS WILDSCHUT Good after noon Ms Robinson, are you going to be giving your evidence in Afrikaans? MS ROBINSON Yes, in Afrikaans please. MS WILDSCHUT We will speak both English and Afrikaans, if you cannot understand what I am saying please use the headphones. Just to explain to everyone we just would like to ensure that Ms Robinson understands and hears clearly and that we are able to communicate properly with each other. Ms Robinson is just putting on her earphones. Okay, Ms Robinson you have made a written statement before the Commission involving the story of your husband, Ronald William Robinson, and a story about his faithful death on the 29th of the 9th 1990 - 1992. MS ROBINSON MS WILDSCHUT Would you go ahead please and tell us what happened that night, also tell us from your side how you understand this terrible story. MS ROBINSON It was on a Monday evening, on the 28th of September and we were all together as family. At quarter to 11 that evening - we had friends with us by the name of Maria Keyser and at a quarter to 11 we parted and he took Maria Keyser home. And I never saw him after that. And I went to open but it was his nephew or his cousin who had come. And I said to him but Ronny is not home yet. And he said that I should go and call his sister because at that time we did not have a telephone installed in order to telephone Maria Keyser to find out what he has said to her whether he had told her he was going somewhere or not. No there is no sight of his car at the hospital and neither is there any sign of it at the Police Station or on the road. I think it was approximately half past 8 - between half past 8 and 9 that morning when I phoned Paarl East Police Station to say that he had left the evening and that he has still not returned and that I would like them to try and ascertain for me whether he was somewhere along the road or whether he had been involved in an accident or if he perhaps took ill along the road and pulled off the car and stopped. They then promised to investigate immediately. That afternoon at 1 one of the policemen came and asked me: Madam are you strong enough. been murdered. And when the people went out to go and look the police drove off. My question is why did they watch the house and if they were worried about me and my condition why did not come to me and say madam we are worried about you, that is why we are watching your house. Why did they drive off, further more the matter was heard in Paarl. On the 21st of February we were suppose to go to Paarl Court again after they had apprehended Philander- the perpetrator. When we were supposed to appear in court on the 21st , we were informed a day before the time that the matter was being referred to the Supreme Court and there was no cross examination. MS WILDSCHUT MS ROBINSON I do not know him but his name is Ruben Philander, I do not now him as such. MS WILDSCHUT Ruben Philander is in prison at the moment serving a sentence for the murder of your husband? MS ROBINSON Yes, he was sentenced to 21 years. MS WILDSCHUT [indistinct] you have misgivings about this, you have a funny feeling about this case. Do you think that Ruben Philander was able to murder your husband on his own? MS ROBINSON No, definitely not. MS WILDSCHUT Can you explain to us why you think that? MS ROBINSON MS WILDSCHUT MS ROBINSON Yes. MS WILDSCHUT Do you feel that there was some political motivation for the murder of your husband? MS ROBINSON Definitely so. MS WILDSCHUT It appeared as though it was just a criminal - a murder even though you suspect that it may have been a political motivation? MS ROBINSON Yes, they wanted it to appear as such but I do not believe it to be as such. I can mention a name but it - it is merely hearsay. The name Mervin Arries - I do not know if he was a reservist policeman or what he was in the Police Force - what he was in the Police Force but the Tuesday evening he came there and he said to one of the boys that I raised: I warned Ronny 3 months before the time not to drive - not to drive around alone anywhere but his time had run out so they had to do their work. That is what he said, he did not say it to me personally but he said it to one of the children who I raised in my house. MS WILDSCHUT Mervin also said nobody must take about this advise that he had given ...[intervention] MS ROBINSON Yes. MS WILDSCHUT Because [indistinct] his life. MS ROBINSON Yes, because there was a time were he was not in Paarl, he was gone from Paarl until after the matter was finalized and then only did he come back. MS WILDSCHUT [indistinct] you think that your husband would be the target of a political murder as gruesome as his murder? MS ROBINSON here when I need you. And he said: But my wife you know where I am going to and you know my cause is a contribution to the struggle. So once again I say that he was not afraid of anybody and he stood for what he believed in and for his community. There are many people here that can bear testimony to that - to the fact that he stood for his community. MS WILDSCHUT MS ROBINSON Yes, look he was in the UDF, he was in the ANC, he was involved in the workers organizations, in the T & G workers organization and since he had linked up with the UDF there was a time where he was away - where he had to flee. It was - I cannot remember exactly whether it was in August or September in 1986. It was 1986 then when everyone has to flee for their lives basically. And he had to - he could only come back after Christmas the following year but I cannot remember the exact years but he was gone. And I could not even receive a telephone call for him, he had to phone different people in order to contact me and I had to work in a very slight manner to get to Cape Town to go and give him support on Sundays and to see him. The girl that was born there by us, I took her with me and he loved this child very much and I took her with me Sundays so that he could see her and we had to spend the days on the beach and so forth. not working and I am working for my house. Why should I come to you people. Because I did not want to betray him, I knew where he was. Because if I remember correctly there was a time were he lived with Dullah Omar when he was - when he was on the run, but I did not want to tell him to tell him where he was. But I would like him to be brought forward so that he can come and give evidence as to who the informers were. MS WILDSCHUT You were harassed by the police and you also went through your own suffering with regards to ...[intervention] MS ROBINSON MS WILDSCHUT MS ROBINSON Look I saw his body after the postmortem had been performed but when the body was found at the - on the mountain I was not allowed to identify it. But after they had performed the postmortem and cleaned him, Solomon said that he was going to fetch the corpse at the Police Mortuary and keep it at his place. MS WILDSCHUT [indistinct] more questions to ask you. How do you feel about Philander? MS ROBINSON Because to hate Philander now is not going to bring my husband back to me because I said at the time of the trial if the law want to acquit him because they are dirty enough to do that, they can acquit him. But he will have to live with his conscious for the rest of his live and that will be his punishment. So I do not know if I should hate him or what I should do, but I do not believe that I hate him because he got what he deserved, but he has to come back with the truth. He has to come with the truth, that is my feeling. MS WILDSCHUT MS GOBODO Thank you Glenda, any ? REV XUNDU Thank you very Chairperson, so your request if I - if I want to understand it well is that you would like Ruben Philander to give us information as to whom he was when he - when your husband was murdered or tortured. MS ROBINSON Yes. REV XUNDU Thank you. MS GOBODO ADV POTGIETER [indistinct] Robinson you said that you had some document - some documentation with regard to the injuries. Was it - is that a medical report? MS ROBINSON Yes. ADV POTGIETER Do you have it with you? MS ROBINSON Yes, I brought it along with me. ADV POTGIETER Apart from the stab wounds, which other injuries were inflicted on the body - which other injuries could you see? MS ROBINSON ADV POTGIETER Do you have any children from your marriage? MS ROBINSON No we did not have any children, here is one of the children who were adopted at the age of 10 years old and then there were 2 boys and another girl who we assisted with their school education because we did not have any children of our own. ADV POTGIETER How old was your husband when he was murdered? MS ROBINSON He was 45 or 46 years old. ADV POTGIETER Did you ever - as you say there was no cross examination at the time of the trial - but did you ever receive any explanation or hear any explanation on behalf of Philander about what happened? MS ROBINSON Philander did not say a word. ADV POTGIETER And you did not receive any other explanations with regard to that? MS ROBINSON Apart from a report that was red there - what was it said - it was a - it was said it was something to do homosexuals or something. In the report it was said that it was merely a motive which was use but that the actual motive was murder and robbery. ADV POTGIETER So Philander made allegations of homosexuality? MS ROBINSON ADV POTGIETER He tried to use that as motive for the murder? MS ROBINSON Yes. ADV POTGIETER And how did that strike you - how did you act - find that explanation? MS ROBINSON ADV POTGIETER Thank you very much Madam. MS GOBODO We again would like to pledge our commitment to do our best in the work of the Commission to establish what the truth is about the death of your husband. Thank you so much for sharing with us your pain, thank you.