MRS LEPHUTING
If I remember well I was just sitting down with my family, two of my sons, and Maria was sitting next to me together with my husband and family friends from Standerton.  A young boy came to our house, he found us watching TV, he said to us you are sitting here, there are people coming from the barracks, they are holding weapons, knives, guns.  We didn't take him seriously, we just sat down and watched TV until later when I went out to see my friend who was staying next door.  From there I heard some gunshots and some other sounds like as if it was some windows breaking but it was a rattle of sounds coming from
ALEXANDRA HEARING TRC/GAUTENG
2 LEPHUTING
guns.  I tried to go out to see what was happening.  Unfortunately I just met people holding guns and had to run back and hide.  From there as I was sitting there some neighbours came.  They said to me that all your children together with your friends and your husband have been burnt in the house.  I couldn't believe it.   I thought I was dreaming.  I didn't know what happened at that time.  After that we waited for the fire to die out so that we can take out the corpses.  I started praying saying God I know that all the people in the house are burning, I would like to ask you one thing, I would like to see all of them alive, even if they are burnt.  God heard and answered my prayer at that time.  I saw my husband coming out, he asked me where are the children.  I told him I left the children with you in the house.  The other one who was four years was on a bed asleep when the house burnt down.  There was a back door which was leading you out to a kitchen.  This is the door which two of them used the door to come out.  That was my husband's daughter and the friend from Standerton.  When this young man by the name of Velupe came out he was 12, he was shot, I don't remember whether it was on the left or right.  He was dead.  The other one was coming from the farm so he didn't know anything was happening around, he just hid under the bed and when he discovered that there were some burning and he saw the other child lying on top of the bed as the sheets started burning, he got out from the bed and picked up the child and they went straight to the door where the police were standing because they didn't know there are other back doors.  One of the policemen asked my young son whether he was a comrade or not and he said yes because he didn't know anything about the situation and we
ALEXANDRA HEARING TRC/GAUTENG
3 LEPHUTING
said to them don't beat this one, he doesn't know anything about politics.  But my husband he fought for himself and by God's will we survived.  The way it was like nobody was supposed to have survived the incident.  As I was sitting there in the house where I was asked to stay we went to the house to search for bodies and we couldn't find anything.  While searching one of the child came back, we didn't know exactly where they were at the time.  Then my son arrived holding the other one.  They were coming from Jukskei under the bridge where they hid themselves.  Velupe was already in the ambulance outside.  I don't remember well the other particulars.