MS MTANGA
Thank you, Chairperson.  Having advertised on the radio that the victims in the application of Mkhonto, Shoke and Nyanda, should contact the Commission, we did get a response and they came to see us yesterday.  We met them at the SABC.  The people that I met with were Mandla Sithole, he is the son of Joel Sithole, who died in the landmine incident where four people were killed and one injured.  Mandla Sithole didn't have a statement to give, all he gave me were the details of his family, that he was the eldest at home and then his younger brother is Vusi Sithole, who is 19 years old and he's in standard 10.  They also have a sister, Zondo Sithole, who is 16 years old and is in standard 6.  Their concern as the family is that they still have their mother but the mother is unemployed.  Mandla Sithole had to leave school in standard 8 in 1988, that is the year after the incident, the landmine incident.  He had to leave school to go and work to support the family and take the two other kids to school.  What he and his family would like the Committee to do is assist them financially and put the two kids through school, and Mandla himself would like to go back to school.  That's what he has stated.
	And then I further met with Mr Michael Sheba.  Michael Sheba is the son of Mr Msibi, who also died in the incident, and also his grandmother, Christina Msibi, also Pagathi, that's another surname that she used at the time, also died in the incident.  So Michael Sheba is the grandchild and the son to the two victims.  His position is that they were living with their mother, they don't have a father, that's him and his brother, Vusi Khumalo.  So he's got a brother who is 25 years old, Vusi Khumalo.  They had to live without any financial support and even today they are unemployed, so they would like the Committee to assist them financially.  That is their position.  Both persons, both victims, Mr Sithole and Mr Sheba, indicated that they are not opposing the application.  Even if they had attended, they would not have opposed.  They understood what was going on at the time, they know that it was a struggle to liberate them and they were aware of MK cadres' involvement in that area, so they are not opposing the application.
	And then this morning I met with Mr James Motsa - the correct surname is M-o-t-s-a, not Mota as it's been on the record.  Mr Motsa was badly injured in that incident, he is blind and he can't speak properly.  He's unemployed and he's depending on pension.  At the time of this incident he was married and he has a son from that marriage.  What he would like the Committee to do is also assist him financially to educate his son, because he's now unemployed.  He doesn't have any source of income except for his pension.  He's also a brother to Sipho Xhomota(?), who also died in that incident.  That is all.  And he is also not opposing the application.  That is their position, Chairperson.