CHAIRPERSON
I would like to welcome you all on behalf of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee to this the second day of our hearings in the East Rand.   Yesterday we were in Tiduza, today we are here, tomorrow we will be in Vosloorus.
 We are very pleased and grateful to the local Council for letting us use these facilities.  We are very pleased that you are all here.  We would like to welcome you very warmly to this hearing and what I will do first is just to explain some of the procedures so that you get a better idea for those who had not been at hearings before, to get an idea of what happens.
 Firstly, in terms of interpretation you will see that we do have interpretative facilities here for everybody and there are earphones, microphones available for everybody.   Those who need them, the three channels, if I could explain:  English is on two;  Zulu is on three;  Sotho is on four.
 I must make one appeal on behalf of all of us about these earphones.  They are intrinsically tied up to this system.   They do not function outside of this system.  So the message is, please make sure that when you use them, you use them here and here only and when you leave, you leave them behind.   Thanks very much.
Secondly I would like to explain, you have copies of the programme for today.  I would like to explain that Committee member, Tom Manthata is with us but is not chairing.  I will be chairing the session today.  My name is Hugh Lewin.  I am on the Human Rights Violations Committee and I would like to introduce the rest of the panel. 
 We have with us today, from my left Tom Manthata, who is a Committee member of the Reparation and Rehabilitation Committee;  on my immediately left is Dr Russell Ally, who is a Committee member of the Human Rights Violations Committee;  on my immediate right is Ms Joyce Seroke, who is also a Committee member of the Human Rights Violations Committee and then on my extreme right is Dr Fazel Randera, who is a Commissioner of the Human Rights Violations Committee.  He is also the Convener of the Gauteng area of the Commission.
 What we will do during the day, you will see that we will do the cases.   There is a break for tea and there is a break for lunch, but those who have not been here before will see how the day proceeds.
 I would like to make one appeal.  Cell phones please, off.   We do not need to be interrupted by cell phones.  
 I would also like to make the point that these hearings are essentially a day for the witnesses to come forward and tell their stories.  Everything we do, everything about the day is geared quite specifically for those who are coming to make statements.   If you think about it you will realise that it is quite an undertaking to do that.
 We welcome the witnesses very warmly and we ask 
everyone to respect the fact that this is their day.  This is their time for telling those stories.
 I would also like to explain that those who are 
appearing today as witnesses, their statements have been chosen from a large number of statements that we have had.  The areas that are covered specifically today include Benoni, obviously, Wattville, Actonville and Daveyton.  
 And, what we try to do with the hearings is to make the statements as representative as possibly, both in chronological time, also in terms of the activities and the events that are taken place in the particular areas.
 What we need to stress as well, is the fact that some people are chosen to appear in public and some people who have made statements and do not appear in public makes no difference at all to the way in which these statements are treated by the Commission.   
 Every statement that is made to the Commission by people, recounting their pain, their suffering during the years as covered by the Commission, 1960 to 1994, every statement is treated exactly the same and will be treated in exactly the same way in the final report of the Commission.  I think that does need to be stated.
 I would now like to ask is we could please stand and I would call on Rev Mbanda, who is from the Anglican Church in Daveyton to lead us please in prayer before we start our proceedings.  Rev Mbanda thank you.