On Friday August 12, the 10th anniversary of the day her brother was killed, Hester Mabebe received a call from a man who said he was part of a group of striking Marikana workers who hacked him to death.
The man called twice confessing that he was part of a group of Lonmin mineworkers who killed Hester's brother Eric on August 12 in 2012.
The call did not evoke any emotion in her, Mabebe told Sowetan.
“Time and time again he has been calling asking for forgiveness... He also spoke to my [other] brother saying the same thing. But I cannot reveal him. We told him that forgiveness is there even in the Bible, we’ve forgiven him.
“He said my brother did nothing wrong. Initially I did not want to speak to him but he has been calling asking that the two of us speak because he wants forgiveness,” Mabebe said.
The man called twice last week on Friday, 57-year-old Mabebe of Mohlakeng on the West Rand said.
“He also asked me if we have been paid for our loss and I told him that we have not received anything.”
Mabebe said her family has forgiven the man and others who took part in her brother's murder.
“All I want is for the people that killed my brother to go to court but I had already forgiven them. I told him we’ve forgiven him but deep down in our hearts we still feel the pain about our brother.
“I spoke to my family and we agreed to forgive him. I also spoke to the group of women I pray with and they said forgiveness is there but he must still face justice for what he did.”
Eric Mabebe, 38, an underground worker, had reported for duty at the shaft on the day he was killed. He walked back home after he was informed that there was a strike and he should return home. On his way home he met a group of striking workers who attacked him.
Mabebe still recalls the condition that the body of his brother was in when she went to view it at the mortuary the next day. Her two brothers who had gone with her did not have the courage to see the body. They asked to wait outside.
“He was gruesomely killed. His jaws were hanging... they removed his left eye and his right arm had dislocated. At the back he had holes from stabbings with sharp objects. He also had a gash on his head...
“His body was partly burnt because they left him between two vehicles which had been set alight. A man who was riding a bike saw his body and was able to pull it out,” Mabebe said.
In its final report, the commission recommended that the Director of Public Prosecutions should investigate Eric's death further and determine whether there are grounds for prosecution.
Mabebe now survives by selling perfumes in Mohlakeng while she lives in a shack.
Every August 12, the family prepares umqombothi (sorghum brew) for remembrance rituals at home and his grave.
Her other younger brother Francis was hired by the mine which is now owned by Sibanye-Stillwater. However, she said this is not enough as Eric was quite generous helping everyone in the family.
“What is hurting is that those who died on August 16 got lawyers and their matter is before the court. We, who lost our loved ones before that day, have nothing. I mean nothing at all.
“We do not even know who is supposed to compensate us for the suffering we have endured. Is it Lonmin or government? We don’t know,” Mabebe said.
Eric's eldest son, Fannie, is a construction worker while his sister, Mathapelo, is at varsity. Fannie has told Mabebe about the pain of losing his dad.
“He normally says that if his father was alive he [Fannie] could have been far in life. Now and again he would tell how much he misses his father.”
Mabebe said even if the mine had given her family millions of rand, it wouldn't give them closure until they fully understood the circumstances under which Eric died and for the family to get justice.
“Money is nothing; we want justice for our brother. Money comes and goes. It is 10 years, they have not given us a cent. For us what is important is to find justice.”
She still misses the special moments she had with her brother.
“He specialised in car engines. He was a Pirates fan and I am Chiefs. On Christmas, he would slaughter a sheep just for the family to have a good time together.”
dlaminip@sowetan.co.za
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