My name is Olga N. Macingwane living in Zweletemba Township.
My residential adress is 29 Busa Avenue: Kwez Worcester. I was married but now
I am a widow. My husband was passed away in 2003 May 23 by a car accident. I
have got three children two boys and a girl. I decided to wrote this story
about myself because of the painful I have. This happened about thirteen years
ago, but it’s still a pain to me because of the difficulties I still facing.
What makes me so angry it’s when I see my children suffering. So I cannot
accept my life like this. I try by all means to counsel myself but it doesn’t
work. It is very difficult to grew children alone without someone helping. In
all what I can say I thank god in every step. I also thank my husband’s family
they always on my side. But what I can say is this, I cannot accept this life.
My life is not alright. Briefly let me tell you what happend at that Christmas
Eve. It was a sad day in the afternoon. I was accompanied about my husband. We
left home at about ten o’clock in the morning because my husband was going to
De Doorns by train. I left my husband halfway to the station. I go back to Ok
Bazaars making some shopping.....
......
I enter at Shoprite Checkers
everybody was happy. I try to ask what is this bad smelling but nobody answer
me. I took the trolley making some groceries. When I finish I try to go to the
teller. I see all the tellers are full. I try to go to the other I find the
teller not full. I stand behind a coloured man. He was paying four litre cool drink.
I stood behind him. When I finish taking all the groceries out of the trolley,
I open my wallet. I took the money, about three hundred rand because the
groceries was about two hundred and something rands. She was a lady who saves
me. When I gave her I didn’t know what happened. There was a big blast and it
became pitch black. After some time I tried to stand up I couldn’t stand up it
was so painful to stand. I didn’t see even the lady I gave her some money, I
see only myself. At the back of Shoprite bakery I hear someone saying to me
‘come here.’ I couldn’t stand up. I walk with my knees until at the back. I go
out with a back door. There were two guys who were passed away, they pick me up
to the end of the road. I said to them leave me here. After a few seconds I
hear another big blast. It was where I didn’t know what happened. I was
unconscious from that time, it was around about +/- 1:35 pm in the afternoon
because I was inside Shoprite Checkers around 1:15 pm.
I woke up 6h00pm in the evening at
Eben Donges hospital. When I woke up I tried to ask the nurse who was beside
me, asking her what happened. She told me that, “did you know that there was a
Bomb blast at Shoprite Checkers?” I was very afraid starting to cry because I
didn’t see the bomb we only see it on the TV’s. I was afraid starting to cry
and thinking of my children and I left home at 10h00 am in the morning because
my husband was going to De Doorns by train. He is going to take the train about
12h00 am. I ask the doctor to discharge me even if it was so sick because it
was a Christmas the next day. After Christmas I go back to the hospital. I was
treated the whole year. My both legs were damaged. I was using the walking
sticks. My backage was painful. My both ears were treated. I hear a big blast
for a long time. My left ear even now there’s something fluid passing out. It’s
a yellowish in colour.
The Impact of the Bomb Blast
I cannot sleep the whole night, two
hours is enough for me. I cannot sleep without using paintables. Sometimes I
like to be alone. I cannot work because I cannot stand for ten hours per day.
Especially at summertime my both legs are swollen. I am suffering to grow up
children alone, because my husband was past away in May 23 in 2003.
My children didn’t finish at school
because I am not working I am suffering financially. I have got three children.
But I like to thank my husband’s family they help me a lot but not regularly.
Even now they stay there to my husband’s family but it is not nice to stay
without your children. I like one day to stay my children if God can help me.
Ups and Downs of Life Until I Met
German People
On the 28 October 2009 there were
two guys called Toney and Richard came in Worcester. They came oversea. They
invite the victims of the Bomb blast. It was me (Olga) and the other lady who
was walking at Shoprite Checkers and the mother of the late Sweetness Busakwe
who was also a victim and was working at Shoprite Checkers. We meet at
Zanokhnayo Educare Center at Mrs. Ndomoyi’s place. These two guys asked someone
who can share the story of Shoprite Checkers. The two ladies refuses, they say
“No,” they are tired of everybody coming here wanting the story. When these two
guys asked me what are my views about this. I said to them Yes I am willing to
share the story. They asked me when I come the next morning to share the story
at Shoprite Checkers alone. I said to them I am willing to share story. The
next morning they came to pick me up to Shoprite Checkers. I was accompanied my
Mrs. Louis Gertrude and Mrs. Elvin Ndomoyi. We go to Shoprite Checkers. It was
around by ten o’clock in the morning. We arrive at Shoprite Checkers about
10.15 am.
When we came to Shoprite Checkers
these two guys took there cameras Televising everything there. I show them
where I was standing and told them what was happening. It was a sad day because
when I tried to tell the story I collapse again in front of the teller, because
I tried to show Tony and Richard what happened. They televised the whole story.
We left at Shoprite Checkers at 12h30 pm afternoon. We came to my house about
2h00pm. They interview me from 2h00 pm until 3h30 pm inside my house. After
that they took me some photos. I showed them the papers I read in 2002 it is
where I know that my perpetrators were being sentenced. I told Toney and
Richard that I didn’t know their appearance in court. We didn’t know nothing
about the case. The whole thirteen years. They told me that did I aware that
these perpetrators want the Forgiveness and they are going to appear in court
the next week which is 10 November 2009. I said to them I didn’t know that. I
told them I am willing to go to Pretoria but it is a short notice and I have
got money to go to Pretoria. The day they visited me it was on Wednesday. My
perpetrators are supposed to appear the next Tuesday. On Friday night the same
week I receive the phone call from Toney and Richard saying that they prepare
me a hired car to come and fetch me and they told me that they already booked a
hotel for me to come to Joburg....
......
They ask me that I am fit to go to
Pretoria Prison.
I said to them “Yes” because I want
to see my perpetrator for almost thirteen years ago. We arrived at Pretoria
Prison about 2h00 pm in the afternoon. Toney and Richard televised outside the
prison. They ask me how do I feel now because we are here in the Prison now? I
said to them I cannot say anything now and I cannot unless I can first meet
Stefaans Cotzee. When we enter the Prison the management didn’t allow us to
come in with the cameras. We left the cameras in the entrance. We go inside
without the cameras. It was a sad day for me. When we get inside we saw this
young man here we didn’t expect that he should be him because he was to young.
When we enter the room the management, Social assistant head Prison, Toney,
Richard, Maje, Harris Sebeka, Olga Macingwane, Elvin Ndomoyi and Gertrude Louw.
We introduce each other firstly. I was very surprised to see my perpetrator as
a young man like Stefanns Cotzee I expect a man with a big body and the man
with a middle ages. Everybody who was there he ask Stefaans the questions and
he was a brilliant somebody he wrote down the questions and he answered each
and every question. When they finished they asked me to question Stefaans. The
first thing I ask is me to pray. After that I ask Stefaans Cotzee Why he do so
bad thing to me. He answered me saying that I hate the black people. He said
that his parents also hate the black people.
He told me that he was trained by
the Wit Wolwe people to do bombd, trained to shoot, he was living on the farm
in Beaufort West. He has been deploy to attack people to plant the bombs over
the world. He said he was not involve in the bomb who was blast in Shoprite
Checkers. He sad he was very surprised. He sad he planted the bomb at the Taxi
Rank of black people, but it does not blast. He planted there because he knows
that the black people are there and are busy with shopping. I ask him Stefaans
what are your intentions about your future. He said he like to be the father
one day and he like to be married so that he can teach his children the right
way to live. I ask him again ‘ Stefaans if I can forgive you and what did you
promise to do for us as a victim. He said Olga I promise nothing because I was
here in prison from eighteen years old I’ve got nothing so I cannot promise
anything, but what I want I want to change my life and I want to go back to my
community and teach other young people how to live. He said he do something he
in Prison to train other young people. He talked to me with tears in his eyes.
When I leave here in Worcester I told myself that I cannot forgive this person
because I have a pain, but when I talk to Stefaans and told me the whole story,
I started thinking of my children and I told myself that if it was my child
what would happen. I said to him Stefaans I forgive you. He doesn’t believe me
that I forgive him. I said to him really Stefaans I forgive you. After that I
said to him whether Stefaans this story you told me is true or false it’s up to
you. It is only God who knows that you are telling me the truth or not. I said
to him I am not your Judgement, your judgement is your God. I said again to him
Stefaans I stand up now, I hug him in front of the people and I feel pain with
tears on my eyes, I said to him I forgive you. But I am not taking the
decisions for the other victims I do this for my own sake. Everybody in this
room was full of tears on his or her eyes. It was a sad moment but after some
few seconds everybody was feel alright. We talk to the Head Prison that we ask
Stefaans one day to come to Worcester, so that he can come and share his views
with other victims. Stefaans promise to write a letter to other victims asking
forgiveness and told them that he was very happy to meet with Olga. The other
thing makes me to forgive him is because I ask him where are these people who
trained you, are they come to visit you here in prison. He said “no” they
didn’t come to visit him. I ask him about his parents’ Are your parents come to
visit you? He said his parents didn’t come to visit him in the prison. We shake
hands with eachother in the room. We stand up and go....
.......
I told them I feel good now because
after thirteen years I have seen my perpetrator and I have asked the other
victims to come and visit Stefaans because they can be healed.
This was written by: Olga N.
Macingwane
And signed by: Olga N. Macingwane
On the day of 20th August
2010
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