Ventersdorp - The whole truth about the assault on former security guard Paul Motshabi has not been revealed, North West premier Supra Mahumapelo said on Sunday.
"You see Motshabi is being buried here today [Sunday]. Not the whole truth was told about how he was treated by [Eugene] Terre'Blanche and some other Afrikaners in the farms; there are still farmers who ill-treat farm workers in the province. And we hope that through our programme of reconciliation, healing, and renewal which is going to go through all small dorpies [towns] in the province we will be able to resolve some of the problems," he said.
Motshabi was left disabled after he was beaten by the late Afrikanerweerstandsbeweging (AWB) leader Eugene Terre'Blanche. He was crippled and suffered brain damage as a result of the attack. He died on August 23 of natural causes.
Mahumapelo said poverty forced people to work on farms. Government intended to go from farm by farm to inquire about graves on farms and where possible they would be exhumed and reburials conducted in a dignifying manner. "There are some people who are buried next to the roads, we want to know who are they and where are their families or relatives...", he said.
Motshabi's nephew Jan Mosegathebe said Terre'Blanche "tortured many people" in Ventersdorp. "Growing up in a farm made you brave. I was one of Terre'Blanche's victims. I was shoved into the boot of his Mercedes Benz, he took us to school," he said to the laughter of mourners.
The mood changed when he narrated how people were found dead in dams, some thrown from bridges. "I am worried about the families who did not know what happened to their family members. For us [it] is much better, he went to jail and we found closure in a way," he said.
Motshabi was buried in Tshing. The hearse carrying him and two other cars in the funeral procession had number plates bearing his name and a miniature photo. Hundreds of residents turned up for the funeral. They sang hymns and struggle songs to give him a send off fit for a hero. They described him as a friendly, happy person who had changed after he was assaulted. Motshabi was the last born of eight children and is survived by two elder brothers and two grandchildren.