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Boipatong 1992 is remembered

ONE of the youngest survivors of the Boipatong massacre says she is not bitter or angry about the incident

The massacre, which took place on June 17 1992, saw 45 people killed and many more injured by KwaMadala hostel dwellers.

Mitta Molete, who was three years old at the time, survived death after she was hacked on the head with an axe. She miraculously survived but her injuries left her wheelchair-bound.

Now 22, Molete says she's not bitter or angry.

"I was still a baby at the time and I don't remember anything."

Her mother, Mmatseleng Molete, told of her fear when the men, believed to have been IFP impis, broke into their house on the night.

"They broke the window and managed to get it inside. I was scared for Mitta because she was just a baby at the time.

"I saw a man in my house and begged him not to hurt us, but he hit me with a panga, which I managed to block. Unfortunately it hit Mitta on the head and left her with a split head," she said.

What followed was a frantic race against time to save her daughter's life.

"I had basic knowledge of first aid, so I wrapped a cloth around her head to close the opening and took her to hospital," she said.

"On our way she would lost consciousness but, thankfully, survived."

Mitta, who is an information technology student, said: "I'd like to be a systems developer when I'm through with my studies".

Sedibeng municipality mayor Mahole Mofokeng donated a house to the family worth R300,000.

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