DRUG WOMAN'S SISTER TALKS

'You must come and see me soon." These were the tearful words of
Janice Linden to her two sisters, Nomalizwi Mhlophe and Priscilla
Mthalane, during a 45-minute visit at Guandong prison in China, the
day before she was executed by lethal injection.

She was not aware that she was going to die and one of the conditions
of the visit was that her sisters from Durban were not allowed to tell her.

Linden, 36 was arrested three years ago at the Baiyun International
Airport, in China after 3kg of tik (methamphetamine) was found in her luggage.

She only found out on Monday that a court appeal against her execution
had failed. Linden was then executed.

Speaking to the Daily News on Monday night, Mthalane said they were
still in shock about everything that they had experienced in China.
When Linden was brought to them, she was chained to what looked like a
wheelchair and her hands and feet tied.

"We were separated by glass and had between 10 and 15 Chinese
policemen watching us and listening to our every word.

"They said we must only speak English and that we could not tell her
that our uncle and mother had passed away in September or that she too
was going to be killed," she said, still sounding distraught.

Cried

Mthalane said Linden, whom they had not seen since 2008, had cried
like a child with joy to see them and when she asked how their mother
was, they had to lie and say she was fine.

She said it was the hardest thing for them not to be able to tell her
that they were seeing each other for the last time or even hug her.

"We asked to sprinkle holy water on her as we are Roman Catholics, but
they refused. We asked to take a picture with her and they still
refused even though they knew it was the last time we would see her.

"Our mother wanted to see her before she died and now she has also
died not knowing that mom has died. She still thought we would see
each other again. It is such a tragedy for us," she said.

Mthalane said they had so many questions that had been unanswered such
as the freedom Chinese people had in SA, saying in China black South
Africans were ill-treated.

"At customs they let everyone pass except me and my sister and threw
our clothes on the floor, including our underwear, and then made us
pick it up.

"It was humiliating, to say the least. I am sure that if my sister was
not black-skinned she would still be alive.

"We are hurt and just want answers why she was killed," she said.

Linden's nephew, Ntando Mthalane, said they were very disappointed
with the South African government as they felt they could have done
more to spare his aunt's life.

He said he felt that his aunt was killed because of her skin colour as
they had seen on TV that there was another man in China who was caught
with 7kg of cocaine, but he got a life sentence.

"We would have accepted a life sentence, but death for just 3kg is
hard to accept, more because in this country there are a lot of drug
dealers. We live with them, but they are still alive," he said.

For the family right now, according to Ntando, it felt like democracy
was not meant for the everyday man.

"My opinion of the (South African) government is that they could have
done more, but they didn't.

"But I am sure that if it was voting time they would have done more
and she would still be alive. If we trade with China, I am sure that
they could have done something, but they let her die," he said.

Ntando said he would miss his aunt for the many wonderful qualities,
but more for her love of people. "She was a people's person and she
will be missed," he said.

Linden's brother, Ramon Hunter, said her death was a huge loss to the
family as they were all very close. "South Africa is becoming another
colony of China, starting with the Dalai Lama and now this. It looks
like as a country we are being told what to do by the Chinese and it
is not right," he said.

Hunter said Linden was a friend and mother figure. "She used to help
people and she loved people. The Chinese gave her no choice. They did
not even tell her they were going to kill her until that day and it
really hurts," he said.

Neighbours yesterday took turns visiting the family home to express
their condolences to the family that was evidently still in shock
after learning from the television news that Linden was really gone.