Truth, Reconciliation and National Unity Commission |23 April 2021

Mr Joubert and Mrs St Jorre

Two open session hearings

The Truth, Reconciliation and National Unity Commission continued with its first batch of hearings for this year wherein it had two open sessions yesterday.

The first hearing saw new complainant Jeannette Jorre de St Jorre set out her complaint before the commission, via Skype as she currently resides in Australia.

Mrs St Jorre, born Chang-Tave, was a teacher at St Claire’s school for two years and then a nurse at the Victoria Hospital for another two years. She also worked with social services for eight years

She explained that she came from a Democratic party-leaning family that supported former President James Mancham. Her uncle was a close family friend of the Manchams and so was Mrs St Jorre’s husband and mother-in-law.

“My brother, Rolly Chang-Tave, who resides in England, was friends with Simon Desnousse and Alton Ah-Time and the two men were like my brothers. Simon Desnousse was my daughter’s godfather, and they used to stay over at my house whenever they were still on the road at curfew,” said Mrs St Jorre.

Mr Ah-Time disappeared over 36 years ago on September 13, 1984 and activist Mr Desnousse died in suspicious circumstances, blown up in a car at Anse Forbans in October 1982, along with South African bomb expert, Mike Asher.

Due to these circumstances, Mrs St Jorre’s family made arrangements for her brother, Rolly, to get out of the country so that he would not end up as one of the people who disappeared or was killed during the one party regime.

She added that she also took in her youngest brother, Alex Chang-Tave, so that he could reside with her in Australia because he was being targeted in lieu of Rolly.

While in Seychelles, before her move to Australia, Mrs St Jorre said that she was also targeted and efforts were made to intimidate her, including difficulties to gain employment after she was forced to retire at only 31 years old.

When looking for employment, Mrs St Jorre was told that “we do not employ retirees” although she said she knew of people who had retired at that time and who were nonetheless working.

“In 1981, I received a letter dated 15th September from Mrs Maryse Berlouis that informed me that they were giving me early retirement. I was only 31,” she told the TRNUC. No reason was given for this premature retirement.

According to Mrs St Jorre, President France Albert Rene allegedly had told the minister in charge of her department that she was being given early retirement because she did not support the SPUP regime. She heard this statement through a third party.

She was also not eligible for an allowance or pension from welfare, and was basically left destitute with no means to fend for her family.

Both she and her husband were left with no avenue for employment in Seychelles.

Mrs St Jorre explained that people would come and walk up her roof during the period when her husband was in prison, adding that the noises sounded like someone in army boots.

“I do not know the reason behind such action, maybe it was to frighten me but I insulted them and heard them jump off the roof,” she explained.

Additionally Mrs St Jorre noted that she was also being followed by the infamous S1122 car, used by the State House then to follow and spy on people.

Mrs St Jorre’s husband, Hendrick, who she said was harassed and victimised more than she was, was imprisoned from November 1979 to October 1980.

Her husband had been employed with his mother (Mrs St Jorre’s mother-in-law) who had buses and pickups that made the route Victoria-Beau Vallon-Bel Ombre and held contracts with various hotels to transport workers to and from work.

After the SPUP government came and acquired her mother-in-law’s vehicles, in the spirit of nationalisation as was the case back then, Mrs St Jorre’s husband became a taxi driver.

Some while later, Mrs St Jorre’s husband was arrested after being stopped by the side of the road and informed that commissioner of police, James Pillay, wanted to see him.

Mr St Jorre was jailed immediately after reaching the Central Police Station and remained imprisoned for almost a year, without any explanation and seemingly no charge against him.

Mrs St Jorre said this episode deeply affected their then five-year-old son up to this day.

Upon release, her husband’s taxi license was revoked and he was unable to work.

Meanwhile, in yesterday’s afternoon session, the Truth, Reconciliation and National Unity Commission (TRNUC) also heard William Joubert, a witness in the case of Blaisila Hoffmann.

This is in relation to the death of Maxim Hoffman, an island manager with the Islands Development Company (IDC), who died on August 13, 1985, on Marie Louise island. His death was ruled a suicide by the police but Mr Hoffman’s sister, Blaisila, claims that it might not have been and asked the TRNUC to investigate the matter further.

Mr Joubert was also working on the island at that time and recounted how he witnessed Mr Hoffman taking poison meant for pests like caterpillars from a blue bottle and putting it in a soft drink to ingest.

“I smelled the drink and asked Hoffman whether he drank it and he said ‘no big friend, I did not’ and kept insisting that he had not,” recalled Mr Joubert.

Immediately he tried contacting someone through the radio, and reached the Aldabra station to which he explained that he believed that Mr Hoffman had poisoned himself.

Informed of the incident, Mr Savy and some medical staff made their way to Marie Louise in a plane but Mr Hoffman had passed by the time he reached the island, continued Mr Joubert.

The poisoned drink was later thrown away but the police were able to investigate the bottle minus the poison.

Mr Joubert also had to fly down to Mahé to give his statement to the police. He alleged that Mr Hoffman was involved with his partner, Wilna, but noted that he would never have poisoned him as revenge.

Elsie Pointe