TRC housing programme to ‘heal apartheid scars’: Ramaphosa
Apartheid victims identified through the TRC will receive housing support under a new government programme launched in Ndwedwe, aimed at restoring dignity and addressing the lasting impact of political violence.
Apartheid victims, identified through the TRC process, will receive housing support from the state.
The mayor of the Ndwedwe Local Municipality says the Truth and Reconciliation Commission housing assistance reparations programme will help heal the scars of the past.
Apartheid victims, identified through the TRC process, will receive housing support from the state.
President Cyril Ramaphosa launched the initiative at the Sonkombo Sports Field on Tuesday.
TRC housing programme brings relief to apartheid victims in Ndwedwe
Ramaphosa said there were hundreds of cases of arson, assault, killings and forced removals in Ndwedwe.
“During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Ndwedwe was one of the areas in KwaZulu-Natal most affected by political violence. People were forced to flee their homes. Homes were burned, and property was destroyed. Many innocent lives were lost. Families were rendered homeless and broken up.
“Many people lost their livelihoods and access to their land. The effects of the violence lasted for many years, and some still persist to this day. When the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was established in 1995 to uncover the atrocities that had been committed under apartheid, survivors from Ndwedwe testified at the hearings. A number of them were elderly victims, who are now in their eighties and nineties.”
Ndwedwe mayor outlines beneficiary selection process
Mayor Samuel Mfeka says they will use the list of those who testified before the TRC to identify beneficiaries for now.
"After the violence had ended at the late nineties, there was a TRC Commission. A lot of people in Ndwedwe went through the TRC to testify.
"We understand that not everybody went forward, and the president did indicate to us that once that is done, he will look into opening a new page for other applicants who had their houses destroyed."
Housing reparations programme aims to restore dignity and closure
Mfeka says this will bring closure to the community.
"Over 222 houses have already been built. We're building in the people's yards. Some people reside together. That's what we are doing. We're not building some sort of location community."
