‘We can’t even visit our graves’
The Constitutional Review Committee heard on Friday how families who were forced off their land now cannot locate the remains of their loved ones.
Emotions ran high at the public hearings on the possible amendment of section 25 of the constitution, as participants shared stories of disposession.
“As I am standing here, I do not know where my father’s grave is. They came and repossessed it and chased us away. When I became a member of the EFF, they helped me gain access to his land so I could go and see where his grave was. But when we got there we found that his remains had been dug out,” Christine Mlambo told the hearing.
#LandHearings Emotional scenes here in Sedibeng. An EFF community member says she has never seen her father’s grave since her family was evicted from a farm they stayed in. pic.twitter.com/h0qHqpafSp
— Jacaranda News (@JacaNews) July 27, 2018
Friday’s hearing in Sedibeng was relatively calm compared to the previous day’s hearing in Westonaria.
Chairperson of the Constitutional Review Committee, Vincent Smith, praised members of the public for their conduct.
“I just want to say these are the best hearings that we have heard so far,” he said.
ALSO READ: WATCH: Gauteng land hearings in Sedibeng
Public hearings in Gauteng will conclude tomorrow at the Heartfelt Arena in Tshwane.