Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi says government’s housing reparations programme is not only about rebuilding homes, but about healing the deep divisions left by apartheid.
Kubayi was speaking at the launch of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Housing Assistance Reparations programme in Ndwedwe, KwaZulu-Natal, where President Cyril Ramaphosa is officiating the event.
The launch coincides with the 30-year commemoration of South Africa’s Constitution, held under the theme: “Renew, Reflect and Recommit”.
“We are here to rebuild homes but more importantly, to restore dignity and help communities heal,” Kubayi said.
She explained that the programme targets families whose homes were destroyed during apartheid, often because they were suspected of harbouring activists or supporting liberation movements such as the African National Congress (ANC) and the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC).
“In many instances, entire communities were targeted and wiped out, leaving families homeless simply because they were seen as supporting the struggle for freedom,” she said.
Kubayi highlighted Ndwedwe as one of the affected communities, where about 220 houses were destroyed, leaving families displaced and without assistance for decades.
“These families never returned to their homes. Today, through the TRC recommendations, we are correcting that injustice,” she said.
The Minister noted that the programme forms part of the implementation of recommendations contained in the seven volumes of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report, which identified victims eligible for reparations.
Through the newly finalised regulations, affected families will receive support to rebuild or extend their homes, depending on their needs.
Kubayi said the initiative sends a deliberate message about the importance of acknowledging the past in order to build a united future.
“For us to be able to rebuild South Africa, we have to heal the divisions of the past. We have to recognise what has happened. Reparations are a critical part of that process."
She also stressed that the impact of apartheid-era violence was not limited to urban areas.
“The pain was not only felt in townships and cities. Rural communities were affected. That's why the rebuilding of this nation must [be] across [the board] as we celebrate 30 years of our Constitution under the theme of '30 Years of the Constitution: Renew, Reflect and Recommit,” she said.
Kubayi said the moment serves as an opportunity for the country to recommit to the values of democracy and nation-building.
“We do believe that this moment, coming here to Ndwedwe, helps us to reflect and renew our commitment to the principles and values of our democracy, and also to recommit to rebuilding our nation and healing the divisions of our past.”
The programme includes a symbolic handover of housing assistance to selected beneficiaries and forms part of government’s broader efforts to advance restorative justice and redress for victims of apartheid-era human rights violations. – SAnews.gov.za
