 Brian Mphahlele bends forward so that the scars are visible, white stripes criss-crossing the back of his head. He talks very matter of factly about his torture under the apartheid regime, he skims over the 10 years spent on Robben Island as a political prisoner, and he calmly lists the human rights abuses inflicted on his friends, family and associates. The pain is still there, but Mphahlele has learnt to either ignore it or push it to one side.
"I have to live with it, I can't let it ruin my life," he says neutrally. But when he talks about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) his hands begin to shake, his face darkens and his eyes fill with tears. The pain is raw and very visible.
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 The Khulumani Victims of Apartheid Support Group has lambasted the ANC's Polokwane resolution for not providing financial assistance to former freedom fighters. It says millions of ordinary South Africans, who also helped end apartheid, have been left out in the cold and are languishing in squalid conditions. The group, representing nearly 60 000 claimants for reparations, is currently in the process of suing 11 major foreign multi-nationals for allegedly aiding and abetting the apartheid regime.
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 The first five volumes of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's (TRC) report were handed to then President Mandela at a specially convened function on 29 October, 1998. This was a significant day for all South Africans. On that occasion President Mandela stated:
“It is for those of us who have the means, to contribute to the efforts to repair the damage wrought by the past. It is for those who have suffered losses of different kinds and magnitudes to be afforded reparation, proceeding from the premise that freedom and dignity are the real prize that our sacrifices were meant to attain.” Ten Years Later On this day, ten years later, we call on government to:
● recognise that many victims and survivors of apartheid gross human right abuses and violations – people whose sacrifices helped bring us our freedom and dignity – are today worse off than under apartheid. Khulumani is willing and able to assist in making this right. On this day, ten years later, we call on “those who have the means” to:
● contribute to the efforts to repair the damage wrought by the past specifically with respect to the victims and survivors of apartheid gross human rights abuses and violations. On this day, ten years later, we call on those who have suffered and sacrificed to:
● continue to build our country and our democracy and also to join us in claiming appropriate reparations and rehabilitation as recommended in the TRC report. |
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khulumani: a support group. a social movement. a strong voice.