The justice and constitutional development ministry has handed over “cheques” amounting to over R40m to 220 Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) beneficiaries in Ndwedwe, KwaZulu-Natal.
During the handing over ceremony on Tuesday, President Cyril Ramaphosa called it a milestone in the long journey towards justice and reconciliation. “This place, Ndwedwe, occupies a place of profound historical significance,” he said.
“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.
“The report recommended that the state give special attention to housing assistance in areas such as Ndwedwe, where violence resulted in mass destruction of property and displacement. ”
More than two decades after the TRC completed its work, only 114 beneficiaries from Ndwedwe have received R21m from the President’s Fund. The 220 people who received the R40m had been positively verified out of 476 people as beneficiaries in 2026.
Ramaphosa said the provision of reparations was not just an act of goodwill but a moral obligation and a vital part of restoring people’s dignity. “The symbolic cheques represent R40m in cumulative assistance being provided to the verified beneficiaries to build a home or improve their existing homes,” he said.
Justice and constitutional development minister Mmamoloko Kubayi said the handing over forms part of a broader national allocation of R87.2m for the area, with each qualifying household eligible for a once-off housing grant capped at R183,257 and subject to application and verification. “I’m saddened by the fact that innocent people in our country have endured unnecessary pain and suffering because oppression and racial segregation have poisoned everything,” she said.
“By establishing the TRC, we communicated the message to the world that as South Africans, we have freely chosen to reconcile and live together in peace in a South Africa that belongs to all who live in it, black and white. Living together in peace meant that we needed to work together to find ways to bring justice, dignity, and reparations to the victims of apartheid. ”
Nomarussia Bonase, human rights activist and leader of Khulumani Support Group, which advocates for reparations for victims of apartheid atrocities, said although they welcomed the reparations, they were saddened they were never informed about it.
“We were not informed, irrespective of our many calls on the president to address us from the Constitutional Court, as we represent different communities. Under his government, we’re facing revictimisation and gross human rights violations.
“All we’re asking is that victims, survivors and their families receive proper reparations, redress and restoration of human dignity. Our demand is socioeconomic and cultural justice, which will correct the wrongs of the past and present.”
Ramaphosa has also established a judicial commission of inquiry to determine whether attempts were made to prevent the investigation and prosecution of TRC cases.
Sowetan
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