Human Rights Violation Hearings — Karoo — 1996-10-09

ZINAKILE ASYIA: Thank you for giving me this opportunity.  I am glad that my view point has been requested.  In Colesberg, after all the chaos we gathered our thoughts, we sat down, we looked at our vision, a new vision, what aims de we have, what is our goal.  We have achieve d political goal.  We now need a new goal.  We try to show each other and enlighten each other that there is a back log,  a developmental back log in Colesberg.
Our people are not developed enough.  Our houses are like dog houses.  If Colesberg was not in the Karoo, then we would be talking about shacks that are united by fire, by floods.  
My deep wish is that they lives of the people of Colesberg could be developed in some way.  All you see here are farms.  The farmers are not worried about the people who live in Colesberg.  Economically we are in the periphery of things.
There should be ways that bring us to the centre of the economy.  Projects should be commenced, so that the standard of our lives can be developed to a higher level.  We need to participate in the economy of our country.  Who is doing what for Colesberg?  There is  a lot of potential.  People have potential here, but if these people with a lot of potential come forward, the people in power continue to suppress them.
People use their authority to suppress' potential.  We today are talking about 280 houses in Colesberg.  
We organised a housing board to come here, to listen to our grievances.  This housing board went to Kimberley, saying that they approved the 280 houses be built in Colesberg.  Today that was just stopped.  We started this process all together, but some just gave up.  They did not endure.
Those people that have a achieved their goals just forgot about those that were left behind.  This board has someone in Parliament.  The man in Parliament is able to stop the project at his own will.  He has a certain group here back home.  He uses this group to make life impossible.  They burst water pipes so that people don't continue with the project.  We have tried to involve the police.  We want everyone to be involved, the politicians, as well, but this has all been in vain.  Only because of certain people.  That is why Colesberg is in a back log developmentally.  
I am not putting the blame on the community.  I am putting the blame on people who claim to be leaders, even myself.  These people do not want the development to continue.  These leaders must let the people develop, this is my wish.

MARY BURTON: Thank you Mr Asiya.  As you know is to look into the years between 1960 and 1993 and part of our recording is to expose the events of that time, but the other part of our task is to look for ways in which reparation and rehabilitation can be made.  And that is why we are interested in some of the need for development that we hear and at the end of the process of the Truth and Reconciliation.
It will be our job to present a report to the President and Parliament for ways in which we believe reparation and restitution can be made.  Perhaps that kind of development is on of the things that can be done in the future so that the people are not left behind.  
And one of the reasons that the Commission moves to small towns like Colesberg, is precisely to allow the present conditions as well as the past to be heard by the rest of the country.  Thank you very much indeed.  Thank you.