Human Rights Violation Hearings — Port Elizabeth — 1996-06-27

BONGANI FINCA: I am not going to be long Chairperson, I would just like to thank everyone, all of the people from Port Elizabeth for the support and the respect and the dignity that you displayed in this special hearing yesterday and today.  We are very excited that in spite the cold, the hall is full.
 I just want to say Chairperson, if you will allow me, to explain something that kept on cropping up that people have requests about the ways in which they could be helped, we would need to emphasise this now and again, that the duty of the Commission is to make recommendations to the President of the country, President Mandela.
 The decisions and actions to be taken depend on the President and his Cabinet.  If someone made a particular request like the rebuilding of his or her house and that doesn't happen, I just want to explain this right from the outset, that the decision about implementation of this request depends on the President.
 I would like to thank you Chairperson for sharing today's session.  We got used to the assistance that you offered us and we have become dependent on your support and your assistance.
 We would like to thank Dr Mapule Ramashala who is the
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Commissioner from the Western Cape, who also managed to be with us in this hearing and others before.  Thank you Mapule.
 We feel incomplete without you and we hope that on all our hearings, if it is possible, we hope to be with you.  
 A special word of thanks to Advocate Potgieter.   Denzil, this is as far as I can remember the first hearing that you have attended.  In East London, you came but you had to leave urgently because of an interdict that was serving in court which you had to attend to, we have enjoyed your company and we are indeed very grateful that you have made the time to be with us.
 I would like to thank the NGO's here in Port Elizabeth.  Throughout the Eastern Cape where the NGO's have come together to form themselves into a NGO coordinating structure, where NGO's are openly of support of the TRC.  In the Eastern Cape we are not aware of another area where the NGO's have organised themselves into a structure to work in support of the TRC.
 The successes that we have enjoyed here, what we have achieved here, is not accidental - the Council of Churches and we do wish to convey our sincere thanks.  Can we thank the members of the South African police who in the last two days have been with us here.  I know that they are in a difficult position because the number of people who are named here as perpetrators come from the ranks of the police, and they have all the reasons to feel uncomfortable in our hearings.
 But we are indeed blessed and delighted that they have given us such good service and our hearings here in Port Elizabeth have been extremely well protected.  And we wish 
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to thank you sirs for that.
 Oh, yes, and ladies, who are serving in the police.
 Could I say a word of thanks to the choir in absentia for the rendering of the good music at the beginning of our sessions.  They have indeed inspired us.
 Finally all my colleagues, Sandi, Maya, Xundu, the staff under the Regional, the statement taker, the staff under Vic  Dunowani ... at very short notice to make this hearing possible and I am lucky and proud to have a team of your calibre.
 Lastly, I wish to announce our hearing here too.  In Queenstown from the 22nd to the 24th of July 1996.  Acting Chairperson, thank you very much.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you Revd Finca.  He couldn't thank himself, so I think I will have to thank him.
 Indeed if he was someone who couldn't work well with his team, they would not have been so inspired to make this occasion so successful.
 We thank him for that, thank you Revd Finca.
 Now I have the authority to say that we have now come to the end of this.