Date: 03/10/2003
Source: The Presidency
Title: J Zuma: Trust Feed sod-turning ceremony
ADDRESS BY DEPUTY PRESIDENT JACOB ZUMA TO THE SOD-TURNING CEREMONY AT TRUST FEED, New Hanover, KwaZulu-Natal, 3 October 2003
The Minister of Transport in KwaZulu-Natal, S'bu Ndebele,
The Honourable Mayor, Mr Marshall Gwala,
The General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches, Molefe Tsele,
The Director of the Pietermaritzburg Agency for Christian Social Awareness, Karen Buckenham
Religious leaders,
Community of Trust Feed
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a truly moving experience to be with you here today, as we remember the eleven innocent lives that were lost in 1988.
We are honoured to be visiting a community, which has taught the rest of our country, and indeed the whole continent if not the whole world, that it is possible to move away from conflict and begin new lives based on reconciliation.
This community was severely traumatised and torn apart by the massacre of 1988, organised and executed by members of the apartheid police force.
The allegations about the existence of a Third Force, which was fuelling violence in this province and Gauteng, had been denied by the apartheid government. The Trust Feed Massacre became a concrete example of this.
The Trust Feed community is an important reminder to us of the importance of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), which is one of the most innovative interventions this country has ever produced.
We remain convinced that the TRC was beneficial as a healing process to many South Africans who were able to find out what had happened to their loved ones and comrades.
In recognition of the fact that reconciliation is a process and not an event, the TRC in its final report made specific recommendations and proposals in an attempt to contribute to the process of national unity and reconciliation.
What is happening here - the coming together of the community to recommit to peace and build a monument to this tragic event - is a lesson for us all about the power of reconciliation and the results of full disclosure before the TRC.
There can be no forgiveness and closure without the truth. The essence of the TRC was that the truth would free us from pain, uncertainty and hatred.
We must therefore commend Brian Mitchell, the former police captain for coming clean before the TRC Amnesty Committee, with regard to his role in this massacre. That courageous step has enabled this community to come to terms with their suffering and extend their forgiveness.
The role Mr Mitchell is playing in the rebuilding of the community as well makes the story of Trust Feed incredibly unique. Only in South Africa can someone who caused so much pain, be openly accepted back into the community.
And only in this country can the same person begin to work to rebuild the same community he once sought to destroy, as Mr Mitchell is doing through fundraising for development and other efforts.
Another lesson we have learnt from Trust Feed, is that we should never allow outsiders, wherever they could be from, to come in and divide our communities turning brother against brother, sister against sister.
Supporters of the Inkatha Freedom Party and the erstwhile United Democratic Front had lived together for many years here, with no conflict between them, until the apartheid security network came to divide them to entrench the myth of so-called black on black violence. This was supposed to create a stereotype that the majority is not ready to govern, and that once they were free a civil war would ensue.
There may be people within this community who still need to come to terms with what they did. We trust that with time, they would begin to acknowledge their role in the massacre and the conflict as a whole. This will assist them to achieve forgiveness, inner peace and closure.
The community of Trust Feed is indeed an excellent example to all of us, especially as we prepare to celebrate the 10th anniversary of our democracy.
We entered 1994 filled with great optimism, and we had good reason for this, given our policies and programmes. We have put them to the test over the last nine years, and are pleased that the access to services and a better life for all has widened, meaning our policies were correct.
But most importantly, we should all celebrate the manner in which on 27 April, we reclaimed our freedom and the right to human dignity, which we had been denied for decades. Enshrined in our Constitution, these rights are there to protect generations and generations of South Africans.
We should all defend this hard-won democracy. Let us consolidate and defend our gains, and close ranks around our country and its achievements.
We truly have a lot to celebrate on 27 April next year. The community of Trust Feed must on this day celebrate the triumph of the human spirit over adversity. You need to celebrate that you were able to overcome bitterness and anger, and allowed your former adversary to become a part of your lives again, part of reconstruction and development.
The story of Trust Feed is indeed a microcosm of the story of South Africa - a story of pain and suffering, followed by forgiveness, reconciliation, reconstruction and development.
I must also acknowledge the role played by the religious community in assisting the healing process here in Trust Feed. We were fortunate during our struggle, for this country to have religious leaders who were not afraid to tell the truth, the help the suffering, and to confront the oppressor. They were also always there to support those who were in pain, the families of detainees, the widows and orphans, the wounded and maimed.
The religious community continues to do this up to this day, in our democratic era, ministering to those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS, and working for the regeneration of moral fibre of our country, amongst many other contributions.
The role of our religious community, and all other sectors, are contributions we will be celebrating as we mark our 10th anniversary.
We urge the religious community to continue the people of Trust Feed, side by side with other sectors, to ensure that this community is rebuilt and becomes a living monument of the resilience of the South African people, and our ability to put the interests of our country and others before those of our own.
I wish you all the best with the reconstruction efforts and the plans you are seeking to undertake, including the building of a monument in the forms of a resource centre. You have come this far, things can only get better from now on.
I urge the business community from this province to show support for sustainable peace and development, by supporting your development needs. Government alone cannot be expected to shoulder the development burdens and redress the legacy of apartheid. I am sure we can rely on our business sector to invest in such a success story for reconciliation and peace.
May you continue to provide hope to us all and to make us proud.
I thank you.
Enquiries: Zanele Mngadi, Cell: 082-781 9332, Office: 012-300 5200/5311, Fax: 012-300 5781 Email: zanelem@po.gov.za
Issued by: The Presidency
3 October 2003
Source: The Presidency
Title: J Zuma: Trust Feed sod-turning ceremony
ADDRESS BY DEPUTY PRESIDENT JACOB ZUMA TO THE SOD-TURNING CEREMONY AT TRUST FEED, New Hanover, KwaZulu-Natal, 3 October 2003
The Minister of Transport in KwaZulu-Natal, S'bu Ndebele,
The Honourable Mayor, Mr Marshall Gwala,
The General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches, Molefe Tsele,
The Director of the Pietermaritzburg Agency for Christian Social Awareness, Karen Buckenham
Religious leaders,
Community of Trust Feed
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a truly moving experience to be with you here today, as we remember the eleven innocent lives that were lost in 1988.
We are honoured to be visiting a community, which has taught the rest of our country, and indeed the whole continent if not the whole world, that it is possible to move away from conflict and begin new lives based on reconciliation.
This community was severely traumatised and torn apart by the massacre of 1988, organised and executed by members of the apartheid police force.
The allegations about the existence of a Third Force, which was fuelling violence in this province and Gauteng, had been denied by the apartheid government. The Trust Feed Massacre became a concrete example of this.
The Trust Feed community is an important reminder to us of the importance of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), which is one of the most innovative interventions this country has ever produced.
We remain convinced that the TRC was beneficial as a healing process to many South Africans who were able to find out what had happened to their loved ones and comrades.
In recognition of the fact that reconciliation is a process and not an event, the TRC in its final report made specific recommendations and proposals in an attempt to contribute to the process of national unity and reconciliation.
What is happening here - the coming together of the community to recommit to peace and build a monument to this tragic event - is a lesson for us all about the power of reconciliation and the results of full disclosure before the TRC.
There can be no forgiveness and closure without the truth. The essence of the TRC was that the truth would free us from pain, uncertainty and hatred.
We must therefore commend Brian Mitchell, the former police captain for coming clean before the TRC Amnesty Committee, with regard to his role in this massacre. That courageous step has enabled this community to come to terms with their suffering and extend their forgiveness.
The role Mr Mitchell is playing in the rebuilding of the community as well makes the story of Trust Feed incredibly unique. Only in South Africa can someone who caused so much pain, be openly accepted back into the community.
And only in this country can the same person begin to work to rebuild the same community he once sought to destroy, as Mr Mitchell is doing through fundraising for development and other efforts.
Another lesson we have learnt from Trust Feed, is that we should never allow outsiders, wherever they could be from, to come in and divide our communities turning brother against brother, sister against sister.
Supporters of the Inkatha Freedom Party and the erstwhile United Democratic Front had lived together for many years here, with no conflict between them, until the apartheid security network came to divide them to entrench the myth of so-called black on black violence. This was supposed to create a stereotype that the majority is not ready to govern, and that once they were free a civil war would ensue.
There may be people within this community who still need to come to terms with what they did. We trust that with time, they would begin to acknowledge their role in the massacre and the conflict as a whole. This will assist them to achieve forgiveness, inner peace and closure.
The community of Trust Feed is indeed an excellent example to all of us, especially as we prepare to celebrate the 10th anniversary of our democracy.
We entered 1994 filled with great optimism, and we had good reason for this, given our policies and programmes. We have put them to the test over the last nine years, and are pleased that the access to services and a better life for all has widened, meaning our policies were correct.
But most importantly, we should all celebrate the manner in which on 27 April, we reclaimed our freedom and the right to human dignity, which we had been denied for decades. Enshrined in our Constitution, these rights are there to protect generations and generations of South Africans.
We should all defend this hard-won democracy. Let us consolidate and defend our gains, and close ranks around our country and its achievements.
We truly have a lot to celebrate on 27 April next year. The community of Trust Feed must on this day celebrate the triumph of the human spirit over adversity. You need to celebrate that you were able to overcome bitterness and anger, and allowed your former adversary to become a part of your lives again, part of reconstruction and development.
The story of Trust Feed is indeed a microcosm of the story of South Africa - a story of pain and suffering, followed by forgiveness, reconciliation, reconstruction and development.
I must also acknowledge the role played by the religious community in assisting the healing process here in Trust Feed. We were fortunate during our struggle, for this country to have religious leaders who were not afraid to tell the truth, the help the suffering, and to confront the oppressor. They were also always there to support those who were in pain, the families of detainees, the widows and orphans, the wounded and maimed.
The religious community continues to do this up to this day, in our democratic era, ministering to those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS, and working for the regeneration of moral fibre of our country, amongst many other contributions.
The role of our religious community, and all other sectors, are contributions we will be celebrating as we mark our 10th anniversary.
We urge the religious community to continue the people of Trust Feed, side by side with other sectors, to ensure that this community is rebuilt and becomes a living monument of the resilience of the South African people, and our ability to put the interests of our country and others before those of our own.
I wish you all the best with the reconstruction efforts and the plans you are seeking to undertake, including the building of a monument in the forms of a resource centre. You have come this far, things can only get better from now on.
I urge the business community from this province to show support for sustainable peace and development, by supporting your development needs. Government alone cannot be expected to shoulder the development burdens and redress the legacy of apartheid. I am sure we can rely on our business sector to invest in such a success story for reconciliation and peace.
May you continue to provide hope to us all and to make us proud.
I thank you.
Enquiries: Zanele Mngadi, Cell: 082-781 9332, Office: 012-300 5200/5311, Fax: 012-300 5781 Email: zanelem@po.gov.za
Issued by: The Presidency
3 October 2003
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