LEWE NA APARTHEID: LIDMATE SE NARRATIEWE VANUIT 'N ...

Bylaag 7: Gesprek 7 (4 November 1998)
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Danie: Iets wat ek van die begin af gehoor het hier in ons gesprekke en wat ons ook
met mekaar gedeel het, van die begin af, is die menswaardigheid van mense. To have
a mutual feeling for the dignity, self-respect of people, respect for each other and selfrespect.
Ek kan net vir Quincy sê, ek het baie goed met hom geïdentifiseer toe hy
gepraat het van ds. Z. Daar is darem ook goeie ds. Z's. Linda se pa is een. Wat
interessant is, and I've also been worked out by a white dominee, I can share that
feeling with you.
Steve: In summing up what I want to say, the winds of the past unless properly
addressed now, will re-surface again. The land issue, people that were dispossessed
of their land by the law of 1913, the land act, should be given their land as soon as
possible. As soon as that is done, we have closed the past with dignity, when that is
done we have given the people what belongs to them rightfully. I think that the
government must buy that land from somebody but do so and give it to those people
and then reconciliation will come. I can tell you right now, but do so, and reconciliation
will come, because I can tell you right now a lot of people is frustrated, because they
say the government is very slow, it does not address the immediate needs, but what
confronts us now is the economic needs of this country. It doesn't say you are white, or
black or coloured, or Indian, it says you are equal. And if that issue of land can be
addressed quickly, some can work on the land so that there can be food and not go
and steal from the farmers. If you look at the situation differently: there is no land, we
will take what is ours from the farmers. Forty sheep were stolen in one night, that
means in two days it is more than 100. People are very angry. But when people go out
and steal they say we take what is rightfully ours. Because our land was taken we are
prepared to go out and take back.
Hanlie: Yes, and even the criminals go and use it as an excuse.
Steve: That is the issue, let us go and address all critical issues as matters of urgency.
When there is urgency you do it quickly and close the chapter. We cannot go and close
the chapter after the election of 1999, and still say were are going to re-evaluate the
restoration of land when it was supposed to have been done in this five years. Let us
look at the situation in Zimbabwe, the thing they should have done in the first five years
of Mugabe's office, they are doing it now. Now they say the white man has too many
farms, let us go and take them. Now I don't want that to happen here, because when
that happens here whites will say let us go and fight, "dit is ook ons vaderland". That is