Editor
RE: 1913 claims exception made for the Khoi-San to claim their historical landmarks and heritage sites, gravesites and spiritual sites
I am in the KZN reference group chosen by the community, democratically in the presence of the officials and law. I am also the elected KZN reference group leader, heading the province on all Khoi-San descendant land matters.
I am also the one to head the district land committees. The President has spoken; we are claiming all that we lost in the past. Looking at Estcourt, our historical landmarks in our townships, because we were classified then with the Group Areas Act. We were forcefully placed and in these townships we have our graves, as well as our title deeds.
Colita has a long standing history of its ownership. Colita residents were forced out and forced back into Colita. This means restitution must be paid to these people. Also the municipality grabbed the Zaailaager Farm from these classified people. When they realised that they cannot take it away, they developed it and sold it back to them. The municipality of that time also sold portions of this land and this needs redress. Before the arrival of anyone here in Estcourt, the Bushmen lived here peacefully.
It is only right to say our claim is for the whole of Estcourt and the Bushman’s River up to the Drakensberg. This is our first claim, thereafter our heritage sites, then spiritual sites and lastly where we were forcefully removed from. This means where we are now is at our historical landmarks because of the hurt and pain we had to go through, the history that is there is a landmark. Classification – no other nation went through the Group Areas Act, exclusion from recognition, exclusion from homeland state and exclusion from kings and chiefs recognition.
We were treated as lower than a dog – the coloured. Our language was destroyed, culture and religion. So here we are and we are taking back all that we lost. Yes, we own more but we say we are not like those who can’t share, we know how to be friendly. Social cohesion is us. We don’t need to be told about this. Our people are now tired and can do anything to achieve this land in question. We can talk; I am on the national structure. I am under the true royalty of the Khoi-San chieftainship.
Chief Trollip – 076 681 3575
