Apartheid Victims Still Sleeping Outside Constitutional Court Demanding Justice
By Noko Maleka – Insight Jozi News
More than two decades after the closure of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), survivors of apartheid-era human rights violations say they are still waiting for justice.
Members of the Khulumani Galela Reparations Movement, many of them elderly victims and veterans of the liberation struggle, continue to protest outside the Constitutional Court of South Africa, demanding that the South African government honour promises of reparations and accountability.
According to the movement, victims of apartheid-era crimes have spent decades appealing to government officials for meaningful reparations and justice, but their calls have largely gone unanswered.
A Struggle That Did Not End in 1994
The activists argue that while South Africa transitioned into a democratic state, many victims of apartheid-era abuses never received closure.
The TRC, established in the late 1990s, allowed victims to share their stories and perpetrators to seek amnesty. However, the reparations recommended by the commission, they say, were never fully implemented.
For survivors, this has meant living for years without proper recognition, compensation, or justice.
“No investigation plus no prosecution means that today the government says there is no evidence to prove our stories,” reads one of the protest messages distributed by the movement.
Decades of Broken Promises
Members of the movement say they have written petitions, letters, and public appeals for more than twenty years. Demonstrations have been staged repeatedly to demand that government fulfill the promises made in the country’s Constitution and by the TRC.
In October 2020, victims slept outside the Union Buildings, calling for government intervention.
In April 2022, on Freedom Day, protesters once again gathered outside the Constitutional Court. When officials failed to meet them, 142 members reportedly slept outside the court for a month.
Later that year, members continued their protest for several weeks after government officials allegedly promised to host a conference addressing their concerns — a meeting that activists claim never materialised.
“25 Years of Pain Without Justice”
The movement now demands constitutional damages for what they describe as 25 years of pain and suffering without justice or reparation.
Activists argue that the government’s failure to investigate or prosecute apartheid-related crimes after 2003 effectively erased their experiences and denied them recognition as victims.
For many of the elderly protesters, the fight has become a race against time.
“We are still here,” their message reads. “Waiting for justice.”
As the demonstrations continue outside the Constitutional Court, the question remains whether the government will finally address the long-standing demands of apartheid victims who believe the promise of justice has yet to be fulfilled.
