ACC Press Statement( 2017-02-03):
Public TLKB Hearing in Kokstad 3 February: “Only fraud can pass the criminal traditional leadership bill through parliament”
This is how the chair of the parliamentary committee, Mr Richard Mgakane, conducts the public hearings on the Traditional Leadership and Khoi San Bill (TLKB)
The public speaks: One says “You want to take the land from the people”. Next one says “This bill will lead to war”. Next one says “You want the chiefs to make secret deals with capitalists”. It goes on like this. Mr Mgakane then finally wraps it up. He is pleased that everybody supports TLKB. He put that on record. He is in complete contempt of the will of the people. He is conducting a fraud. He likes it.
In Kokstad today we saw it for ourselves. Mr Mgakane suffers from a public hearing loss.
500 came to the City Hall. The TKLB document was in Afrikaans. There was nothing in Nguni languages. Everyone spoke against the bill. All chiefs present strongly rejected the bill: “The government wants to take us back to the 1950s”. “The TLKB means bloodshed”. People can say want they want. Mr Mgakane wrapped it up like this: “All the places where we go, people agree!” Then he said: “Everybody here agrees with the bill. You only want small changes!” What a joke! But this is what he will report to parliament.
Those behind the TLKB know that it will be defeated in the Constitutional Court. It doesn’t matter so much. This will take some years. This is what is needed to grab as much community land as possible in “partnerships” with mining companies.
We were 70 delegates from the Amadiba coastal community. We came in 4 taxis. No one else from the whole of Mbizana came. We don’t know how these meetings are announced and what happened with the promises of transport.
It was said again today: This unconstitutional bill repeats what caused the Pondo Revolt. It makes the chiefs servants of the government, instead of being servants of the people. There will be no more imbizos, only announcements of the chiefs. Then the fight will start.
More comments on the Kokstad TLKB public hearings 3 February:
Amadiba Crisis Committee: Nonhle Mbuthuma 0763592982; Sibusiso Mqadi 073 2671079
For the legal case against “Xolobeni Mining Project” on the Wild Coast: Henk Smith 0832661770 (Legal Resource Centre), and Richard Spoor 0836271722 (Richard Spoor Inc).
For the legal case against the N2 “Green Route” Toll Road through coastal Amadiba area on the Wild Coast: Cormac Cullinan
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