The North West farm worker who was buried on the side road of a farm after he was evicted, refused a graveside by his employer is to be exhumed and reburied as part of the Provincial event to celebrate Human Rights Day on Thursday.
Minister for Rural Development and Land Reform Gugile Nkwinti and Premier Thandi Modise will be part of the staggered ceremonies which are part of the programme for the exhumation and dignified reburial of the remains of Maruping Serole to be held as from 9h00 am outside the farm Liliespan near Lichtenburg and later in the morning at the farm Buffelsdoorn outside Potchefstroom.
“Though decisive strides have been made by the ANC led government to reverse the negative effects of 1913 Natives’ Land Act legislation which affected millions of South Africans since the 18 years the democratic government came into office, Serole’s case highlights challenges related to the socio-economic conditions of communities living and working on farms, such as employment and wages, housing, education etc. It also highlights underdevelopment, inequality and need for land reform for both settlement and production for the benefit of the landless and dispossessed,” Premier Modise said.
The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform had since the shameful incident in February 1999 acquired a farm measuring 21 hectares and relocated twenty evicted households from Liliespan to the farm in August 2000. Subsequent to this, the department had assisted the community to form a legal entity called Baitshoki Communal Property Association to administer and manage land on their behalf.
The reburial ceremony and the unveiling of a memorial plaque hosted by the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform in partnership with the North West Provincial Government, Dr. Kenneth Kaunda District Municipality, Ditsobotla commemorate the centenary of the infamous 1913 Natives Land Act and affirm the rights of farmworkers and the dispossessed.
Enquiries:
Lesiba Moses Kgwele, Spokesperson
Tel: 018 388 3705
Cell: 083 629 1987
Fax: 018 388 3157
E-mail: LKgwele@gmail.com
