The Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL) Rights Commission has learned with sadness and shock the latest cultural violation and destruction of the tombstone marble slab covering the bodies of the famous of community leaders and activists Matthew Goniwe, Fort Calata, Sparrow Mkonto and Sicelo Mhlauli who were murdered by the then apartheid security forces in 1985 at the communal grave site in the township of Lingelihle at the Karoo Town.
The Commission is sympathetic and share the pain with the Calata family and all families affected and would like to remind all South Africans that graves are part of cultural heritage sites, hence they are sacred sites and thus its meaning is part of expression of the community’s culture, conscience, identity, tradition and spiritual .
To demolish graves is to eradicate the beliefs and identity of many of South African communities and violation of their rights to grieve for their loved ones as they can no longer find a sense of respect and protection of their burial sites.
During the month of July 2012, the CRL Rights Commission would be re-visiting other affected cemeteries sites in the Eastern Cape Province such as Veeplaas community cemetery and Aliwal North Concentration Camp burial sites as part of monitoring and conflict resolution.
The CRL Rights Commission calls upon Eastern Cape communities to assist the law enforcement agencies and local municipality with as much information as possible so as to prevent a continuation of such unwarranted acts and disrespect of cultural rights of families of the respected gallant deceased heroes of 1985.
For media interviews contact:
Adv Sipho Mantula, Communications and Marketing Officer
Cell: 084 7815587
Tel: 011 537 7628
E-mail: sipho@crlcommission.org.za
