Eastern Cape MEC for Human Settlements, Ms Helen Sauls-August calls on all people who were detained at the Old Sanlam building which was used by State Security Branch to torture freedom fighters during the apartheid regime to come forward for recognition.
In April this year, tabling the policy and budget vote speech for 2016/17 financial year, MEC Helen Sauls- August announced plans to convert the notorious erstwhile Apartheid State Security Branch offices into a thriving social and rental housing project. The building will be revamped by Qhama Social Housing Institution who will be responsible for the conversion of the building into a precinct comprising of a social housing, retail and heritage components.
The purpose of the call is to create a database of all the detainees so that they can be recognised and recorded into the new building. In cases where the detainees died in the building or have since passed on, immediate families can come forward with their details before the 20th of September 2016.
Detainees or families, relatives of the detainees can contact the MEC Helen Sauls-August Constituency Office at 2nd Floor Florence Matomela House in Govan Mbeki Street, to register their names where they will speak with Nzwaki who can be contacted on 041 585 3915. Alternatively they can also contact Prudence Mini from the Department of Human Settlements on 043 711 9618 or email: PrudenceM@ecdhs.gov.za
