Jubilee South Africa

Statement from reparations gathering of 18 and 19 July

Reparations Yes! Reparations Yes! Reparations Yes!

This gathering of Jubilee South Africa, together with partners of the popular movements
and other organisations of civil society, meeting at Technikon SA from 18 to 19 July 2003,
believes that the issue of reparations is rooted in the oppression, exploitation and
systematic dispossession of our people. The TRC, because of its limited terms of
reference, was not able to consider the nature and scope of reparations in a systematic and
comprehensive way. It was thus unable to redress the legacy of Apartheid and racial
oppression.

The TRC has unfinished business, especially in relation to big business, both foreign and
national. We reaffirm the right and legitimacy of oppressed communities and their
organisations to implement a range of initiatives to ensure more far-reaching forms of
reparations, including legal claims in foreign and South African courts. In this respect, this
gathering gives support to the current court cases being undertaken in the United States
courts.

In order to secure reparations at a level able to redress the damage of Apartheid and racial
oppression in all its manifestations, for all those affected, Jubilee, together with its partners
in the popular movement, will initiate hearings where communities can express and define
the scale and nature of reparations that satisfactorily address the past.

This process will culminate in a People's Tribunal that will determine the people, institutions
and businesses that must make reparations and the forms that these should take.

In order to pressure big business into meeting their responsibility to make reparations,
Jubilee, with its partners, will undertake a name and shame campaign against the
monopolies that were fundamental to the apartheid system.

In addition, we will identify specific companies and products that symbolise the role these
corporations played in facilitating the development of apartheid, which will be targeted in a
consumer boycott.

The broader conference that has been called for later this year by the churches amongst
others, must be based on clear principles, including the need for reparations to
comprehensively address the damage done and the right of those struggling for reparations
to use the courts of law to this end.

We see this conference as a step in the process towards a popular tribunal and the
intensification of campaigning activity towards the realisation of reparations.

We believe that it is important that the demand for reparations must be integrated into the
ongoing struggles and campaigns within popular civil society that will give the issue of
reparations the necessary weight and importance and locate reparations within the
increasing challenge to neoliberal policies.

Furthermore, we recognise that our struggle for reparations is part of a broader struggle of
the people of Southern Africa for reparations for Apartheid destabilisation and other forms
of racial and neoliberal damage. We stand fully in support of these struggles and demands.

The gathering included participants from the following organisations:

Alternative Information and Development Centre
Anti-Privatisation Forum
Ceasefire
Concerned Citizens Forum
Earthlife Africa Ethikwini
Ecopeace
Environmental Justice Networking Forum
Fairshare
Freedom of Expression Institute
Green Network
Inanda Dam affected communities
SACBC - Justice and Peace
Khanya College
Landless People's Movement
LCLT
PACSA
Popcru
RDSN
Samancor Retrenched Workers Crisis Committee
Sangoco
Soweto Electricity Crisis Committee
Young Christian Workers
Youth for Work

For further details, contact Jubilee Chairperson MP Giyose 082 350 0361/011 403 7624,
or Jubilee General Secretary George Dor 011 648 7000