Still Not Talking: The South African Government’s Exclusive Reparations Policy And The Impact Of The R30,000 Financial Reparations On Survivors

Abstract

This chapter highlights the views of survivors of the Apartheid regime about the R30,000 reparations granted by the South African Government. This money was granted to those identified as survivors of gross human rights violations by the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). The chapter argues that by failing to consult with survivor groups before deciding on the final amount of reparations, the Government wasted an opportunity to learn about the different needs of survivors, which would have helped it in designing a more comprehensive and effective reparation policy. It characterises that failure as a lost opportunity for Government to mend a difficult relationship between itself and survivor groups, including Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other stakeholders lobbying for reparations. Reparations were meant to provide more than financial and other material outputs. Essentially reparations were about restoring the dignity of the survivors and the victims' families. Keywords: financial reparation; human rights violations; Non-governmental organizations (NGOs); South African truth and reconciliation commission (TRC)