INLSA

Premier Helen Zille hugs Malcom Van Wyk who was master of cermonies at yesterday's Hanberg celebrations at UWC. Photo: Matthew Jordaan

Aziz Hartley

THE peace accord between authorities and the Hangberg community in Hout Bay was a “miracle”, a first in the country and due to leadership in that community, Premier Helen Zille said.

“It is more than a miracle. So much has changed in a year. This is what South Africa needs,” Zille told about 200 people at a function at UWC to give thanks and celebrate the accord.

The accord became an order of the court in October following months of negotiations after violence erupted in Hangberg in September 2010.

At least three people lost an eye each during clashes when authorities tried to evict people who had erected shacks in the firebreak on the slope of the Sentinel.

Zille said the accord, which included housing for people who lived in the firebreak, was just the beginning of change in Hangberg.

The Hangberg crisis stemmed from apartheid, she said.

“If it was not for the community leaders, this accord was not going to be possible,” ZIlle said.

Betty Kriel, a member of the forum which negotiated the accord, thanked everyone who contributed to its formulation, including the UWC Law Clinic.

“This is a historic occasion,” she said and added that the intention was to rebuild Hangberg and make the area safe for children.

Councillor Ernest Sonnenberg read a message from Mayor Patricia de Lille, that the accord ensured the continued development of Hangberg: “The Hangberg community has once again taken its place in the (broader) community.”

About lessons learned from the Hangberg saga, Cape Town consultant Brian Williams who was appointed to mediate between residents and the authorities said: “There is greatness in every community, even in the most troubled.

“Hangberg is a lesson for all poor communities in South Africa and that lesson is that peace is possible out of conflict and chaos.”

aziz.hartley@inl.co.za