Cape Town - As from Wednesday, the Khoisan community and leaders will be able to apply for their long-awaited recognition to the Commission on Khoisan Matters.
This came as the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) and the commission officially launched an awareness campaign, at the weekend, about the application process.
The campaign will focus on engaging communities on the application process, the criteria for qualification, application forms, and other provisions of the act about applications, including the time-frames within which applications for recognition can be submitted and dealt with.
Commission chairperson Professor Nico Adam Botha said after the gazetting of the application form, these campaigns would be conducted in all provinces by the commission next month and in June.
He said applications would be accepted only by physical delivery or registered mail.
Cogta Deputy Minister Obed Bapela said the launch of the commission in Cape Town had historical significance as it is where the settlers arrived to dismantle the lifestyle of the Khoisan people.
“The launch is part of government efforts to help integrate the Khoisan communities, their heritage, into the broader cultural heritage of our country, through the process of recognition as stipulated by the Traditional and Khoisan Leadership Act.
“The commission will strengthen our efforts to ensure that the stories reflecting the Khoisan heritage are part of the country’s new and inclusive narrative, of where we come from and where we are headed, as an inclusive community,” he said.
He said he hoped the process would culminate in the development of the National Khoisan Heritage Route.
The national chairperson of the Kai !Korana Transfrontier, Khoebaha Melvin Arendse, said he noted with shock and disbelief Cogta’s launching of a historic moment with not one Khoisan leader in attendance.
“The Khoi and San have effectively been excluded from all the legislative processes, as far as consultation is concerned. To date, the commission has launched several programmes managing the recognition process of the Khoisan.
“Sadly, the only information available to them and people in the Western Cape is by the provincial government cultural councils who are giving people information through the cultural councils in the province,” he said.
Arendse said a resolution was taken to take the national government to court for grossly violating the right of information of the Khoi and San people of the province and their right to administrative justice in legislative processes.