Over 400 Ndwedwe families to get new homes through TRC programme

More than 400 families in Ndwedwe, northern KwaZulu-Nata (KZN), are set to get new homes.

The community was displaced during the apartheid era.

President Cyril Ramaphosa is in the area to launch the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) housing reparation assistance programme on Tuesday. 

The launch coincides with 30 years since the adoption of the Constitution of the Republic.

During the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings, Ndwedwe in northern KZN was identified as one of the areas where homes were destroyed and thousands were displaced. 

Over 4,000 houses were destroyed in KwaZulu-Natal, with 472 in this area alone.

Many left their homes to seek shelter elsewhere due to segregation and, later, the torching of homes leading up to 1994.

Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Andries Nel said the launch of the reparation is a significant milestone.

"The Constitution says that we recognise the injustices of our past, it says that we honour those who suffered for justice and freedom in our land, we’ve adopted this Constitution to heal the divisions of the past," Nel said.

Meanwhile, government said only 200 houses have been approved thus far.