khulumani: a support group. a social movement. a strong voice.

The TRC received more than 1500 victim statements concerning persons who went missing or who disappeared after being forcibly abducted during the period 1960 - 1994. The vast majority of these cases have not been investigated or resolved. Many distraught family members are seeking closure on these matters.

1. The project "The Voiceless Silent" was established for the purpose of supporting families with special counselling groups, with facilitating exhumation procedures, and memorialisation processes.

2. Ongoing lobbying is needed towards securing closure for surviving family members including presumption of death certificates, support group meetings and the creation of memorials.

3. Khulumani works with other stakeholders to advance investigations to find out what really happened to disappeared loved-ones so that the process of closure can begin.

4. A Disappearances Advocacy group meets in the offices of Khulumani every second week.

5. Khulumani is a part of a broader national networking group and of a national task team that consist of our partners and of stakeholders. We aim to solve as many cases as we can by lobbying and advocating. To aid this process we have established a disappearance hotline for perpetrators and witnesses to phone and to give information without having to identify themselves.

6. Khulumani organised the very first commemoration of International Day of the Disappeared in August 2004. This proved to be an event, which brought together families who share an experience of loss without ever really knowing what actually happened to their loved one.

7. Khulumani convenes support groups of the families of the disappeared. The support group in Mamelodi has been involved in creating a book which is almost ready for publication, while a new group is about to start on the East Rand.