| Khulumani gatherings to remember Human Rights violations still to be redressed |
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| Saturday, 18 March 2006 00:00 |
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One month ago on February 18, 2006, Khulumani Support Group buried its Arts and Culture Officer, Duma Kumalo, one of its founder members. Duma was one of the “Sharpeville Six”, sentenced to death on the principle of common purpose for the killing of Sharpeville’s Deputy Mayor in 1984 in a outpouring of rage sparked by rent increases in the township. Through the seven years of the trial and wait on death row, Duma maintained his innocence. One month ago on February 18, 2006, Khulumani Support Group buried its Arts and Culture Officer, Duma Kumalo, one of its founder members. Duma was one of the “Sharpeville Six”, sentenced to death on the principle of common purpose for the killing of Sharpeville’s Deputy Mayor in 1984 in a outpouring of rage sparked by rent increases in the township. Through the seven years of the trial and wait on death row, Duma maintained his innocence. Duma's one request to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission had been for a retrial so that he could clear his name. Sadly, Duma did not realise this goal in his lifetime. But he did affect the lives and outlooks of the thousands of people he reached through telling the story of being on death row in apartheid South Africa for three years. Duma’s wrongful conviction left him with a criminal record that remained in force throughout his life. In September 2005, this criminal record once again almost prevented him from being issued with a visa to visit the United States of America to participate as a presenter, hosted by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, on a panel to explore the use of the arts to heal from the trauma of September 11, 2001. The Department of Justice had suggested to Duma that he should apply for a presidential pardon, but Duma was not prepared to follow this advice as it required him to make an admission of guilt. On March 20, 2006, on behalf of the late Duma Kumalo, Khulumani Support Group will submit a memorandum to President Thabo Mbeki and to the Minister of Justice, the Honourable Bridgitte Mabandla, requesting them, in the interests of justice, to posthumously expunge Duma’s criminal record. Khulumani Support Group calls on the nation to remember all the victims of apartheid-era human rights violations who, as with Duma, have not yet received redress for the wrongs done to them.
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