Petition for Truth, Justice, and Accountability: A Call to President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa to Establish a Commission of Inquiry

For those of us who lived in apartheid South Africa and within the former homelands, or Bantustans, these territories were never merely political constructs imposed by a regime. They were lived realities, communities defined by dignity, resilience, and aspiration.

Within apartheid South Africa and the homelands, families built lives, economies took shape, institutions were established, and generations invested their labour, resources, culture, and identity into spaces they called home, despite the injustices inherent in their creation under apartheid policy.

However, following the dissolution of apartheid South Africa and the homelands, and their incorporation into a democratic South Africa in 1994, profound and unresolved questions remain. What became of the assets, reserves, land holdings, pension funds, state enterprises, and financial balances of these administrations?

These were not abstract figures, they represented the cumulative contributions, labour, taxes, and aspirations of millions of people. Yet to this day, there has been no comprehensive, transparent, and publicly accessible accounting to the citizens whose lives were directly tied to these structures. This absence of clarity raises serious and reasonable concerns about mismanagement, irregular transfer, unlawful appropriation, or systemic neglect.

Through this petition, we therefore call on President Cyril Ramaphosa to exercise his constitutional authority in terms of Section 84(2)(f) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, to establish an independent, credible, and transparent Commission of Enquiry to investigate and publicly report on the fate of all assets of apartheid South Africa and the former homelands following their reintegration into the democratic state.

This call is firmly grounded in the Constitution. Section 195 requires a public administration that is accountable, transparent, and governed by principles of efficiency, integrity, and responsible use of public resources. Section 217 demands that public financial management be fair, equitable, transparent, competitive, and cost-effective. Section 237 further requires that all constitutional obligations be performed diligently and without delay. In addition, Section 32 guarantees every person the right of access to information held by the state.

The Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) gives practical effect to this constitutional right by obligating the state to disclose information necessary for the exercise or protection of rights. The Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) imposes strict duties on all organs of state to ensure transparent, accountable, and sound management of public assets and finances. The absence of a clear, comprehensive public accounting of former homeland and apartheid-era assets raises legitimate constitutional and statutory concerns requiring urgent investigation.

This Commission must include all former homelands, Transkei, Bophuthatswana, Venda, Ciskei, KwaZulu, Gazankulu, Lebowa, QwaQwa, KaNgwane, and KwaNdebele, ensuring that no community or region is excluded from this process of truth, accountability, and historical clarification. This is not merely an administrative exercise; it is a constitutional necessity and a matter of justice, transparency, and restoration of public trust.

International experience has demonstrated that confronting historical economic injustices strengthens democratic legitimacy and restores confidence in state institutions. South Africa carries both a moral and constitutional obligation to ensure transparency, redress, and accountability in matters affecting millions of its citizens. Continued silence on this issue undermines constitutional governance and delays the national healing process that remains urgently required.

It is essential for the unity, healing, and sustainable development of South Africa that these historical questions are addressed with honesty, urgency, and constitutional fidelity. By establishing this Commission of Enquiry, the state will affirm its commitment to the supremacy of the Constitution, restore dignity to affected communities, and reinforce the foundational values of accountability and openness upon which our democracy is built.

Kindly join us and together call upon President Ramaphosa to act decisively, in accordance with the Constitution and the law, to uncover the truth and ensure justice for all those affected by apartheid and the former homeland system.

Please sign this petition to honour our collective history and secure a transparent, accountable, and equitable future for all.