Laingsburg graves to be probed

2003-02-17 17:05

Cape Town - The Western Cape government has appointed a task team to investigate allegations of a mass grave for victims of the 1981 Laingsburg floods, local government MEC Cobus Dowry said on Tuesday.

More than 100 people lost their lives and the bodies of 56 people were never found.

Last December Dowry called for an investigation into claims that coloured victims of the flood were buried in a mass grave next to a rubbish dump. This followed a report in the Afrikaans daily Die Burger which said residents of the Karoo town claimed flood victims' bodies were wrapped in black plastic bags and buried in a mass grave.

In a statement on Monday Dowry said the appointment of the task team followed a preliminary submission he had made to the province's executive council after officials of his department visited Laingsburg to follow up the allegations.

Dowry said he and social services and poverty alleviation MEC Marius Fransman would visit the town on February 28 to obtain more information.

"We hope to obtain and accumulate all possible information on the alleged mass grave," Dowry said.

The information would be processed for a final report to the executive council on March 12. Hopefully it would enable the council to make an informed decision based on more evidence and information.

Dowry said his department would, through newspaper advertisements, pamphlets and posters, invite individuals to supply all possible information and evidence to the task team by February 28.

"The provincial government values the dignity of any person or community in the Western Cape, and in the case of Laingsburg it would not hesitate to institute the necessary steps to achieve closure on an emotional issue," Dowry said.

- SAPA