Special season for healing

CHRISTMAS in rural areas is not the same as in affluent cities. But the joy of giving and sharing is universal.

This holiday probably has a particular resonance in poverty-stricken areas where villagers eagerly await the coming of friends and relatives rather than only their remittances.

So it must have been a cruel blow for residents of Shobashobane on the South Coast when their special day was shattered in 1995.

That wound was reopened this week when the community gathered for a memorial service.

The Christmas day massacre, in which 19 people were killed and several injured, came early in our democracy, while the embers of decades of political violence were still being extinguished.

It took place far from the mainstream media spotlight. And, unlike Marikana, the bloodletting was not widely publicised. Thus it was to be expected that the Shobashobane tragedy would fade in our collective memory. But we should never forget even as we forgive.

The calls for a cleansing ceremony and a way to remember that terrible day, honour those who died and promote healing should not be summarily dismissed.

That Christmas day massacre should serve as a warning from our past about the dangers of political violence. For those such as Nokulunga Nyawose, who was 12 when she lost her big brother and her home, it had a profound impact.