Honourable Minister,

I write to you today as King Khoekhoe De Goringhiacona I, a descendant of the first people of this land, the Khoi, whose very blood is interwoven with the soil of the Western Cape, from the shores of Camps Bay to the valleys of Hout Bay. Our ancestral ties to this land are not a matter for debate; they are an undeniable truth, a legacy brutally disrupted by colonial expansion and unjustly disregarded by subsequent legislation, most notably the 1913 Native Land Act.

Even now, as farms across our precious Western Cape are bought and sold with alarming frequency, and as the very political future of this region is debated with the rising calls for a referendum, the fundamental injustices faced by the Khoi people remain unaddressed. Our historical dispossession predates the feeble frameworks of current land reform, leaving us marginalized and excluded from the very processes meant to rectify past wrongs.

The fact that our communities were denied a voice in the pivotal 1992 referendum stands as a stark testament to this systemic marginalization, a silence that continues to echo in our present-day struggles.

The very regions you know – Camps Bay, Llandudno, Sea Point, Green Point, Cape Town itself, Noordhoek, Fish Hoek, Muizenberg, Bantry Bay, and Hout Bay – are not mere scenic locations; they are the ancestral lands of the Khoi and San, bearing witness to our centuries of stewardship and cultural practices. But beyond these, there are specific lands that hold the very breath of our heritage: the TRANCRAA lands.

These lands, Minister, are not just plots on a map; they are the repositories of our stories, the burial grounds of our ancestors, the foundation upon which we will rebuild our future. To overlook these sacred territories in land reform initiatives is to inflict a fresh wound upon our people, to further erase our history, and to deny us our inherent rights.

Therefore, Honourable Minister, I issue this demand, not as a plea, but as a right:

Recognize pre-1913 dispossession with the full force of the law, acknowledging the unique and devastating historical injustices faced by the Khoi.

Immediately transfer the TRANCRAA lands to the rightful stewardship of the Khoi people, providing us with the resources and support necessary to make them flourish once more.

Ensure meaningful and decisive participation of Khoi communities in all decision-making processes concerning land, resources, and the very future of the Western Cape. Our voices must be heard, and our will must be respected.

Actively and urgently address the historical exclusion of the Khoi and San from critical decisions, including the 1992 referendum, in all current and future restitution and recognition efforts.

This exclusion must never be repeated.
The time for empty promises is long past. The echoes of our ancestors in the very soil of this Cape demand immediate and decisive action. The rising tide of change in this region necessitates the full and unequivocal inclusion of all its people, especially its first inhabitants. Let us work together, not as oppressor and oppressed, but as equals, to build a future that truly honors our collective history and ensures that the Khoi people finally receive the recognition, restitution, and respect that is rightfully ours.

I await your immediate response and the promise of meaningful and impactful action. The future of my people, the future of the Khoi Nation, hangs in the balance.

Sincerely,

HM King Khoekhoe De Goringhiacona I
Son of the Soil of the Cape, Descendant of Krotoa