Listening to the silent majority

[8]

I was becoming gradually aware that South Africa already possesses legions of Patoses and Boyas, who fully use their own thinking powers rather than merely conducting noisy, foreign-funded, propaganda tours to advocate disinvestment from the land of their birth. While flamboyant Desmond Tutu was fêted and celebrated in Birmingham, England^6., Tom Boya was tackling problems of housing and land tenure in Daveyton. Over the years he was re-elected mayor of Daveyton nine times. He negotiated with the government to make more land available to squatters. In 1979 it was decided to build 2 000 new houses west of the township. ‘When I first took over,’ said Tom, ‘we had 8 000 houses. Today, we are approaching 17 000 housing units. Over the next 5 years, 10 000 more units will be constructed. Soon, Daveyton doubled its available housing as a result of land having been made available by the government. These units are under 99-year leases, which is just as valid as ownership. It means people can really convert them to free home rights.’

6. Archbishop Desmond Tutu landed in hot water after his junket to Birmingham, when his British hosts belatedly presented him with a bill for his visit running into hundreds of thousands of rands.