OWN CORRESPONDENT, Cape Town | Monday 10.00pm.
VARIOUS projects for the Loxton community in the Northern Cape could not be continued because overseas donor funds paid to the Foundation for Peace and Justice did not arrive, the Cape High Court heard on Monday.
A community worker giving evidence at the trial of former anti-apartheid activist, cleric and FPJ president Allan Boesak, who faces 32 counts of theft and fraud, told the court that after the shop serving the impoverished community closed down, people were forced to travel 80km to neighbouring towns to buy groceries or visit a doctor.
Rietgert explained that because of the travelling expenses it was decided to start a new shop in Loxton. On the advice of Magriet Knapp, an FPJ fieldworker, the foundation was approached for financial assistance.
Former FPJ bookkeeper Freddie Steenkamp came to Loxton and shortly after that the community received R15000, which it used for a pre-school and the construction of the shop. The building had reached window height when a second cheque of R25000 was received from the FPJ. The second cheque bounced because there were no funds in the FPJ’s bank account, the court was told.
Rietgert said that if the community had received the full R71440 entrusted to the FPJ for the Loxton community by Danchurch Aid, a Danish aid foundation, the shop could have been completed and stocked, and other projects also funded.
Under cross-examination by Jaap Cilliers, one of Boesak’s advocates, Rietgert agreed a house had been bought in Loxton for R8000 and had been registered in Knapp’s name because of the Group Areas Act in force at the time. The trial continues on Tuesday.