/ 16 August 2007

Vlakplaas to become centre for healing

Vlakplaas, the notorious farm used covertly by the apartheid state for murder and torture, will be turned into a national centre for healing, the Science and Technology Department said on Thursday.

”What is happening is that Vlakplaas, which has a history of violating human rights where thousands of people have been tortured in the apartheid era, will be turned into a national centre for healing,” department spokesperson Nelvis Qekema said.

Research on indigenous plants would also be conducted at the still to-be-named centre.

”Minister Mosibudi Mangena together with the National Indigenous Knowledge Systems Office came up with the idea. Research will be conducted at the site. There will be a laboratory where research on these plants will be conducted.”

The centre would promote collaboration between traditional healers and practitioners of Western medicine, Qekema said. — Sapa