The Forum is founded in the in the Goedgedacht’s concern for human values. The Forum acknowledges the dignity of all religious and moral traditions and extends an equal respect to all who participate in its work.
The Forum aims to make its contribution to the above statements in the following ways:
- By promoting and organising dialogues on issues of national importance where human values are under threat in a post-apartheid society
- By bringing together people of distinctly opposing views to look for a mutual understanding on issues of national importance. The ‘Chatham House Rules’ will guide the Goedgedacht Forum conversations.
- By communicating the content, discussion, and recommendations of these dialogues to as wide a public as possible
- By building up a network of organisations and individuals with similar aims
This year’s forum focused on Esterhof. The area of Esterhof in Riebeek Kasteel was originally established through forced removals under the Group Areas Act. Recently, a new informal housing community, New Rest Valley, emerged to accommodate an influx of Black African workers from the Eastern Cape and other African nations who came to work on nearby farms. Over three years, New Rest Valley rapidly expanded from ten houses to approximately 1500, surpassing Esterhof's population.
In the past year, tensions between the two communities have risen, marked by racially motivated violence, signaling a potential crisis.
A Forum meeting was organised to foster dialogue between Esterhof and New Rest Valley residents, aiming to initiate peacebuilding processes to address and mitigate the violence. The community members received further training in peacebuilding and form a peace committee to lead these efforts.
