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people's warExplanation Most of the evidence brought to the Truth Commission in the last 11 months concerned human rights violations in the 1980s. But resistance to white minority rule started many decades ago and we as South Africans should remember the early struggles of our people. That is what the Truth Commission’s ... For three days this week the Uitenhage town hall was filled to capacity as people came to observe and participate in the work of the TRC’s Human Rights Violations Committee. On Tuesday the hearing was dedicated to a single event: a massacre which took place at Langa township on March 21 1985 when ... I think those who have done this to our brothers are the people at five rank, those mercenaries, soldiers from outside countries who were brought in here to harass us as citizens of this country. And you know, just to kill so that we must surrender. By the 15th of June, 1986 many of the experienced activists were in detention or in the underground. But across the valley a group of young comrades had gathered on a hill to prepare for the next day’s June 16 commemoration. Again the enemy came in the night. When they had finished their job six ... I will agree that maybe I summarized the matter wrong, but I’m of the opinion that the whole situation is so emotionally charged that different people will get different messages from what is happening. In dealing with the unconventional strategies from the side of the government, I want to make it clear from the outset that within my knowledge and experience they never included the authorisation of assassination, murder, torture, rape, assault or the like. // Where does political accountability ... Instructions I got from Johns were that myself and Andile will be my assistant in that unit as an assistant commander. He also led me to two gentlemen and also gave us instruction that we should go to New Castle, and fire arms are already New Castle, and when we arrive in New Castle we’ll attack ... Numsa Tshabalala says her son Sibuniso disappeared shortly after Lolo Sono. // Then he said, if you say Lolo was taken by Winnie Madikizela’s people then probably I will be taken there as well. And we left for work, when we came back Sibuniso was not at home. When Sibuniso had gone, that is after ... As an individual and perhaps being involved with quite a number of others it shows the recognitions of the efforts of those who fought against apartheid. And it does not only show how good and how well deserving their struggle was, but at the same time it shows appreciation of the people that were ... Although she denies all knowledge of the assassination plan Derby-Lewis told the Amnesty Committee that she believed it was politically inspired. This is what she told the police during her interrogation in 1993. // We had minimal contact with the right in terms of being involved with them. I ... Although the ‘Handelsinstituut’ was one of those to criticize the wealth tax, they were the only ones to come with some kind of alternative. They suggest that the old South African Security Risk Insurance Fund, which was used to insure people against political violence in the past, be used for ... ... And while my brother was laying on the ground the policeman’s colleagues came out and congratulated him telling him it was a good shot. Afterwards there was a court case but the decision of the court was that no one was to blame, that the policeman acted in the line of his duty, so no one ... There’s one thing that I will have to live with till the day I day, it’s the corpses that I will have to drag with me to my grave, of the people whom I’ve killed. Remorse, I can assure you a lot, a hell of a lot. Let me just quickly before we lose this thread go back to Professor Giliomee. Professor, you talked about maybe we should have had trials, there should have been a continuation of that. In other words, a criminal judicial process. In other words we should have instead of amnesty; we should have ... In a sense its rather ironic that in a time when Mr PW Botha doesn’t want to come to the TRC that some of the more right wing people are wanting to come to the TRC and I think we owe them that they should have a hearing, or an event where they can put their case. Also for the sake of ... ... some of PW’s memorabilia, anything of PW in that Museum, it needs to be contextualized. For instance, if you walk into that Museum, he’s got awards from the president of Chili and Savimbi, an AK47. You know, it is totally ridiculous. What we need to say is who are these leaders that gave ... When they see, even at a bus stop, when they see black people in a queue, they quickly surround them; arrest them, those who have got no passes. Everywhere! Even going to church, on Sunday, going to church, they stop them from going to church. They ask your pass. If you leave your pass you are ... If people are assisted financially over time with counselling and guidance it gives them an opportunity to improve their lot so to say, in a variety of ways. But I mean as I’ve said to you really we are there as advocates for victims. At the end of the day the government of the day has got to ... The politicians can say we didn”t give that order, because they didn”t give that order. It”s nowhere stated that we said so and so should be killed. We said so and so should be eliminated, but we meant that that person should be detained. And then never having any real knowledge, or real ... It was a fluent kind of living, vibrant community and I think longing for the kind of freedom that hopefully we’re getting into now, that’s what made it such a magical place and I think it will always hold a place in the imaginations of the people that lived through it and maybe those who ... |
