TRC Final Report

Volume 5

Chapter 8

Subsection 18

South African National Defence Force

63 The Commission’s hearings into activities of the SADF showed that the secrecy with which the SADF operated provided the basis for operations and programmes that led to gross human rights violations. The Commission therefore recommends that:

MEMBERS OF THE SANDF SHOULD NOT BE ENTITLED TO ENGAGE IN ANY COVERT ACTIVITIES

NOT SPECIFICALLY AUTHORISED BY THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE AS WELL AS A MINISTER WITH AN UNRELATED PORTFOLIO, AND THAT SPENDING ON SUCH COVERT ACTIVITIES BE SUBJECT TO THE SAME AUDITING PROCESS AS OTHER EXPENDITURE.

A JUDICIAL COMMISSION OF ENQUIRY BE ESTABLISHED WITH REGARD TO PROJECT COAST, TO INVESTIGATE THE FOLLOWING MATTERS:

WHETHER THE STREET DRUGS PRODUCED BY COMPANIES RELATED TO THE CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL WARFARE (CBW) PROGRAMME, AS WELL AS THE DRUGS PURCHASED OUTSIDE OF SOUTH AFRICA, WERE DESTROYED OR WHETHER THEY ENDED UP ON THE STREETS OF SOUTH AFRICA;

WHETHER THE DIRECTORS OF COMPANIES LINKED TO PROJECT COAST WERE PARTY TO FRAUDULENT ACTIVITIES USING STATE FUNDS;

WHETHER INFORMATION RELATING TO THE CBW PROGRAMME WAS COPIED ONTO OPTICAL DISKS THAT ARE CURRENTLY IN A SAFE IN PRETORIA, AND WHETHER UNAUTHORISED COPIES OF THESE DISKS EXIST;

ANY OTHER ISSUES NOT FULLY CANVASSED BY THE COMMISSION OR THE CRIMINAL TRIAL OF DR BASSON.

THAT ALL ASPECTS OF THE CBW PROGRAMME STILL IN EXISTENCE BE DISMANTLED AND ALL ACTIVITIES BE DISCONTINUED, AND THAT THE MANUFACTURE AND RESEARCH OF SUBSTANCES INTENDED FOR USE AS CROWD CONTROL MECHANISMS BE CEASED.

THAT AN APPROPRIATE POLICY BE PUT IN PLACE TO ENSURE THAT THE FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE MILITARY ARE REGULARLY AUDITED.

THAT THE SANDF CEASE TO MAKE USE OF FRONT COMPANIES FOR THEIR OPERATIONS.

64 The civil education programme that has been proposed in the Defence White Paper is a positive initiative to prevent future human rights abuses by members of the security forces and to encourage and instil an understanding of human rights values in the population at large.

THE COMMISSION RECOMMENDS THAT THIS PROGRAMME BE IMPLEMENTED RIGOROUSLY.

65 The onus is on government to ensure that any members of the security forces found to have committed human rights abuses or engaged in criminal activity of any kind are decisively dealt with through the justice system.

66 The Commission has had little success in its efforts to access the archives of the former South African Defence Force (SADF), despite the fact that significant holdings still remain in the custody of the SANDF. The limited access that the Commission did manage to obtain was controlled, selected and censored by the SANDF nodal point. These problems of access have been detailed elsewhere in this report and have led the Commission to conclude that its research and investigation into the activities of the former SADF were insufficient and constrained by such lack of access. Commission investigations have, however, established that the former SADF, contrary to its submission to the Commission, was significantly involved in the perpetration of gross human rights violations.

67 It is therefore the recommendation of the Commission that:

A COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS BY INDEPENDENT RESEARCHERS BE UNDERTAKEN INTO BOTH THE SCOPE AND CONTENT OF THE REMAINING ARCHIVAL HOLDINGS OF THE FORMER SADF.

ONCE SUCH AN ANALYSIS HAS BEEN COMPLETED, THAT THESE DOCUMENTS, PRESENTLY WITHIN THE ARCHIVES OF MILITARY INTELLIGENCE, BE SUBJECTED TO THE ARCHIVES ACT AND BE TRANSFERRED TO THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES.