Special Report Transcript Episode 15, Section 8, Time 41:30

I see in your manifesto, and I quote you what you just said: the National Party does not kill people, the National Party does not threaten people and again I’m sure the relatives of Steve Biko and Dulcie September and David Webster and Anton Lubowski would want me to ask you, when did you change your mind, when did you stop doing that? // Well firstly, in some of the instances you are referring to accusations made where no proof exists. If at any time in the past and now and in the future security forces are involved in breaking the law, it’s wrong. And I have, without fear, fearlessly ordered full investigation. Where there’s evidence we will prosecute. The National Party of today… // And the CCB? We had evidence, we had a commission; we had evidence. // Yes, and we had one of the best judges and one of the best prosecutors and they couldn’t uncover evidence which lead really to prosecution because people in as much as they were guilty apparently covered their tracks so well that no evidence could be obtained and we live in a civilized country. You cannot charge a man without evidence. We cannot go back to the law of the jungle, because of rumours because of even well founded suspicions. But without evidence in a civilized country, where you say we adhere to the rule of law, you wait until you get evidence. // Let me interrupt you there and say to you that it is my perception that this very fact that you still and your government still denies the existence of death squads, the fact that you killed your opponents ... you, I’m talking about your party for the last decade or two … that makes it so difficult for South Africans to forget, to rake up the past every now and again, as you object to some times. How can people forgive you if the government is not even prepared to say, yes we did it and it was wrong. // No but I’m sorry, there are policemen in jail because evidence was uncovered and they’ve been found guilty. There are members of the SADF in jail. It is simply just not true to say that we are covering anything up. // Is it not your perception that most black South Africans, especially those in the opposition in the past years, still firmly believe that those of them who had been killed and poisoned and whatever had been done by state death squads and not by some unknown force? Who killed all these people? // Obviously many people, including I would like to get the real facts.

Notes: Agenda 3 February 1994, Du Preez interviews De Klerk

References: there are no references for this transcript