Special Report Transcript Episode 16, Section 3, Time 29:56

This is a matter which preoccupied the leadership of the ANC for a very long time. From the beginning, as we tried to indicate, when Umkhonto we Sizwe was established its instructions were that there should be no loss of life. It’s why there was mention of strategic roads and communication systems and so on. But of course there is no war Chairperson that is conducted and there are no losses of life. The question that we had to consider was what happens when there are civilians who might get caught in the crossfire? Was it possible to insulate, to carry out activities which would so insulate the rest of the population that you could, in all instances ensure that no civilians were killed? And the decision was in the conduct of war it is not possible to avoid civilian losses. That in planning and carrying out operations we should make sure that we don’t target civilians, that we carry out operations such that there is as little loss of life of civilians as is possible. But that you could not insist on the conduct of a war where there were no such civilian.

Notes: Thabo Mbeki

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