Special Report Transcript Episode 56, Section 2, Time 11:03

Whoever the guy was that shot me, I have forgiven him, forgiven him unconditionally, but I always said that I would like to meet him and look him in the eye and actually have a chat with him. And yesterday I had the opportunity to do that and it was a wonderful experience for me. We could forgive each other. // I was sitting facing the doors where they would be coming through and I was fearing that when they come through the door, that when the door opens, that I’ll be seeing three killers and I had to pray very hard. I’m happy to say now that when the doors opened I was able to see three young men, three young men that I have love for; that I have concern for. // The thing that struck me so much was at the age at which they, that this incident took place they were 17 years old and I could relate to that because I was a conscript, eighteen years old in the Air Force. I was sent to Cyprus in defence of the realm if you like. And I could see the difference between myself and them was that I was perhaps under a much more controlled military order and this incident wouldn’t have happened, I don’t believe, but in their case their command structure was very weak, very loose and they had the normal, human ability to kill. As I had, they had too. // I’ve been thinking all along about their mothers, it must have been very hard have for them their mothers. You know to have children that maybe gone away, that they didn’t want them to go and maybe have pleaded with them but there were forces drawing them in and my heart goes out to their mothers and parents or concerned family, maybe there were family who supported them I don’t know, but I’m a mother too and I just feel for their parents. // As imperfect as human attempts are to bring people together it was nevertheless an attempt and for me it was a very significant moment. I feel also that I can now carry on with my life. For the first time, yesterday after the meetings with them in the boardroom, I felt a release that I’ve not felt before. Something has lifted from my heart. // I thought about it last night, will I ever see them again, or will we be able to be friends? // But it is something that can’t be understood if you’re not part of the TRC process and having gone through that I can understand why it is necessary to bring about healing in the land. // All we want to say is that while many people have exercised forgiveness and we honour them for that we feel that there’s a special obligation for Christians to forgive and it’s on that basis that we extend the hand of reconciliation and friendship. // Everybody has been asking us how we feel, our experiences and how we feel now but I was wondering I haven’t heard anything from them themselves, the perpetrators. I just wonder how they feel. I want to know what they think of everything, what do they feel about us forgiving them?

Notes: Paul Williams (Survivor); Bernie Laufs (Survivor); Brian Smart (Survivor); Marietjie Bowers (Survivor); Dawie Ackerman; Anne Ackerman (Survivor); Bernie Laufs; Bishop Frank Retief; Liezl Ackerman (Mother killed)

References: there are no references for this transcript