A LITTLE HISTORY
May 27, 1994: First democratic elections in South Africa; Nelson Mandela elected.
Newly appointed minister of justice announced to Parliament the government’s decision
to set up a Truth Commission. (Previous truth commissions had been set up in Uganda,
Argentina, Chile, Nepal after civil wars or dictatorships.)
The idea for this to happen in South Africa came from Mandela’s party, the African
National Congress (ANC), the biggest liberation movement in the country.
The idea is regarded as part of a process of “transitional justice, when a society wants to
move from a past of injustice, discrimination and intolerance to a future founded on the
recognition of human rights, democracy and equality.”
The South African constitution included a clause that said that “there is a need for
understanding but not for vengeance, a need for reparation but not for retaliation, a
need for ubuntu but not for victimization.” UBUNTU: This word is a Bantu term (the
majority indigenous language in South Africa) which means “humanity” and is often
translated as “humanity towards others” or “I am because you are.” It is an African
philosophy that is over two thousand years old and basically is a belief in the universal
bond of sharing that connects all humanity. As a political philosophy, it emphasizes
equality and the just distribution of wealth and resources.
THE TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION
o 17 members chosen from over 40 nominees
o 350 staff members
o 4 offices across the country
o A budget of $18 million
DIFFERENCES FROM PREVIOUS TRUTH COMMISSIONS:
1. It could grant individual amnesty.
2. It could search premises and seize evidence.
3. It could subpoena witnesses.
4. It ran a sophisticated witness-protection program.
ITS CHARGE:
To establish a complete picture of the causes, nature and extent of the gross violations of
human rights committed during the period from 1 March 1960 to 5 December 1993 (later
extended to 10 May 1994); facilitate the granting of amnesty; establish and make known the
fate or whereabouts of victims and restore their human and civil dignity when possible by
granting them an opportunity to relate their own accounts; recommend measures of reparation
to them; and compile a report providing a comprehensive account of the commission’s
activities and findings with recommendations of measures to prevent the future violation of
human rights in the new South Africa.
ITS COMPOSITION:
Archbishop Desmond Tutu was tapped to oversee the TRC.
Three committees:
1. Human Rights Violations Committee
2. Amnesty Committee
3. Reparation and Rehabilitation Committee
RESULTS:
HR Violations Committee gathered almost 22,000 statements covering 37,000 violations which
was more than any previous Truth Commission had achieved.
--Almost 90 hearings were held in more than 60 locations.
Two thousand people testified publicly.
Special hearings were held focusing on certain themes, institutions or events:
o Medical services
o Media
o Big business
o The Soweto uprising
o Etc.
--A five-volume report was handed over to former president (by that time) Nelson Mandel
in October 1998.
*Do you have questions?
Questions for reading:
How could one gain amnesty?
What were some of the problems and/or criticisms of the TRC?
What do you think might be a lasting legacy of the TRC?
