Although the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was set up to help deal with the atrocities of apartheid, many of the victims feel the process did little to help them heal.
“Now because the information is so easily accessible to anybody, it is being exploited by people who produce documentaries or books and make money from our stories,” Jordan said.
He said it was very disappointing to see what was happening with the current government as it showed that no lessons had been learnt from the apartheid government.
SABC journalist Lukhanyo Calata’s mother, Nomonde, was the first to give testimony on behalf of her husband Fort Calata – one of the Cradock Four who were murdered by apartheid police.
Speaking to the Daily Dispatch, Lukhanyo said he was in high school during the hearings. He said his mother did not want her children to attend, to spare them the emotional trauma she was trying to come to terms with herself.
He said they kept track of what was happening through the media and will never forget seeing a picture of his mother breaking down during her testimony.
Historically, he said, the establishment of the TRC was a great day.
“It filled so many of us with hope because we all saw it as the start of a process, but, personally, 20 years later we have not seen justice for my father’s death,” he said.
“The process gave my mom a space to speak and get things off her chest. So there’s healing there. It is important that she was heard but there was understanding that the perpetrators would be prosecuted and we know for a fact that no one was ever punished,” he said.
Advocate Ntsiki Sandi, a former member of the TRC, said the process had been an eye-opening experience for him.
“I actually entered the panel with great reluctance, but now I am glad I agreed because I would not have known how forgiving our people are,” Sandi said.
He said it was up to every person in the country to carry out the reconciliation, which he said was a process that could take years. — ziphon@dispatch.co.za
Not all victims happy with TRC aftermath
“Now because the information is so easily accessible to anybody, it is being exploited by people who produce documentaries or books and make money from our stories,” Jordan said.
He said it was very disappointing to see what was happening with the current government as it showed that no lessons had been learnt from the apartheid government.
SABC journalist Lukhanyo Calata’s mother, Nomonde, was the first to give testimony on behalf of her husband Fort Calata – one of the Cradock Four who were murdered by apartheid police.
Speaking to the Daily Dispatch, Lukhanyo said he was in high school during the hearings. He said his mother did not want her children to attend, to spare them the emotional trauma she was trying to come to terms with herself.
He said they kept track of what was happening through the media and will never forget seeing a picture of his mother breaking down during her testimony.
Historically, he said, the establishment of the TRC was a great day.
“It filled so many of us with hope because we all saw it as the start of a process, but, personally, 20 years later we have not seen justice for my father’s death,” he said.
“The process gave my mom a space to speak and get things off her chest. So there’s healing there. It is important that she was heard but there was understanding that the perpetrators would be prosecuted and we know for a fact that no one was ever punished,” he said.
Advocate Ntsiki Sandi, a former member of the TRC, said the process had been an eye-opening experience for him.
“I actually entered the panel with great reluctance, but now I am glad I agreed because I would not have known how forgiving our people are,” Sandi said.
He said it was up to every person in the country to carry out the reconciliation, which he said was a process that could take years. — ziphon@dispatch.co.za
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