Special Hearings — Political Party Hearings — 1996-08-19

CHAIRPERSON: Ons heet u almal baie hartlik welkom hierso.
( welcome in Xhosa)  But we want to welcome especially the leader and representatives of the African Christian Democratic Party.  We are grateful that although you were founded after, as it were, our cut-off date, you very generously agreed that you would want to share with us your insights and perspectives on the work that we are supposed to be doing which is to try to give as full, as complete a picture of gross human rights violations which resulted from the conflict of the past during this specified period, March 1960 to December 1993 with the hope that we would also get recommendations about how such things would be prevented from happening ever again in our country.  
 We are aware that although you were formed after this time you have been in South Africa a long while before that. We have all in different ways been involved in the conflict either as perpetrators or as victims/survivors and the Act which is the act for promoting national unity and reconciliation requires that we should get as 
many perspectives as possible, the perspectives of the victims and the perspectives of perpetrators that we should be able to be given an idea of the context and in certain cases, where people were carrying out the instructions or policies of various political organisations that we should know what the objectives of those political parties were and how they intended to attain those objectives.  
 We are keen to hear from yourselves how you have seen this conflict of the past, what insights and perspectives you may be able to bring to our attention and whether you have any specific recommendations about how we may be able to put to the President and so to the country, suggestions relating to how you prevent a recurrence of these gross violations of human rights. 
 We have already had one submission from a political party this morning. You are the second in line as you probably know.  This is the first of a different kind of hearing.  We have deliberately taken the decision that we would have what we might characterise as victim/ survivor hearings in which those who have in the past have not had the opportunity of doing so, granted them a platform, a forum in which they were able to relate their stories and this is also a requirement of the Act to assist them in the rehabilitation of their civic and human dignity.  And we have also sought to stress that in these hearings there have been cries from various people -  we want to know!  And I'm hoping I mean that the process will provide us with the kind of truth that people are seeking, in who gave instructions, why, if a loved one is missing, is this person still alive?  If this person is dead, where are their remains etc? 
 And so we welcome you and look forward to sharing your contribution which we are sure will make an impact on the healing process in our land as we try to transcend the conflicts of the past and work for our national unity and reconciliation.
 Before I invite you to present formally to me your submission before you deal with it, may I introduce the panel that is here with me. 
 We have on the extreme right Advocate Denzil Potgieter, he is a Commissioner and a member of the Human Rights Violations Committee based here in Cape Town.  
 Next to him is Dr Mampula Ramashala, she's also a Commissioner and a member of the Reparations and Rehabilitation Committee. 
 Dr Alex Boraine is the deputy chair of the Commission and a member of the Human Rights Violations Committee and based in the headquarters here in Cape Town. 
 Dumisa Ntsebeza, he's a Commissioner and he's the head of the Investigative Unit of the Commission, a member of the Human Rights Violations Committee, and based here in Cape Town.  
 Mary Burton, a Commissioner and a member of the Human Rights Violations Committee based here in Cape Town.  
 On the extreme right is Chris de Jager who is an advocate and he's a Commissioner and a member of the Amnesty Committee.
 Now may I invite you please to -  thank you very much thank you.  I will then call on you Mr Green to make your presentation.  Thank you.