Special Hearings — Trojan Horse Hearings — 1997-05-20

CHRIS EVERSON: Our organisation was always threatened with being expelled and they were actually expelled on two occasions.  On one occasion we made a documentary called Children of Apartheid which was a documentary done by Walter Concheit and he did it, they considered it illegally, he was here on a holiday permit and he went ahead and he reported and as a result they wanted to expel our whole organisation.
 It was only at the eleventh hour that they rescinded that.  So there was always the threat of deportation hanging over  a correspondents.  One of our top correspondents, and in fact the correspondent that termed the term the Trojan Horse, who reported on the Trojan Horse, he was expelled from this country as a result.
 British journalists were expelled, so there wasn't complete security in reporting from here, but I think the local press were in many instances magnificent as well, they were very brave in their reporting.  The people from the Cape Times and the Cape Argus certainly, Weekly Mail.  I think that they were magnificent very often in staring the security forces right in the eye when doing their reporting and they were always out there in the townships with us, recording the events for local organisations and perhaps as a result, not with the same protection or even credibility dare I say that, as we had with the kids in the township.

CHAIRPERSON: What I meant is that they were restricted, I think restricted is a better word actually.  The material published here was more restricted.  Any attempt at exposing the truth was restricted in this country in the media and therefor many people who were not in the areas of conflict, did not know what the truth about it was and often the truth was turned around.
 For example in your case, you setting it up, you are making as if it is happening when in fact it is not.  And members of the public believed that because it was kind of the official story, and our press in this country were not allowed to report accurately because there was a clamp down on what they could and what they could say and so that tarnished the reports that came out in the public quite a lot.
 I will hand over to Dr Ramashala, to briefly summarise.

MAPULE RAMASHALA: Chairperson, we acknowledge the negative role which was played by some members of the media in colluding with the security forces, but particularly with the apartheid government in the form of misinformation etc.
 But we would also be remiss if we did not acknowledge the very important role that was played by the media, particularly in providing information into the international community.   It is often said a picture is worth a thousand words, is that correct.
 What really pushed those of us who were in the United States, what really pushed the support of the international community to just fight against the system, was the pictures what the Americans saw, what American students saw it began in Pennsylvania, it moved to Princetown, to California. 
 What mostly American students on campus saw and address this issue of diversement etc, it was the picture, it was the story that perhaps was not allowed to be seen in South Africa, but was seen all over the world.
 It was that picture that helped to make the international community to make a commitment.  And for that picture, we say thank you because those of us South Africans who were in exile, were informed by that picture of course and other ways too, but were informed by that picture so that we were able to do what needed to be done by providing the evidence from that picture.
 I still say you were foolish, but thank you for having been foolish.

CHRIS EVERSON: Thank you very much.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you Chris.  I just want to say at this stage that when the idea of bringing on journalists evolved, we then ateamed, the team that was planning for this hearing, I consulted with a few journalists, I think it was about six journalists from whom I asked their opinion of whom we should bring on to the Commission, I don't think it is necessary to really mention the journalists, but I've had at least three meetings with those journalists, and they led me, they gave me the names of people whom I could speak to, who had done work on the Trojan Horse and we had at least two definite meetings and I was in contact with those journalists who had been present at the first meeting where I spoke about our intention of bringing on journalists to this hearing, to bring us their perspective.
 So I just want to place that on record and the journalists who are appearing today were journalists suggested by that initial group who assisted me in formulating the names and hooking up with some people, some of whom we couldn't get through to.
 I think you mentioned the women who took pictures, and that name came up as well, but we never really got to her, but thank you very much.