Special Hearings — Business Hearings — 1997-11-12

MR MALAN: Mr Van Wyk, you would have heard from the questions that the perception sort of persists that business generally and specifically Afrikaans business supported the Government in its policies, because of the benefits or favouritism or patronage that they would be receiving through such support.
 In your submission, I think it's on page four, yes, you acknowledge the specifically - a specific endorsement of the policy, but halfway down the next paragraph you say that the AHI was part of that collective thinking.
 Now, could I put it to you this way?  You are saying that your members were supporters of the Government in their individual capacity outside of business their political thinking was such.
 In other words, would I be right to say that were there not a party at that stage of Apartheid, your members would have formed one, because that was their thinking.  Is that what you're saying in terms of the collective thinking?
 I want to make sure about this to find an explanation for what I perceive to be an organic getting together of a broad spectrum of - whether it's nationalism or Afrikanerisms or whatever.  How - could you expand a little on that, please?

MR VAN WYK: Well, you're going back a long way and what I can say is that what I've seen in our records, etcetera, is that there was, especially in the '60's, very close interaction, but one must remember what is the nature of our organisation.
 Its membership is voluntary.  People join it, they get together, you have congresses, you have - proposals are made, the people talk around it, they agree or they disagree, they vote for it or they vote against it and that was the collective thinking.
 These same people they were in other parts of society and that was - I cannot say that each and every of our members supported it, but that was decisions that the AHI as an organisation supported.  There was - I went back and I found it.
 As a matter of fact, when I joined the AHI I didn't always know all the things that happened there, but I can say that through a process of evolution one could see how the AHI changed from where it was then to where it is now, but it - I can't tell you that there would have been something else.
 I can just say that that is what in fact happened.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you Mr Van Wyk and your team.  I think the deputy Chairperson took all the words out of my mouth that I was going to actually add to our appreciation of what you've done today.
 We asked Bishop Sadbury clearly yesterday that acknowledgement goes a long way towards this Reconciliation and Nation Building that we're starting in this country.
 So, thank you for coming today.

MR VAN WYK: Thank you.

CHAIRPERSON: I'm sure all of you are wanting to stretch your legs and get some food into you.  I promised you that we'll break for lunch at half past one.
HEARING ADJOURS
ON RESUMPTION
ANTI-APARTHEID MOVEMENT:  PRESENTATION

CHAIRPERSON: Lord Hughes and Mr Minty, welcome to both of you.  Lord Hughes, you've come all the way from London, representing as I've said, the Anti-Apartheid Archives Committee because the Anti-Apartheid Movement, as we were told in several letters from your friends, does not exist any longer.
 But you come as someone who was very much involved within that organisation and similarly I know Mr Minty now works in the Department of Foreign Affairs, but at that time was a General Secretary of the Anti-Apartheid Movement.
 Welcome to both of you.  Dr BORAINE, will you just state the oath or affirmation.

DR BORAINE: Thank you.  Do you - are you  ... (intervention).

LORD HUGHES: Affirmation.

DR BORAINE: Affirmation.  And Mr Minty, affirmation?

MR MINTY: Affirmation.

DR BORAINE: Both.  You'll be speaking as well.  Why don't you both stand up and we'll do it together to save a little time.

MR MINTY: (Duly sworn in, states).

DR BORAINE: Thank you, very much.  You may be seated.

CHAIRPERSON: Mr Minty, I know you have a pressing commitment this afternoon.  Now, I just want to know whether you want to go first or whether that would create difficulties in terms of your joined submission?
 I leave it to - thank you.