Special Hearings — Faith Community Hearings — 1997-11-17

CHAIRPERSON: I wanted to say that we have deep appreciation for all that you   have said. It is certainly difficult for any one of us to confess something   and to ask for forgiveness.
To be able to do so is only possible because of the grace of God. Grace which   God so voluminously pours out on us. You have personally spoken of your many   efforts with regard to the relationship of your denomination towards this Commission   and how you would have liked to have made a presentation from your denomination.
For that reason we are very grateful that you have indeed decided only just   now recently, that you indeed as a church would be represented and that you   would represent your church.
I want to give thanks to God because as you say, what has been happening here,   has truly been wonderful and we can all just, all we can really say is thank   you to God that God has led so many to doing that which we all find so very   difficult to do, especially when we have to do it in public.
Your church has a tremendous role to play, it has had an important role in   the life of this country from the beginning. It has had a very significant impact   on the lives of very, very many and I have no doubt at all, that God is intending   to use your church powerfully for this nation.
I have sometimes, one of the wonderful things about Afrikaners particularly,   is that they are not subtle. That might sound as if I am not praising you, but   what I mean is that unlike other people, the Afrikaner is one who once they   see the light, have no half measures. 
When you are committed, you are committed to the hilt whatever the cost, and   we saw it with the many people that you referred to whom for quite a while your   church has ostracised and you church did a wonderful thing in 1994 because there   are not very many churches that have publicly until recently, publicly said   we erred. Beyers Naude and all of you others who were prophets, we are sorry   for what we have done publicly and I think we need to acknowledge that.
Again the grace of God is wonderful and that you responded to the grace of   God on that occasion and that now the prophets who have sidelined, have been   welcomed back into your community. I am saying they are an example of people   who once they have seen the light, as it were, take the bit between their teeth   and you have a problem reigning them in.
And if I may say so humbly, I am so glad that you have seen the light and we   know we could almost say to the devil watch out, here comes the Dutch Reformed   Church.
But I am sort of half (indistinct), but I think I mean to have you as it were,   on our side, is a tremendous thing and we give thanks to God. There is a lot   of healing to be done, there are many horrible things that have happened and   we are glad that you are part of the process of healing in this land.
Someone said to me perhaps today, one of the things we should do is perhaps   just to keep a moment's silence and remembering many people, but to pray in   thanksgiving for people like Johan Heyns, but what this person was saying was   they wished we could pray that God would bless the Police to find the people   who did what they did to Prof Johan Heyns.
Perhaps I must ask you after a moment's silence, to offer a prayer in the broad   under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

UNKNOWN: LEADS THE COMMISSION IN A PRAYER.

UNKNOWN: Oh God, our Lord, thank you that we can worship you everywhere   and that you can be heard everywhere.
Thank you Lord, that we can pray here now and ask for your blessing, that we   can ask for truth, for reconciliation, for restitution and for healing.
We pray Lord, for every person and every family that had been hurt, that had   lost people that they loved. Our hearts ache and we confess that great wrongs   have been done. We pray Father, that you will strengthen our hands to bring   healing while we know ourselves that only you can strengthen our hands.
Thank you for every church that came and spoke here and bring blessing Lord   on the work of churches in this nation. I pray oh Lord, for your blessing on   the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the Chairman and all these members   and the other members busy at other venues.
We pray for their report, we pray that you will give them health and energy,   that you will guide them and bless them so that what we receive next year, will   help us to go forward to heal, to reconcile and to move forward through your   power.
We pray this in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, amen.

CHAIRPERSON: We now call Prof Nico Smith. You are looking very smart. Dear   friends, we welcome you. You are one of the examples of what I was talking about   just now.
Nico Smith as we know, you left a very comfortable job because God caught you   by the scruff of the neck and made you go and live in Mamelodi and we give thanks   for the witness that you have given and we welcome you. We welcome brother Moss,   but yes, well, we know him from another time.
Will you stand for taking an oath?

UNKNOWN: (sworn states)

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you. We are in your hands.

UNKNOWN: Honourable Chairperson, I am very thankful for the opportunity   the Commission has granted us to submit this open letter and I am very thankful   that I am last on the programme. In Afrikaans we say "agteros kom ook in   die kraal."
But I take it that being the last person then, oh, not quite, oh, I just thought   that the rest of the afternoon belongs to me.

CHAIRPERSON: You've still got only 30 minutes.