RESPONSES OF POLITICAL PARTIES TO THE TRC National

RESPONSES OF POLITICAL PARTIES TO THE TRC National Party responses • FW de Klerk constantly urged South Africa to look to the future rather than the past • Through out the TRC negotiation process, he was attempting to re-write history, wanting people to see himself and his party as innocent and at best and eager and willing negotiators or heroes in some sense in a democratic future • He , on behalf of his party and the TRC made reports claiming that neither him nor his cabinet had authorised human right violations including torture and murder • Basically, the NP response was one of denial • However when the final report was about to be released de Klerk obtained a court order to have any findings in the final report related to him taken out of the report • The findings of the TRC in the report were that he knew about the bombings in 1988 and that he encouraged them • De Klerk did not want the findings to be known since he wanted him and his party to appear to have ended apartheid • He did not want to be labelled as a perpetrator of the human rights violations • In 1997, the NP changed its name to NNP(New National Party) • It was a way to distance themselves firmly from the past

Inkatha freedom party(IFP) • It boycotted the public ceremony in which the final report was released • It always opposed the TRC’s process • It was against the TRC and its investigation on parties that opposed apartheid, saying that violence was necessary for change • To them , fighting was part of the struggle hence they denied taking responsibility for causing human rights violations • It took legal action against the TRC in 2003 where some of the allegations levelled against the party were removed • The IFP claimed that the situation at the time warranted their decisions and behaviour

African National Congress responses • They also refused to accept the final report of the TRC • They felt that the report could have negative implications for them as thy were currently in power • They felt that this might reflect badly on their relationship • They also were angered that the TRC made no difference between the crimes committed by the apartheid state those committed by liberation movements • It was only when Tutu threatened to resign that members of the ANC agreed to apply for amnesty for deeds committed.

The findings of the TRC • President Mandela received the final report in October 1998 • In the report , the TRC concluded that the NP under PW Botha was responsible fo for torture , arson, abductions , murder and sabotage • It also criticised de Klerk for the actions of the “third forces” which had tried to disturb the negotiation process • It criticised those who had bad intentions in fighting apartheid for example in ANC camps in exile and around the country • On presenting the report, Mandela stated his belief that the report had laid the foundation for reconciliation • However key figures like Thabo Mbeki disagreed • De Klerk accused it of seeking revenge rather than reconciliation • Buthelezi believed it had favoured the ANC version of events over that of the IFP • According to Desmond Tutu , while reconciliation was difficult to achieve, certainly much had been brought to light which ensured the past not to be forgotten • The TRC did not set out to achieve reconciliation but to start the process

How has the struggle against apartheid been remembered • It has been done through memorials (monuments , statues and plaques to remember the past) Examples include: 1. Freedom park - Pretoria 2. The Apartheid museum - Johannesburg 3. The Women’s monument -Pretoria 4. Thokoza monument - Johannesburg 5. The Gugulethu seven monument -Cape town 6. Voortrekker monument -Pretoria 7. Samora Machell monument -Mpumalanga