Special Report Transcript Episode 78, Section 4, Time 26:36

Another contentious recent judgement is the granting of amnesty to 37 ANC members including Deputy President Thabo Mbeki, Defence Minister Joe Modise and other members of the cabinet. The ANC collectively applied for all actions committed during the liberation struggle. The Committee accepted this collective application and granted amnesty collectively. They found that all the conditions for granting of amnesty had been met and that there was no need for a public hearing of applications. They also said that the acts applied for by the ANC’s collective application ”did not constitute gross violation of human rights.” // Opposition parties, including the National Party, objected to these findings saying that amnesty could not be granted collectively but only for specific acts. They lodged a complaint with the Commission and the Commission has now asked for independent legal advice on these findings.