Special Report Transcript Episode 85, Section 2, Time 13:28

But let me go on to Mr. Mzizi. We’re talking about a one sided process and you’ve felt that it was a one sided process. In what sense? Do you think there should have been representation on the Truth Commission of other parties like Professor Giliomee just said, four of the new, four of the old order or do you think the way the process was handled by the present commissioners was one sided? Do you think that perpetrators and victims should have been treated differently? Do you think old order policemen and guerrilla fighters of the previous liberation movements should have been treated the same way? Specify what you mean. // Max, probably let’s start off here, we talk of two phrases here: the truth and the other phrase is reconciliation. Now, if I may ask a question, what is the colour of the truth? Who can define the truth? And simply the answer is that the truth has got no colour and nobody can define the truth. Because the truth lies between me and God, he’s the only one who could probably establish the truth. When we said that these processes probably should have been given to court it was that we knew that the evidence would be weighed and the perpetrators would have been prosecuted, which was the case and the ANC had chosen that no, we want to part with the past knowing who we forgive and so forth and so forth. But if you look back, more than 21 000 of ANC members were given blanket amnesty. We don’t know what they have done and we don’t know why we should pardon them. We have touched on the 37 ANC members who were recently been given that blanket amnesty. After the Act has been actually passed, actually in that Committee which was dealing with the Act, that no person would be probably given a blanket amnesty unless that person appears before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Now we wonder why these people were given that kind of a blanket amnesty. But having said that, I think we have failed completely in that the Truth and Reconciliation structure, it’s not fully represented. I don’t mean that the IFP should have been there but it should have been a process where it was not a political appointee, where people would have been consulted who would serve in that Commission. Up until now Max I think the world at large would agree with me that only people who have been brought forward to appear before the Truth and Reconciliation are so-called ANC victims. None of other parties have been called forward. // But isn’t that exactly your responsibility as the IFP? With respect, I think you are like the man who killed his parents and then claimed sympathy because he was an orphan. You didn’t want to go to the Truth Commission. You discouraged your members from going to the Truth Commission. // I knew Max you’d come up with that. That’s not true. We have never said that people should not go to appear before the Truth and Reconciliation. // That’s the perception though … // That’s the media which misconstrued that. What we said is that an individual should go to the Truth and Reconciliation should that individual feel free to do so. But we are not saying go and appear on behalf of the IFP and hence in September 1996 my leader and the party appeared before the Truth and Reconciliation and we disclosed what we have heard and what we know. And therefore it was up to the individual and I may go on further and say that individuals have done so, they have submitted their statements, they’ve never been called up, up until this moment. There are crucial issues which could have come to light. The ANC, not the ANC, but let me say the Truth and Reconciliation structure has probably deliberately avoided to call the IFP members to probably testify before them. I do have statements that are in their possession and those statements have not seen light up until date. // Thank you.

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