THIS DAY IN HISTORY: 29th October 1998
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) published its report into the atrocities committed under apartheid in South Africa. During the apartheid era, official records state that 220, mainly African anti-apartheid activists, were killed by "assassination squads" sponsored by the state. A further 75,000 people, including children, were detained without charge and as many as 3.5 million people were arrested from their homes at gunpoint.
The TRC was headed by Archbishop Desmond Tutu. As a means of encouraging perpetrators of violent crimes to confess it offered offered amnesty. However many Africans were disappointed with the process and report, believing that they had been denied justice as many of those guilty of extreme violence and human rights abuses during apartheid avoided any form of punishment.
Apartheid ended 18 years ago in 1994 with South Africa's first free, multi-racial elections, making Nelson Mandela President.
The following video examines the Truth and Reconciliation process:
Disclaimer: "The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect ModernGhana official position. ModernGhana will not be responsible or liable for any inaccurate or incorrect statements in the contributions or columns here."