Address by President Nelson Mandela to the interfaith commissioning service for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission

Cape Town, 13 February 1996

The Right Honourable Rev. Desmond Tutu,
Chairperson of the Truth and
Reconciliation Commission;
Members of the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission;
Distinguished Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Allow me to congratulate the Chairperson and other members of the Truth and
Reconciliation Commission on your appointment, and to wish you well.

Yours is a task of extreme difficulty and of great consequence to the future
of our nation.

All South Africans face the challenge of coming to terms with the past in
ways which will enable us to face the future as a united nation at peace with
itself. To you has been entrusted the particular task of dealing with gross
violations of human rights in a manner that ensures that the painful truth is
laid bare and that justice is done to the victims within the capacity of our
society and within the framework of the constitution and the law. By doing so,
and by means of amnesty, your goal is to ensure lasting reconciliation.

South Africa's transition from apartheid has seen the accomplishment of one
step after another that sceptics judged impossible. The once-mighty apartheid
state machine is no more. Forces locked in apparently irreconcilable conflict
found a negotiated path to a democratic constitution. The first democratic
elections took place on the appointed day, April 27, despite formidable
challenges. Just eighteen months later the local government elections put in
place yet another critical element of our democratic system of government. The
spectre of civil war has receded from South Africa's vision of its future. After
years of stagnation and economic decline, we are experiencing growth beyond
expectation.

Time and again, the prophets of doom have been confounded by the capacity and
determination of South Africans to solve their problems and to realise their
shared vision of a united, peaceful and prosperous country.

And I am confident that the members of the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission, together with whole nation, will in the same way succeed in building
National Unity and Reconciliation through confronting one of the most complex
and sensitive aspects of our past.

There is a view that the past is best forgotten. Some criticise us when we
say that whilst we can forgive, we can never forget. They do not agree that
perpetrators of human rights violations should make full disclosure and
acknowledge what they have done before they can be granted amnesty. There are
also those who urge interference in prosecutions in progress.

Even if politicians could agree to suppress the past in these ways, they
would be mistaken in doing so. Ordinary South Africans are determined that the
past be known, the better to ensure that it is not repeated. They seek this, not
out of vengeance, but so that we can move into the future together. The choice
of our nation is not whether the past should be revealed, but rather to ensure
that it comes to be known in a way which promotes reconciliation and peace. This
will also impact on our ability to end violent crime and establish the rule of
law, today.

Essential to the work of the Commission is its independence. It must, and it
will, operate free from interference by political authority. And I call on all
South Africans to respect its independence and impartiality. The importance of
the Commission's work demands that it should have the co-operation of all of us.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission affords all South Africans an
opportunity to participate in reconciliation and nation building. There is a
role for community- based organisation and non-governmental organisations to
play their part. There is a role, too, for individuals to make a contribution.

Perhaps the most important role player is not the politician or the
commission, but the victim. Too often, victims have been neglected in our
society. It is necessary that we identify the individuals who have suffered and
their families, as well as communities.

But the whole South African nation has been a victim, and it is in that
context that we should address the restoration of dignity and the issue of
reparation. The healing process is meant for the individual, the family and the
community. However, above all the healing process involves the nation, because
it is the nation itself that needs to redeem and reconstruct itself.

In conclusion, may I say that I have come here today not to prescribe to the
commission, but to reiterate our commitment to respect your independence; and to
wish you well.

We hope that our words of encouragement, but particularly the blessings of
the religious leaders who have graced this occasion, will ensure that your work
is crowned with success.

Thank you.

Issued by: Office of the President

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