Appearance of former ministers before the TRC

Four former cabinet ministers from the apartheid era appeared before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). The four were former Minister of Law and Order Adriaan Vlok, Foreign Minister Roelof Botha, and Deputy Ministers of Law and Order Roelf Meyer and Leon Wessels. Former Prime Minister P.W.Botha was also subpoenaed, but his lawyers submitted a letter before the commission stating that due to ill health, he would not be able to appear on the 14 th of October. The former ministers were subpoenaed for their alleged role in authorising the killing of anti-apartheid activists. They apologised for failing to prevent the atrocities that were committed under National Party (NP) rule but insisted that they were not aware of the activities of the South African Police (SAP). The four alleged that it was difficult for them to pick out any signals due to different codes that were used and that they could not interpret their actual meaning. They only realised when they were called before the TRC that they had to account for something that they did not know about at the time and for instructions coming allegedly from them. Their answers were met with dismay by the Commissioners who asked why the Security Council had not realised that its instructions were misinterpreted by the security forces while so many people were dying in police custody or disappearing. Click here to read a statement by Archbishop Tutu, Chairman, TRC, Military and Political leaders to give evidence before the TRC, 30 September 1997. Click here to read about P.W.Botha's Subpoena by the TRC.