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An Oral History Perspective on the Victim Hearings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa, 1996-1998

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An Oral History Perspective on the Victim Hearings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa, 1996-1998 REMEMBERING THE TRUTH: AN ORAL HISTORY PERSPECTIVE ON THE VICTIM HEARINGS OF THE TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION OF SOUTH AFRICA, 1996-1998 by MARIÉ MAGDALEEN OELOFSE submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree PHILOSOPHIAE DOCTOR in the FACULTY OF HUMANITIES (DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY) at the UNIVERSITY OF THE FREE STATE BLOEMFONTEIN PROMOTER: PROF. S.L. BARNARD BLOEMFONTEIN: MAY 2007 I declare that the thesis hereby submitted by me for the Philosophiae Doctor degree in the Department of History at the University of the Free State, is my own independent work and has not previously been submitted by me at another university/faculty. I furthermore cede copyright of the thesis in favour of the University of the Free State. ……………….. M.M. Oelofse i TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE ....................................................................................................................................... i-ix Chapter 1 TO REMEMBER AND TELL: THE NATURE OF ORAL HISTORY 1.1 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 DEFINING ORAL HISTORY ................................................................................................... 2 1.3 THE CURRENT STATUS OF ORAL HISTORY ................................................................. 8 1.4 ORAL HISTORY SHIFTS THE FOCUS AND TRANSFORMS THE CONTENT OF HISTORY .......................................................................................................13 1.5 THE PROCESS INVOLVED IN GAINING INFORMATION THROUGH ORAL TESTIMONY ................................................................................................................19 1.6 THE VALUE OF ORAL HISTORY .......................................................................................22 1.6.1 Oral history records unwritten and/or lost history ..................................23 1.6.2 Oral history complements recorded sources ...............................................27 1.6.3 Oral history gives a ‘voice to the voiceless’ ...................................................29 1.6.4 Oral history adds to the sensory and personal ............................................32 1.6.5 Oral history develops a variety of skills .........................................................33 1.6.6 Oral history – political reconciliation and nation-building .....................35 1.7 CHALLENGES CONFRONTING ORAL HISTORY .........................................................38 1.8 THE AUTHENTICITY OF ORAL SOURCES .....................................................................40 1.9 CONCLUSION ...........................................................................................................................57 Chapter 2 SETTING UP A UNIQUE TRUTH COMMISSION FOR SOUTH AFRICA 2.1 INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................................61 2.2 TRUTH COMMISSIONS IN GENERAL .............................................................................63 2.3 AN OVERVIEW OF SOME TRUTH COMMISSIONS ESTABLISHED IN OTHER COUNTRIES ..............................................................................................................71 2.4 FIRST CALLS FOR A TRUTH COMMISSION FOR SOUTH AFRICA .......................83 2.5 THE ROLE OF THE NEGOTIATION PROCESS IN THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A TRUTH COMMISSION FOR SOUTH AFRICA .................88 2.6 INITIAL PHASE OF CONFERENCES AND DEBATES .................................................92 2.7 HOW TO DEAL WITH THE PAST .....................................................................................96 ii 2.8 AMNESTY IN EXCHANGE FOR TRUTH ....................................................................... 110 2.9 THE PROMOTION OF NATIONAL UNITY AND RECONCILATION ACT NO. 34 OF 1995 ................................................................................................................... 120 2.10 OBJECTIVES AND FUNCTIONS OF THE TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION AS PRESCRIBED BY ‘THE ACT’ ................... 126 2.11 APPOINTMENT OF THE COMMISSIONERS .............................................................. 131 2.12 STRUCTURE OF THE TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION ............ 139 2.13 CRITICISMS LEVELLED AGAINST THE COMMISSION .......................................... 146 2.14 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................ 152 Chapter 3 DEALING WITH HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS 3.1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................. 154 3.2 SEARCHING FOR TRUTH ................................................................................................. 155 3.3 DEFINING GROSS VIOLATIONS OF HUMAN RIGHTS ........................................... 167 3.4 ESTABLISHING ‘VICTIM STATUS’ ................................................................................ 180 3.5 FUNCTIONING OF THE COMMITTEE ON HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS ......................................................................................................................... 183 3.6 METHODOLOGY IN PROCESSING AND ASSESSING INFORMATION GATHERED BY THE HRV COMMITTEE ...................................................................... 198 3.7 SETTING UP PUBLIC VICTIM HEARINGS .................................................................. 213 3.8 EXTENSIVE MEDIA COVERAGE .................................................................................... 224 3.9 AN ANALYSIS OF A CROSS-SECTION OF DEPONENTS WHO APPROACHED THE COMMISSION ............................................................................... 230 3.9.1 Historical period ................................................................................................... 234 3.9.2 Geographical coverage ....................................................................................... 234 3.9.3 Population groups ................................................................................................ 236 3.9.4 Gender ...................................................................................................................... 237 3.9.5 Age groups .............................................................................................................. 238 3.9.6 Statement taking .................................................................................................. 239 3.9.7 What did deponents talk about? .................................................................... 240 3.10 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................ 242 iii Chapter 4 BREAKING THE SILENCE: HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS COMMITTEE HEARINGS 4.1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................. 245 4.2 STORYTELLING, TESTIMONY AND HAVING A VOICE ......................................... 247 4.3 SHARING NARRATIVES: PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALING FROM THE PAST? 252 4.4 PATTERNS AND PROCEDURES WITHIN THE PUBLIC VICTIM HEARINGS ............................................................................................................................. 259 4.5 COMING TO TERMS WITH THE PAST: VICTIM’S STORIES ................................ 269 4.6 THE PLACE OF FORGIVENESS IN THE POSSIBILITY OF FORGIVING THE UNFORGIVABLE ........................................................................................................ 285 4.7 WOMEN TESTIMONIES: UNFINISHED BUSINESS ................................................. 294 4.8 PERCEPTIONS OF VICTIMS OF THE HRV COMMITTEE ...................................... 305 4.9 FACING CRITICISM ............................................................................................................ 308 4.10 THE FINAL STAGE .............................................................................................................. 314 4.11 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................ 319 Chapter 5 THE TRUTH IN MEMORIES: A CRITICAL ASSESSMENT OF MEMORY AS A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF INFORMATION 5.1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................. 322 5.2 UNDERSTANDING THE CONCEPT AND PROCESS OF MEMORY ...................... 325 5.3 THE PROBLEMATIC NATURE OF MEMORY AS A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF INFORMATION ............................................................................................ 334 5.4 APPRAISING REMEMBRANCE AS EMBODIED WITHIN THE TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION OF SOUTH AFRICA ................................. 361 5.5 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................ 372 Chapter 6 EVALUATION ................................................................................................................................... 374 APPENDICES .................................................................................................................................... 397 SOURCE LIST ................................................................................................................................... 409 iv SUMMARY .....................................................................................................................................
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