Press Release

A Human Being Died That Night by Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela

• About the Book • About the Author • Praise for A Human Being Died That Night • Some Themes Explored in A Human Being Died That Night • A Timeline of and Reconciliation in South Africa

"A book that tugs at our humanity, compassion, and integrity." — Archbishop

About the Book

Once in a great while we meet someone whose courage inspires, even provokes us. Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela is one of those rare few. Her powerful book, A Human Being Died That Night, about her work on South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, raises disturbing, profound questions about the nature of evil and its consequences that will deepen our understanding of remorse and forgiveness.

As the only psychologist on the TRC's Human Rights Violations Committee in the Western Cape, Pumla made the extraordinary decision to interview Eugene de Kock — a man known as "Prime Evil" for his relentless pursuit and extermination of anti-apartheid activists.

Pumla met de Kock in 's maximum-security prison, where he has been serving a 212- year sentence for crimes against humanity. It was here that she began a journey that would lead her to examine the far reaches of human cruelty and cause her to redefine the value of remorse and the limits of forgiveness.

Pumla tells the gripping story of how one of the most depraved state-sanctioned killers of the twentieth century came to be, and the ways in which he rationalized his actions. She also explains how she and other black South Africans from the townships struggle with the sometimes contradictory impulses to hold such killers accountable and to forgive them.

In the book, we listen in on Pumla's conversations with de Kock and witness his extraordinary awakening of conscience. This transformation raises one of the most

www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com 1 of 7 Copyright (c) 2003 Houghton Mifflin Company, All Rights Reserved complicated questions of our time: What does it mean when we discover that someone so evil is also as frighteningly human as we are?

Early response to the book has been overwhelming. Human rights groups around the country have been clamoring to get Pumla to share her story with their members. This intense interest has resulted in a twelve-city book tour in January and February 2003, with visits to Pittsburgh, Minneapolis, Chicago, Austin, Cleveland, Memphis, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Boston, and New York.

In addition to endorsements by such figures as Archbishop Desmond Tutu (a fellow member of the TRC), J. M. Coetzee, and Adam Hochschild, Kirkus Reviews notes Pumla's purpose "in this gracefully written account is less to condemn than to document, understand, and ultimately forgive; without a hint of sanctimony, she argues that a victim who puts revenge aside can gain a more satisfying measure of power by becoming 'the gatekeeper to what the outcast desires — readmission into the human community.'"

Pumla is a clinical psychologist and has held teaching positions at the Kennedy School of Government, Brandeis University, Stanford University, and Wellesley College. She is an associate professor of psychology at the University of Cape Town.

Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela's story is especially timely, since there have been renewed calls for the pardon of de Kock following presidential pardons granted earlier this year to thirty- three prisoners who fought against the apartheid regime. Wherever she appears, Pumla is asked to draw parallels between the South African experience of living under threat of violence and the current climate of fear in the United States.

About the Author

Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela was born in Langa Township, in Cape Town, South Africa. She graduated from Fort Hare University, which and many of today's leaders in South Africa's government also attended, under apartheid's laws of separate education for blacks and whites. She pursued graduate studies at Rhodes University, an apartheid-era whites-only university where blacks had to obtain approval from the minister of education to study for degrees not offered by universities designated for blacks. Pumla qualified as a clinical psychologist and earned a doctoral degree from the University of Cape Town.

Pumla has been the recipient of many awards from leading institutions, including Harvard University, the University of Southern California, UCLA, and the University of Michigan. She was awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree by Holy Cross College in 2002. Pumla has taught for many years in the psychology department of the University of Transkei. She served on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission shortly before coming to the United States, in 1998, to take up a peace fellowship at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Research at Harvard. Between 1999 and 2001, she also taught at Brandeis, Wellesley, and Tufts, and offered workshops for college and high school teachers in summer institutes run by Facing History and Ourselves. Gobodo-Madikizela has also lectured extensively on issues of forgiveness, apology, and remorse.

Gobodo-Madikizela is currently an associate professor of psychology at the University of

www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com 2 of 7 Copyright (c) 2003 Houghton Mifflin Company, All Rights Reserved Cape Town and an adjunct professor at the Unilever Ethics Centre of the University of Natal in Pietermaritzburg. She also serves as a faculty affiliate in the Coexistence Program at the Brandeis Ethics Center.

Gobodo-Madikizela lives in Cape Town with her son.

Praise for A Human Being Died That Night: A South African Story of Forgiveness

"Through her encounters with Eugene de Kock, notorious as 'Prime Evil' when he headed up the apartheid government's killing farm, Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela wrestles with the agonizing perplexities of whether perpetrators of gruesome human rights violations and atrocities can or should be forgiven. This is not a cold or detached discussion, but a book that tugs at our humanity, compassion, and integrity." — Archbishop Desmond Tutu

"Gobodo-Madikizela is judicious in her characterizations of the now imprisoned policeman Eugene de Kock, 'the man whom many in [South Africa] considered the most brutal of apartheid's covert police operatives' — and who has long and deservedly borne the nickname 'Prime Evil' . . . Gobodo-Madikizela's purpose in this gracefully written account is less to condemn than to document, understand, and ultimately forgive; without a hint of sanctimony, she argues that a victim who puts revenge aside can gain a more satisfying measure of power by becoming 'the gatekeeper to what the outcast desires — readmission into the human community.' "There's much forgiving to be done in this world, and this primer in compassion makes a fine start." — Kirkus Reviews

"There is no more unsettling mystery than what allows an apparently normal human being to take part in institutionalized mass murder. Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela has every reason to loathe renowned apartheid chief Eugene de Kock. But in this searching look at him, she gives evidence of an even greater human mystery: the capacity for understanding and compassion." — Adam Hochschild, author of King Leopold's Ghost

"A Human Being Died That Night is a disturbing voyage into the heart of a professional killer and a coolly intelligent analysis of how the conscience gets to be numbed; but also an exploration of the workings of forgiveness, a persuasive argument for the South African formula for reconciliation via the road of truth, and, not least, a testament to the author's powers of sympathy." — J. M. Coetzee, author of Disgrace

Some Themes Explored in A Human Being Died That Night

THE VALUE OF FORGIVENESS (P. 117)

"Although forgiveness is often regarded as an expression of weakness, the decision to forgive can paradoxically elevate a victim to a position of strength as the one who holds the key to the perpetrator's wish. For just at the moment when the perpetrator begins to show remorse, to seek some way to ask forgiveness, the victim becomes the gatekeeper to what the outcast desires — readmission into the human community. And the victim retains that privileged status as long as he or she stays the moral course, refusing to sink to the level of www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com 3 of 7 Copyright (c) 2003 Houghton Mifflin Company, All Rights Reserved the evil that was done to her or to him. In this sense, then, forgiveness is a kind of revenge, but revenge enacted at a rarefied level. Forgiving may appear to condone the offense, thus further disempowering the victim. But forgiveness does not overlook the deed: it rises above it."

THE EVOLUTION OF PERSONAL EVIL (P. 55)

"In my research and professional practice, I have time and again come across two fundamental positions — partly philosophical, partly empirical — regarding the nature and evolution of violence and personal evil. The first view holds that certain individuals are predisposed toward becoming evil as a result of early childhood experiences of violence that made them suffer shame and humiliation, leaving them with unresolved anger . . .

"The second view on the issue maintains that evildoing is not the result of a predisposition, since most who have suffered unspeakable trauma do not turn out to be monsters. On this again partly philosophical, partly empirical view, people have free choice. The sovereignty of the heart is essentially inviolable . . .

"My own position is that the issue is more complex than either of these two positions. Those who have been traumatized are vulnerable to falling into a mode of psychological repetition of aggression they suffered. Whether individuals turn out this way or that depends on a complicated set of factors, one being whether they are 'violently coached,' another whether they are exposed to positive experiences that can help mend the humiliation they suffered and restore their sense of identity."

JUDGING PERPETRATORS OF VIOLENCE (P. 58)

"If abuse only damages the person's psyche, is he like a person with an illness (hence someone who deserves society's sympathy)? Or if abuse corrupts a person's psyche, does this imply that the person — through no fault of his own — will grow up predisposed to becoming a morally evil person? If the latter is the case — that abuse can predispose hitherto innocent people (children or those working for an evil state) to evil — do they deserve our sympathy on the view that the corruption came from an external source and was imposed on them? Or do they deserve the same judgments we direct toward others who — however it came to pass — have become morally evil, not just people with a damaged psyche? . . .

"The distance between evil and sickness is not that great. The evil component of crimes against humanity is the moral failing. The sickness aspect is the defect in perspective, the distortion in mental processing that both precedes the evil and is intensified by it. Foot soldiers like de Kock who are swept up by the ideology of evil regimes such as that of apartheid South Africa should be held morally responsible for the evil they commit. Their willingness to exercise their free will, to choose against the deepest parts of their conscience, should invite our condemnation. But at the same time, some of them may need our sympathy, because under corrupt leadership they lacked appropriate models to steer them away from a violent path."

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN APARTHEID SOUTH AFRICA AND NAZI GERMANY (P. 66)

"Comparing the statements of apartheid politicians to those of Nazis tried by the Nuremberg www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com 4 of 7 Copyright (c) 2003 Houghton Mifflin Company, All Rights Reserved tribunal raises questions about the issue of moral, as opposed to legal, guilt and innocence. The Nazis never denied involvement in what they had ordered, supported, or encouraged. What they denied was that it was criminal. By contrast, apartheid politicians, once stripped of power and exposed to the logic of international and domestic law, never denied that killing and torturing liberation activists was criminal. What they denied was that they were ever involved in it or knew anything about it . . .

"What does this say about the question of conscience in the two cases? Which leadership type betrays the greater level of depravity? Is the politician who plunges openly into criminal behavior and, Nazi-style, shamelessly denies there is anything wrong with it more or less morally degenerate than one who lies about his criminal behavior to cover it up?"

THE PROCESS OF FORGIVENESS (P. 95)

"It is hard to resist the conclusion that there must be something divine about forgiveness expressed in the context of tragedy. How else can we understand how such words flow from the lips of one wronged so irreparably? Archbishop Tutu, whenever we were witnesses to such inexplicable human responses at a public hearing of the TRC, would be driven to call for silence "because we are on holy ground." There seems to be something spiritual, even sacramental, about forgiveness — a sign that moves and touches those who are witnesses to its enactment . . .

"I doubt that when forgiveness is offered, the gaze is cast on the specifics of the deed. Forgiveness, while not disregarding the act, begins not with it but with the person. Forgiveness recognizes the deed, its impact having been and continuing to be lived by the victim, but transcends it. People who come to the point of forgiveness have lived not only with the pain that trauma and loss bring, but also with the anger and resentment of those who caused the pain . . .

"When forgiveness is granted, however, it is a choice the victim makes to let go of the bitterness. This usually occurs when there has been a change in the way the victim relates to his or her trauma. Forgiveness is not simply meant to relieve victimizers of their guilt, to make things easy for them. Such an interpretation makes forgiveness a further burden for victims. Forgiveness can also open up a new path toward healing for the victim."

REMORSE AND APOLOGY (P. 98)

What leads victims to a forgiving place, to a place where they can transcend the deed and forgive the doer? Forgiveness usually begins with the person who needs to be forgiven. This means that there must be something in the perpetrator's behavior, some 'sign,' that invites the victim's forgiveness. The most crucial sign is an expression of remorse. One begins to appreciate the magnitude of forgiveness when the 'wrong' for which an apology is tendered is an atrocity. There is no comparison between atrocities and daily upsets that occur between partners, family members, and colleagues. But even atrocities call for an apology that is sincere, unencumbered by explanation or justification . . .

"A genuine apology focuses on the feelings of the other rather than on how the one who is apologizing is going to benefit in the end . . . Nothing can ever reverse injustices committed against others. But an apology pronounced in the context of horrible acts has the potential for transformation. It clears or 'settles' the air in order to begin reconstructing the broken www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com 5 of 7 Copyright (c) 2003 Houghton Mifflin Company, All Rights Reserved connections between two human beings."

A Timeline of Apartheid and Reconciliation in South Africa

1905 The British high commissioner in South Africa, Sir Alfred Milner, establishes a commission to deal with the "Native question." The commission proposes racial segregation with black "locations" set up on the fringes of cities and towns.

1910 The Union of South Africa is established following the Boer War, between the Boers, or Dutch settlers, and the British. Membership in the South African parliament is limited to white males, while blacks in the Cape were allowed to vote.

1912 The African National Congress is founded to campaign for nonracial democracy and human rights.

1936 Blacks are removed from the voting rolls and allowed only three appointed white representatives in parliament.

1940s The ANC is revitalized by , who forms the ANC Youth League.

1948 After its electoral victory, the National Party (with largely Afrikaner membership) begins the codification of apartheid and the legalization of all forms of discrimination against blacks.

1949 The Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act makes marriage between races illegal.

1950 The Group Areas Act allows forced removals of blacks from white areas to . The Bantu Education Act provides for a separate, inferior educational system for blacks. The Population Registration Act enforces total separation through the use of identity cards, limiting travel between Bantustans and white areas.

1955 The ANC approves the as a blueprint for a South Africa, which "belongs to all who live in it — black and white."

1960 The — in which police open fire on several thousand unarmed blacks who marched on a police station to protest the pass laws — ignites countrywide protests. The government responds by declaring a state of emergency and outlawing anti-apartheid organizations, including the ANC and the Pan-African Congress. Both groups move away from peaceful protest and create an armed wing, Spear of the Nation (MK).

www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com 6 of 7 Copyright (c) 2003 Houghton Mifflin Company, All Rights Reserved 1963 General Hendriek van den Bergh is appointed head of the Bureau of State Security, and arrests escalate. Nelson Mandela and other MK leaders are arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment. New laws are enacted that allow police to detain people for ninety days without trial. Arrests and torture continue during the following decade.

1976 In , more than five hundred students are massacred during a protest of Bantu education laws that mandate the use of the language in black schools. More repression of black consciousness movement organizations follows, resulting in a swelling of the ranks of the outlawed military wing of the ANC and the PAC.

1983 President P. W. Botha establishes a new parliament that includes participation by whites, "coloreds," and Indians but excludes blacks. The United Democratic Front is formed, comprising more than five hundred political organizations. The UDF organizes consumer boycotts of white businesses. Black targeting of those who break ranks or are seen as collaborators escalates, with "necklace killings" destabilizing the liberation movement. MK steps up its bombing campaign, and state-orchestrated violence escalates through the 1980s.

1981 Eugene de Kock heads , a notorious counterinsurgency unit of the South African army based in Namibia. De Kock will later operate out of South Africa's most notorious death farm, Vlakplass, just outside Pretoria.

Late 1980s President F. W. de Klerk begins implementing more inclusive citizenship laws, thereby dismantling the apartheid system.

1990 Nelson Mandela is released from prison. The Congress for a Democratic South Africa is set up to plan for the peaceful transfer of power to the majority.

1994 Nelson Mandela is elected president. The ANC becomes the ruling party in parliament.

1995 The new government establishes the Truth and Reconciliation Commission as a means of breaking the cycle of violence, bringing about social cohesion, and restoring peace. Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu is appointed chairman.

1996 Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela joins the TRC as the only psychologist on the Human Rights Violations Committee, in the Cape Town headquarters of the new commission.

1998 Eugene de Kock appears before the TRC, and Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela begins her interviews with him, which result in her journey documented in A Human Being Died That Night. www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com 7 of 7 Copyright (c) 2003 Houghton Mifflin Company, All Rights Reserved