ArticlesMediaTransitional JusticeLittle Joy, No Rainbow, Victimised AgainAfter lobbying around the issue of reparations for the past seven years, civil society found little to rejoice about in President Mbeki's speech to Parliament this week. Rather than use the opportunity to step closer to the unified rainbow nation visualized in the TRC process, the government appeared more eager to reassure the business community than deal with survivors' needs… Read More CSVRApril 1, 2003
ArticlesMediaRacism, Transitional JusticeLaw Offers Hope in Fight against RacismUnlike their apartheid predecessors, racist incidents can be tackled through the law that offers protection from prejudice. At a time when racist incidents rarely make the news unless they are extremely violent or highly politicised, Xolela Mangcu reminds readers that 'ordinary' everyday racism still exists in South Africa. His article, Racist nailed as she harks back to old SA on… Read More CSVRJanuary 12, 2003
PublicationsResearchReconciliation, Transitional Justice, Truth and Reconciliation CommissionThe Role of the Church in Promoting Reconciliation in Post–TRC South AfricaThis paper uses the interviews conducted by Bernard Spong (alongside previous research by the author) to examine the way the church interacted with the TRC and how this has affected the approach of the church in addressing the challenge of reconciliation after the closure of the TRC. Read More Hugo van der MerweJanuary 7, 2003
PublicationsResearchTransitional Justice, Truth Commissions"Uncivil Society" – Challenges for Reconciliation and Justice in South Africa After the Truth and Reconciliation CommissionThis following paper is a presentation that will attempt to focus on the challenges that face South Africa in the endeavor to build sustainable reconciliation after the operations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). In so doing, the presentation does not seek to offer a critique of the TRC, for it is patently obvious that the TRC was merely… Read More Graeme SimpsonApril 1, 2002
PublicationsResearchTransitional Justice, Truth CommissionsNational Narrative Versus Local Truths: The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Engagement with DuduzaOne of the central goals of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was to 'uncover the truth' about South Africa's human rights abuses. This paper explores different understandings of the nature of this truth, by examining the tensions between the views of the TRC and those of a range of community stakeholders in Duduza, a township near Johannesburg. Read More Hugo van der MerweJanuary 16, 2002
PublicationsResearchTransitional Justice, Truth CommissionsThe Legal Profession and the TRC: A Study of a Tense RelationshipThe subsequent report examines questions relating to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The research relies on documentary analysis in combination with 12 interviews involving important members of the different segments of the South African legal profession. Key materials included the submissions to the draft legislation, the submissions to the special legal hearing and the different judgements in regard to the… Read More Heidy RomboutsJanuary 1, 2002
