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'Vlok's apology is a watershed'
26/08/2006 21:45 - (SA)
Johannesburg - An apology by the former apartheid minister of law and order, Adriaan Vlok, for the atrocities committed under his command has been hailed as a watershed moment for South Africa.
Former deputy minister of law and order, Leon Wessels, told Sapa on Saturday that he was "very happy" with Vlok's actions.
"I am extremely happy he has done that. I revisit the statement I made to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission where I said the excuse 'We didn't know' was simply not available to us... we didn't want to know," said Wessels, a SA human rights commissioner, to Sapa.
Vlok apologised to director-general of the Presidency, Reverend Frank Chikane, in a meeting on August 1.
He had requested to meet Chikane because he saw him as a symbol of the victims who had suffered at the hands of police during apartheid, reported SABC radio news.
Vlok washed Chikane's feet during the meeting, to show his humility.
He asked Chikane to accept his apology and gesture as he said he wanted to reconcile with God. Chikane accepted Vlok's apology.
'No hidden meanings'
"I would rather wait for his (Chikane's) office to contact you first and then I will talk to you," said Vlok on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Wessels said: "If Adriaan is sincerely apologising, I am extremely happy for him and this is the kind of motion that must follow those who led during apartheid."
He said the South African public should not look for hidden meanings in Vlok's apology but should view it in a positive light.
"Well the point is this: A reconciliation is not a one-time event. Reconciliation is of an ongoing nature and reconciliation goes far beyond public statements. Reconciliation is a journey and it's a wonderful thing when it happens," said Wessels.
Wessels apologised to South Africa for apartheid atrocities at an international conference in Oslo, Norway, in 1990.
He also apologised before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
"You know I apologised for apartheid in Oslo and I don't think people believe the magnitude of goodwill that has generated over the years... and I have been criticised but never will I regret having made that statement (that apartheid leaders did not want to acknowledge atrocities committed under their command)," he said.
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