Apartheid criminals beware - NPA
2006-01-24 14:08
Pretoria - The noose is tightening around perpetrators of apartheid crimes who shunned the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) or were refused amnesty, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said on Tuesday.
"Applicants who did not receive amnesty are clearly in our sights," Vusi Pikoli, the director of public prosecutions said.
"This is an opportunity to prosecute crimes of apartheid."
"We have five cases that are prosecutable and we have 15 others that require further investigation," he said, announcing changes to the national prosecution policy to bring apartheid crimes before courts.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was set up in 1995 to probe crimes - including gross human rights violations - committed from 1960 to 1994 during the apartheid years.
The TRC gave perpetrators a chance to come clean on atrocities they had committed in return for indemnity from prosecution.
Many others, like former South African president PW (Pieter) Botha shunned the process.
When the TRC finally wound up in March 2003, its chairperson, retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu, handed over the last two of a hefty seven-volume report to President Thabo Mbeki containing the body's findings.
In total, the commission heard the testimony of some 21 000 victims and perpetrators - granting amnesty to 1 200 perpetrators while turning down 5 500 other applications.
Pikoli said although the changes in the prosecution policy will allow for perpetrators to enter into plea-bargains with the state or to turn state witness it was "not about amnesty and not a rehash of the TRC".
"This is about invoking existing legal processes that we hope will lay this matter to rest so that we close this chapter of our history, Pikoli said.