'Last hope' for justice and closure for TRC cases families – pressure mounts on ex-presidents

Pressure is mounting for former presidents Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma to come forward and divulge what they know and explain their actions, or omissions, regarding cases of human rights abuses recommended for further action by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission during their tenures.

Closing his evidence-in-chief on Monday before the Khampepe Commission of Inquiry, television journalist Lukhanyo Calata made an impassioned plea to the commission to “help us close what has been a very difficult chapter in our lives”, saying “for 41 years we’ve been with this thing”.

“I wish to appeal to you – not just on behalf of my direct family and the families of the Cradock Four – but on behalf of all of the other families that I represent directly as I sit here … This inquiry is perhaps the last hope for us.

“I wish to appeal to you to help us … like for real, help us … not the lip service that we’ve received from politicians over the years, but help us,” said Calata.

His father, Fort Calata, was part of a group of political activists in Cradock, in the Eastern Cape, who were murdered by apartheid security operatives in 1985.

The families of the Cradock Four – Calata’s and those of Matthew Goniwe, Sparrow Mkonto and Sicelo Mhlauli –  are part of the larger group of over two families suing the state for damages in a separate case.

Calata told the commission that he and some of the families have come to accept that “we will not see justice in the true essence of what justice is”, but appealed for information that will enable them to find closure. This is because many of the suspects, witnesses as well as members of some of the affected families have been getting old and dying over the years.

“But help us at least to gain knowledge and understanding, and to understand who the people were that denied us that justice for my father. Because maybe we can then use that information and we can say ‘siyayivala – we close it here, because the Khampepe Commission has given us the answers that we needed. So today we can now close this matter’.”

Blame Shifting?

Calata was scathing against Mbeki, Zuma and President Cyril Ramaphosa and politicians in general for what he described as their failures. In his opening testimony on Friday, he said he despised politicians and described them as like the “scum of the Earth” who “say one thing, and they do a complete other”. He said for the politicians it was "politically inconvenient” to be seen to be “fighting” the families, but “behind the scenes, behind closed doors they do almost everything possible to prevent us securing justice”.

He called for Mbeki and Zuma to be called to appear before the commission to answer for their “failings”.

On Monday, asked to respond to Mbeki’s statement seemingly shifting the blame to the National Prosecuting Authority for lack of progress on the TRC cases, Calata put the blame squarely on Mbeki.

“Who received the seven-volume report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2003? (It) was former president Thabo Mbeki. He was the president of the republic at the time … So, the buck around everything that related to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the implementation of the recommendations, started and ended with him.”

He accused Mbeki of “insulting our intelligence”. He said the fact that the commission was being held, “the fact that we are sitting here today, commissioners is because of Thabo Mbeki’s failings”.

“Here, former president Thabo Mbeki insults our intelligence. He says the NPA, they must demonstrate enough integrity – what about integrity on his half? How about him apologising to us for the failures of his administrations to process TRC cases?”

A new witness was expected to take the stand on Tuesday as the commission continues despite court applications by Mbeki, Zuma and Ramaphosa that the families say were meant to derail or delay it.