Jacob Van der Merwe, whose father was allegedly killed by members of the ANC's military wing, gave testimony to the TRC Inquiry on Thursday.
Image: Supplied
The TRC Cases Inquiry, probing allegations of interference in the investigation and prosecution of apartheid-era perpetrators, has heard evidence from AfriForum's Kallie Kriel and Jacob van der Merwe, who have implicated the ANC-led government in interfering with the prosecution of certain apartheid-era crimes.
Van der Merwe recounted his journey of seeking justice, stating that an approach was made to his mother by former Minister Ronnie Kasrils to manage the case outside of the TRC processes—a proposition his mother rejected.
"My mother was approached by former Minister Ronnie Kasrils to handle the case of my father's killing outside of the TRC Commission process. My mother refused. The suspects were later identified under code names China, Msibi, and Mtshali," he said.
He noted that his father, a farmer who was not politically active, was abducted and killed in 1998 by men posing as hitchhikers.
"My mother passed away in 2022 at the age of 91, and my father's remains have still not been found. She heard from a Mr X that four uMkhonto weSizwe members hijacked my father, took him to a bush, and shot him in the back and face."
Kriel, speaking on behalf of AfriForum and affected families, emphasised the need to uphold the principle of equality before the law throughout the hearings, saying justice should not merely be selective, targeting only certain members of the armed forces while turning a blind eye to those—most notably the ANC—who have neither applied for nor received amnesty.
"The political interference that stopped the prosecution of TRC cases shielded members of the ANC from prosecution. It is former SAPS National Commissioner Jackie Selebi who opposed the participation of Advocate Anton Ackerman in the TRC cases because Adv Ackerman wanted to prosecute members of the ANC," Kriel told the commission on Thursday.
Kriel said his testimony seeks to implore the Commission to fulfill an important principle of justice, which is equality before the law.
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