TRC

• Truth & Reconciliation Commission (TRC)


  A way of dealing with the horror of the past under Apartheid in South Africa, letting citizens know the extent of the suffering, making people accountable for their actions, helping to bring victim and perpetrator together so that there may be forgiveness and reconciliation
• Why South Africa needed the TRC

  To deal with the horror of the past under Apartheid, let citizens know the extent of the suffering, make people accountable for their actions, help bring victim and perpetrator together for forgiveness and reconciliation
• Restorative Justice


  A form of justice not about revenge, but rather about healing and reconciling people, both victims and perpetrators. The idea was to find out the truth, while at the same time restoring the dignity of all people concerned.
• Retributive Justice


  A form of justice in which the focus is on revenge.
• Functions of the TRC

  1. Compile and submit a report to the President

  2. Inform the public of its findings

  3. Establish cut-off date for amnesty applications
• Period the TRC looked at

  March 1960 to May 1994
• Time the TRC had to compile the report

  1996 to 1998
• Final TRC report handed to President Mandela


  29 December 1998
• Powers of the TRC

  • Could subpoena any person to appear before it
  • Could obtain search warrants from judges to gather information
  • Had the right to enter a private house if it was believed that the perpetrator could be hiding evidence
• Commissioners of the TRC

  • Had to be people of proven integrity and capable of impartiality
  • Had to have a track record of commitment to human rights and the inner strength to cope with the emotional strain
  • Balance of race, gender, region and vocational or professional background was important
• Aims of the TRC

  • Establish the truth behind "politically-motivated gross human rights violations"
  • Grant amnesty to those it felt fulfilled the requirements
  • Provide a platform for victims' stories to be heard
  • Make recommendations for victim reparations
  • Advise how such "gross human rights violations" could be prevented in the future