Issued by: Truth and Reconciliation Commission
July 4, 1996
Dr Alex Boraine, Deputy Chairperson of the TRC, issued the following statement after a meeting which he and Commissioner Dumisa Ntsebeza held this afternoon with the Gauteng Attorney-General, Dr Jan D'Oliveira, senior members of his staff, and Mr Joe Mamasela.
"We held very constructive discussions at two meetings today.
"We first met separately with Dr D'Oliveira and senior members of his staff, where we discussed at length the respective roles of the Attorney-General's office and the Commission. We agreed that in spite of the fact that we have different functions under the law, it is the task of both institutions to establish the truth, and that we should co-operate with one another, as we are obliged to do in terms of the Act which created the Commission.
"In a subsequent meeting, during which we were joined by Mr Mamasela, we assured him that we were not on a witch-hunt, nor were we targeting him specifically. Our major concern was to collect all available information which could be of help to the Commission in fulfilling its mandate.
"We were given a considerable amount new information during the meeting, including information about the killing of the PEBCO Three. This comprised details of how, by whom and why they were killed. The information was obtained in terms of the powers given to the Commission in Section 29 of the Act, which means it will remain confidential at this stage of our investigations. However, we can say it will help us enormously.
"Additional information was given to us by the Attorney-General which will help with investigations relating to so far unsolved incidents allegedly perpetrated by Third Force elements.
"We will report fully on the meeting to the Chairperson and the full Commission.
"Decisions on what use we will make of the information we gained, as well as any decision to subpoena Mr Mamasela or other individuals will be made by the full Commission."
Inquiries: John Allen, 082- 452-7859