Issued by: Truth and Reconciliation Commission
July 21, 1997
STATEMENT BY MS PUMLA GOBODO-MADIKIZELA, COMMITTEE MEMBER OF THE TRC'S HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS COMMITTEE
We regret that General Viljoen does not see his way clear to attending the session at which we will receive submissions on conscription, since his non-participation will deny us a valuable perspective on the conflicts of the past.
When we were planning this event, we tried to be sensitive to those of all perspectives. We used the TRC's formal channel of communication with the SANDF to ask for submissions.
Our letter to the SANDF nodal point explicitly said we wanted to understand the experiences of all the various groups involved. We would have liked a response from a wider variety of groups, but in these kinds of submissions it is unfortunate that the voices that will tend to be heard will be those of people who were hurt by their experiences.
Our intention is to focus on where there were problems in the past so that we can use that experience to understand how we can make constructive recommendations for the future.
Our programme focuses not just on critical voices. At the end of the submissions, there will be an inter-active discussion with the audience the most constructive way in which to move forward. This will include input from Lt-Col Johan Botha of the SANDF, who will speak on their strategies for dealing with problems experienced by veterans, as well as from another group of ex-veterans.