Issued by: Truth and Reconciliation Commission
April 14, 1998
TRANSCRIPT OF A STATEMENT MADE BY ARCHBISHOP DESMOND TUTU, CHAIRPERSON OF THE TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION, OUTSIDE THE COURT BUILDING IN GEORGE AFTER COURT PROCEEDINGS TODAY.
"We believe that we were very close to an agreement. The negotiations at present are on a knife edge. We do not know which way it is going to turn. The Attorney-General, as you know, has given the two parties up to 8 o'clock tomorrow morning to have reached an agreement, and we hope very much that that agreement will be reached because the TRC has wanted this agreement; the TRC has wanted that Mr Botha should be, should come to the TRC and that has been our purpose.
"If the agreement is not struck by 8 am tomorrow morning, the trial goes ahead. And we regret that, but it is quite imperative that people realise that the Commission was one that was set up to do a specific job of work, which we believe is a very important work for the healing of our nation, and we hope that Mr Botha and his team will see their way clear to participating in the process of reconciliation and healing.
"And may I say, I don't- I'm not going to take any questions, because I think this is it for now. And please do not try and get interviews from any one of us. Don't bother John or anybody like that. You know we are always, we are always forthcoming. And sometimes people think we are too forthcoming. We are forthcoming, but dit is klaar, ne, kant en klaar, now (this is finished, this is over) now. Wait until- No-
QUESTION: National Public Radio, USA - Couldn't you even tell us what some of the sticking points might be?
ANSWER: The weather.
(When Archbishop Tutu was interrupted by a questioner, he was about to say that journalists should wait until the court case resumes at 9 am tomorrow to hear whether there has been an agreement between the TRC and Mr Botha.)