Issued by: Truth and Reconciliation Commission
The Amnesty Committee of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission has granted amnesty to a former member of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the African national Congress's former armed wing and a member of the former right wing armed organisation called the Bronkhorstspruit Command Unit.
Maurice Abraham Sephunyana Mthombeni was seeking amnesty for skipping the country illegally to undergo military training in 1965. The Committee also granted amnesty to Johan Michael Prinsloo, commanding officer of the unit, for illegal possession of a large quantity of ammunition which were supplied to the Boerekommando at Tiegerspoort, Pretoria before the 1994 elections.
Bothe applications were considered in chambers as the offences for which amnesty is sought do not constitute gross human rights violationas defined in the law which governs the operation of the TRC.
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