Issued by: Truth and Reconcilliation Committee
February 12, 1999
The Amnesty Committee of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission today has refused amnesty to Julian Dion Plaatjies of Westbury, west of Johannesburg.
Plaatjies, 30, who is serving a life sentence for the murder of Mr. Arulla Padayachee at Coronation on January 15, 1993, appeared before the Amnesty Committee in Mayfair this morning. Before his failed amnesty bid, he told the Committee that he killed Mr. Padayachee and wounded his friend Mr. Dirandiran Makanjee after he thought they were policemen who were apparently investigating him for gun running in Westbury.
The Committee heard that the deceased and his friend were abducted and taken to an open veld where they were severely assaulted and subsequently shot at. Mr. Padayachee died and Mr. Makanjee sustained injuries. Their car was later set alight.
In its decision, the Committee chairman Judge Sisi Khampempe said the committee was not satisfied that the incident was politically motivated as required by the TRC Act. She added that it was the view of the Amnesty Committee that Plaatjies and his accomplice were driven by their personal agenda and that their actions amounted to a criminal act.
The hearing continues next week.
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