Former South African President Thabo Mbeki denies ordering prosecutors to halt apartheid-era crime cases or making secret deals to protect former security officers JOHANNESBURG -- Former South African President Thabo Mbeki said Monday that he had neither ordered prosecutors to stop cases involving apartheid-era crimes nor struck secret deals to shield former security officers from justice. There was no such thing,” Mbeki told a judicial inquiry in Johannesburg examining allegations that political interference in democratic South Africa prevented investigations and prosecutions of crimes committed under white minority rule. Mbeki, who succeeded Nelson Mandela in 1999 and served until 2008, said in a written statement that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) must explain why it failed to pursue cases referred by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).
His testimony comes amid renewed efforts to resolve apartheid-era crimes left unprosecuted for decades. Ahead of his appearance, the Foundation for Human Rights and 25 families of victims and survivors called for an explanation and an apology. The African National Congress was at the forefront of the battle against the system of white minority rule and led South Africa to democracy when apartheid ended in 1994.
But ANC-led governments since then have been criticized by some for prioritizing national reconciliation over justice for victims. President Cyril Ramaphosa ordered the inquiry last April after survivors and victims’ families sued successive governments for failing to investigate unresolved killings, disappearances and other crimes. The truth commission, chaired by Archbishop Desmond Tutu from 1996, offered perpetrators amnesty in exchange for full disclosure of politically motivated crimes.
Those denied amnesty or who did not apply remained liable to prosecution, but many victims’ families have waited decades for justice. The truth commission received about 7,000 amnesty applications. By November 2000, roughly 850 had been granted, and about 5,400 refused, according to an interim tally published by the Justice Department, with other applications partly granted, withdrawn or still being processed.
The truth commission referred about 300 cases for further investigation and possible prosecution, according to an NPA-commissioned review, but only a handful resulted in successful prosecutions. Many referred cases have stalled amid allegations of political interference. Missing evidence and the deaths of witnesses and suspects have made prosecutions more difficult.
Allegations against Mbeki include secret talks with former military generals to secure a clandestine agreement to avoid prosecution. In his April 2003 parliamentary address in response to the TRC's final report, Mbeki said prosecutors, “working with our intelligence agencies,” could enter into lawful arrangements with people willing to disclose information about past crimes. Critics argue that Mbeki’s cabinet response paved the way for political interference.
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