TRUTH BE TOLD
Is a six part documentary series examining the lives of six young activists who died at the hands of the apartheid security police. It looks at their lives through the prism of
South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
This series of films will look at cases in which the truth has not been told, no-one has been held accountable. The selection of the stories will provide a tapestry of events that occurred in the past that still resound in the present.
The series examines the stories of six young activists who were abducted, tortured and killed through the eyes of the children and family members they left behind.
South Africa created the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission (TRC) in 1995 to help deal with the atrocities of the apartheid era and bring about reconciliation through telling the truth about the past.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was supposed to help South African’s heal from the terrible atrocities of apartheid. Victims and perpetrators were encouraged to come forward and share their stories in the hope that it would bring closure.
More than twenty thousand victims gave evidence. Around eight thousand applications for amnesty were received on the basis that amnesty would only be granted if the perpetrators told the truth about their involvement. Only 849 were granted.
However, if one did not come forward, then one could be prosecuted for human rights violations committed in the past.
More than 19 000 victims of apartheid crimes who testified of their sufferings before the TRC were compensated with a mere once off payment of R30 000 each.
The TRC’s promise of truth for amnesty and prosecution for those who did not come forward was predicated on a strong and just prosecution arm within the state.
The NPA (National Prosecuting Authority) would be the institution to deal with these cases in which perpetrators did not go to the truth commission.
It has been over 20 years since the TRC issued its final report recommending over 300 cases to be investigated or prosecuted. Under the new democratic state, compromises have resulted in very few perpetrators who did not go to the TRC being prosecuted.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
For more information on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the untold stories within, we invite you to delve deeper into our comprehensive PDF document. This detailed resource provides valuable insights, historical context, and firsthand accounts that enrich our understanding of this pivotal chapter in our collective history.
TRUTH BE TOLD 