Right-Wing Groups - South African Government Information

94. In response to Mr van Jaarsveld’s statement, Te r re’Blanche told the Committee:
Mr Chairman, all these things did not happen because the professor was tarre d
and feathered; these things happened because of the incorrect version of the
Covenant and the fact that history was twisted, which can be the worst that can
happen to a nation if you abuse your power to rewrite history so that you all of a
sudden can become acceptable to other nations. If we sit here at the Truth and
Reconciliation Commission, it is scaring to think that the Van Jaarsveld’s family
admit in front of this body seeking reconciliation and truth, that his father tre a t-
ed the truth in this way to the extent that his books were no longer published as
textbooks because what he said was not acceptable to students and pupils.
(Klerksdorp hearing, 10 May 1999.)
95. After having considered the documentation placed before it and the testimony
of the applicant, the Committee was satisfied that the acts committed by
Te r re’Blanche and other members of the AWB occurred in the course of the
political struggle of the past and in furtherance of the political objectives of that
o rganisation. The Committee was also satisfied that Te r re’Blanche had made full
d i s c l o s u re of all the material facts as re q u i red by the Act.
96. It was suggested by the evidence leader, in argument, that the incident was the
result of a religious dispute and thus fell outside the ambit of the Act. The
Committee considered this argument but took the view that it had to accept the
a p p l i c a n t ’s argument that his political conviction was driven by his education
and belief in God. It was not possible to divorce the religious stance of the AW B
f rom its politics. Amnesty was accordingly granted to Te r re’Blanche in re s p e c t
of the incident [AC/1999/221].
PRE-1990 AT TACKS ON INDIVIDUALS
97. To w a rds the end of the 1980s, targeted and indiscriminate attacks on individuals
w e re becoming more and more frequent. With very few exceptions, the targ e t s
of these attacks were black persons. Individuals like Wit Wolwe member Bare n d
Strydom, who killed eight people and injured sixteen when he opened fire on
people in a busy Pretoria street in 1988, believed that black people were valid
t a rgets in their quest for political self-determination. Strydom submitted an
application for amnesty for this incident, then later withdrew it.
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