South Africa’s Truth Commission Begins Hearings

On 15 April 1996, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission opened its first public hearing at the City Hall in East London, in the Eastern Cape, to begin examining gross human rights violations committed during the apartheid era. Established under the Promotion of National Unity and Reconciliation Act of 1995 and authorised by President Nelson Mandela, the statutory body adopted a model of restorative justice rather than retributive trials. Chaired by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the commission set out to create an official historical record, facilitate public acknowledgments of suffering, and weigh requests for amnesty.

The commission chose to allow television cameras into its hearings, and a large domestic and international press corps covered the opening week. SABC radio carried live coverage of hearings in 1996, and when funding ran short a grant from the Norwegian government allowed live radio coverage and weekly summaries to resume in June 1997, while the weekly television programme Special Report brought the proceedings to a wide audience. High-profile appearances, including the testimony of Winnie Mandela, reached audiences throughout the country.