AfriForum warns of one-sided prosecutions of apartheid crimes

12 September 2021 

The civil rights organisation AfriForum released a documentary that also highlights the crimes of ANC members and their alliance partners during the apartheid era. This comes after the state announced plans to prosecute politically-motivated crimes that were committed during apartheid.

Adv. Shamila Batohi, Head of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), is in the process of establishing a unit to prosecute these crimes. The Hawks has already established a unit to investigate these crimes. 

According to AfriForum, such steps will once again create polarisation in the country. It has been proven in practice that, in terms of prosecutions, the state fails to prosecute high-ranking ANC members who did not receive amnesty from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for orders that they had given for the execution of acts of terrorism. 

“AfriForum is of the opinion that the book of the past must be closed. If the state indeed continues with these prosecutions, it should also prosecute members of the ANC and its partners, who are responsible for the deaths and injuries of thousands of people. If it seems that these prosecutions are one-sided, AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit will pressure the NPA into also prosecuting ANC leaders. If this fails, private prosecution will be strongly considered,” says Kallie Kriel, CEO of AfriForum.

“There seems to be grounds for prosecution in many of the cases in which ANC members and their allies are the suspects. If so, and if the state were to prosecute selectively, the Private Prosecution Unit will consider private prosecuting in line with our focus on equality before the law,” says Adv. Gerrie Nel, Head of AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit.

Watch the documentary here: https://youtu.be/PvOwqJJgx2M

Issued by Chanté Kelder, Media Relations Officer, AfriForum, 12 September 2021