Making amends : the psychological impact of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission on victims of gross human rights violations

South Africa established Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in 1995 to facilitate its nation building. The task of the Commission was to recover truth about the country's past human rights abuse and recommend a policy on reparations for the victims. This study evaluates the impact of the TRC's work of truth recovery and policy on reparations on the reconciliation process. It specifically explores opinions and views of versions of representatives (victims, political parties, former TRC members and Non Governmental Organisations) regarding the impact of TRC's truth recovery and reparations policy on the process of reconciliation. The study found, according to views of respondents interviewed here, that recovery of truth is significant in the process reconciliation. It was specifically found that truth that comes through confession will lead to healing of victims and reconcile them with perpetrators. While truth that comes through state intervention involving investigations and prosecutions may also lead to healing of victims when seeing justice meted out to the wrong doers, this method of truth recovery may alienate perpetrators.

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Department of Psychology

Year dc:date.issued

2002

Author dc:creator

• Kgalema, Lazarus

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Foster, Don

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11427/7935

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/7935