THE TRC REPORT

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SUMMARY OF CONTENTS

The report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (the Commission) consists of five volumes, each with a particular focus. It is important to note that, once the Amnesty Committee finishes its work, an additional volume will report on the work of that Committee, based on amnesty hearings conducted and findings made. That volume will also include summaries of the statements of those people the Commission found to have suffered gross violations of human rights. While the current report contains a full list of the names of those in respect of whom such findings were made, the codicil will include details of the violations.

The bulk of the findings of the Commission may be found in the final volume, as indicated below. However, specific findings are made in individual chapters throughout the report.

The logical sequence of the five volumes of the report is as follows.

Volume One is an introductory volume, containing important discussion of key concepts and debates within the Commission itself and in society at large. It provides the basis and rationale for the work of the Commission, as described in the chapters that appear in the following volumes. It also describes the way the Commission worked and the methods it used in order to fulfil its mandate.

Volume Two addresses the commission of gross violations of human rights on all sides of the conflict. The first and greater part of the volume deals with the period between 1960 and 1990, while a separate chapter is dedicated to the unique political environment of the 1990s. The role of the state in the perpetration of gross violations of human rights is, for practical reasons, divided between violations committed outside South Africa and those committed inside South Africa. The homelands and their unique circumstances are described in a separate chapter, as is the role of the liberation movements.

Volume Three, which addresses gross violations of human rights from the perspective of the victim, is a companion to Volume Two. For reasons of space, accounts which are described in detail in one are frequently simply referred to in the other. The chapters in this volume are regionally structured, reflecting the regional structure of the Commission. This allowed for a targeted focus on distinct geographical area and a detailed examination of variations between different parts of the country.

Volume Four seeks to address the nature of the society in which gross violations of human rights took place, reporting on a series of 'institutional hearings' which sought to explore the broader institutional and social environment. In the process of conducting these hearings, the Commission sought to provide opportunities for self-examination by the various sectors, as well as discussion of their possible role in the future. In addition to hearings on the various sectors, the volume includes reports on three special hearings: on compulsory military service, children and youth and women.

Volume Five, the final volume of the report, contains the conclusions reached by the Commission, including analyses and findings and recommendations. It also includes the Minority Position of Commission Wynand Malan and the Commission's response to this.

Volume Six, contains the Reports of the Amnesty Committee, the Reparation and Rehabilitation Committee, the Human Rights Violations Committee; the Intersection between the Work of the Human Rights Violations Committee and the Amnesty Committee , Findings and Recommendations and lastly the report of the Chief Executive Officer, Managerial Reports and Annual Financial Statements.

Volume Seven, is a tribute to the victims of Apartheid and a living monument to those who sacrificed so much in order that we could all enjoy the fruits of democracy. It contains the stories of those who came forward to speak of their suffering. Their stories symbolize the greater experience and suffering of our people, many of who were not able to come forward to tell their own story.

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