Apartheid government was let off the hook‚ says Ronnie Kasrils

Former minister and struggle stalwart Ronnie Kasrils said he was disappointed when the names of apartheid government informants were not disclosed.

“We had spent our whole lives trying to figure out who was leaking information‚ who was involved with the enemy‚ etc‚” he said.

According to Kasrils‚ the former president Nelson Mandela did not want to disclose the names of ANC members who were apartheid government informants.

“I’m sure when Madiba saw these names‚ he didn’t want this revealed‚ because I’m sure in his mind he would have thought that I would have created havoc within the ANC‚” said Kasrils.

Kasrils spoke on Thursday at a symposium on the secrecy and possible declassification of the apartheid government’s records at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.

Kasrils said the apartheid government was let off the hook.

“The nature of the transition compromises meant that we gave away a huge amount to the other side‚” said Kasrils.

Kasrils and the director of the foundation for human rights‚ Yasmin Sooka‚ agreed that there needed to be a process before opening the “Pandora’s box” of apartheid of government informants.

Sooka said: “There were those who were forced [to spy for the state]‚ because of their circumstances.”

She said it was also a struggle to get access to the post-1994 government records.

“I think it is an intelligence mindset that was there in the former government and‚ of course‚ I think it is because of the kind of paranoia that existed in being infiltrated. It has almost persisted in the way government sees these issues even under democratic South Africa‚” said Sooka.

Kasrils said the inquest in to late anti-apartheid activist Ahmed Timol raised the question again of “where we go very easy on the rogues of our security establishment”.

Sooka believes torture continues‚ because South Africa “never dismantled the machinery”.

Kasrils said that citizens should strengthen civil society to watch the government.

“When you’re in government‚ no matter that you’ve got singing presidents and acolytes putting on brave faces and pretending that they couldn’t care a tinker’s cuss‚ they shiver and shake‚” he said.