The new government will pay for the sins of the old. A statement from the Ministry of Justice this week confirmed the government would honour its liability towards the civil claims of the family of murdered Cradock activist Matthew Goniwe and others.
The new government is inheriting civil suits running into millions of rands arising from the Goniwe case, the Bisho massacre and many others. There is no budget for these claims, however, and the government will look to the Truth Commission for guidance in dealing with them. Ministry of Justice spokesman David Pogoro said the wrongs done to victims of apartheid must be recognised.
Last month, Mr Justice Neville Zietsman, presiding over the re-opened Goniwe inquest, found that the security forces were responsible for the Goniwe murders. Although he could not name the individuals involved, the ruling was welcomed by the family’s lawyers as strengthening their civil claim for R1,6-million.
The government also faces claims, possibly running into milllions of rands by 19 victims injured during the Bisho massacre on September 7 1992 when Ciskei troops fire on demonstrator, killing 29.
Pogoro said the Truth and Reconciliation Commission would have to “handle the issue” and make recommendations to Nelson Mandela. The earliest the government could begin to look into these matters would be after August he said. — Ecna