Ann Eveleth
A KWAZULU-Natal policeman looks set to win the dubious record for the largest amnesty application filed so far with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) amnesty committee.
Commission insiders said a man who had provided a wide range of evidence to the TRC had recently applied for amnesty in connection with about 49 murders committed during his involvement with various police units in the province. He has yet to be named.
The TRC is still probing the applicant’s claims, but one official says that investigations show ”so far this guy is telling the truth”.
The applicant had apparently refused to give evidence to the Goldstone commission or the investigation task unit, but had later decided to become a witness for the TRC.
KwaZulu-Natal Investigation Unit head Advocate Satchi Govender declined to comment on the claims and the TRC’s amnesty committee in Cape Town said it was unaware of an application of this magnitude.