FRIDAY, 3.30PM
TRUTH and Reconciliation Commission chairman Archbishop Desmond Tutu and new National Party leader Marthinus van Schalkwyk met for an hour on Friday morning to discuss relations between the NP and the TRC, although there was no immediate out of court settlement.
However, both men described the meeting as constructive and said discussions will continue. Van Schalkwyk said he had expressed his appreciation to Tutu for his stance in the row and for his apology during the NP’s court action against the TRC on September 5.
The NP has taken the TRC to court to force an apology from Tutu amd the resignation of his deputy Alex Boraine for statements they made about the NP’s submission to the TRC, which the Nats said were counter to the provisions of the TRC enabling legislation.
During the NP High Court application on September 5, Judge President Gerald Friedman asked the two parties to reach an out of court settlement in the interests of national reconciliation. The case was postponed indefinitely to allow the parties to reach a settlement, once Tutu returned from New York, where he has been receiving treatment for prostate cancer.