Hi there,

This month, Democracy Now! marks 29 years of fearless independent journalism. Presidents have come, gone and come back again, but Democracy Now! remains, playing the same critical role in our democracy: shining a spotlight on corporate and government abuses of power and raising up the voices of scholars, advocates, scientists, activists, artists and ordinary people working for a more peaceful and just world. If our journalism is important to you, please donate today in honor of our 29th anniversary. Every dollar makes a difference. Thank you so much.

Democracy Now!

Amy Goodman

Non-commercial news needs your support.

We rely on contributions from you, our viewers and listeners to do our work. If you visit us daily or weekly or even just once a month, now is a great time to make your monthly contribution.

Please do your part today.

Donate

CHRIS HANI AND THE TRUTH COMMISSION

Listen
Media Options
Listen

Related

South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission has taken up the case of Chris Hani, the leader of the South African Communist Party assassinated back in 1993. At the time of his murder, Hani was the second most popular politician in South Africa and was widely seen as following Nelson Mandela into the presidency of the country.

The convicted killers — Clive Derby Lewis and Janusz Walus — have applied to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for amnesty. But they must meet certain criteria before the Commission grants amnesty — namely, that they make full disclosure of the act, that it was committed by a known political organization and that their act was not disproportionate to the political aim they sought to achieve. But the Hani family, and the South African Communist Party, are contesting the amnesty bid.

Guests:
• George Bizos, a leading human rights lawyer who is representing the family of Chris Hani. He rose to national and international prominence as one of the attorney’s for Nelson Mandela in the infamous Rivonia trial of the early 1960s.
• Jeremy Cronin, the deputy general secretary of the South African Communist Party.

Related Story

StoryFeb 18, 2025“A Victory for Putin”? Jeffrey Sachs & Matt Duss Debate U.S.-Russia Talks to End Ukraine War
The original content of this program is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Please attribute legal copies of this work to democracynow.org. Some of the work(s) that this program incorporates, however, may be separately licensed. For further information or additional permissions, contact us.

Non-commercial news needs your support

We rely on contributions from our viewers and listeners to do our work.
Please do your part today.
Make a donation
Top