Adv. Glynnis Breytenbach: The TRC & the Zondo Commission - The long, hard fight for justice

The State's failure to both prosecute Apartheid-era crimes and effectively pursue Zondo Commission State Capture accused, is back in the spotlight. For decades, allegations have persisted that the National Party (NP) and the African National Congress (ANC) cut a secret deal to avoid prosecutions on both sides following testimony at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). In this interview with BizNews, Advocate Glynnis Breytenbach of the Democratic Alliance (DA) describes President Cyril Ramaphosa’s belated decision to establish a Commission of Inquiry as a “desperate measure to avoid all of this dirty laundry being trawled through the public eye”. As for the “showcase” trial of former Vlakplaas commander, Colonel Eugene de Kock, she says: “..one always felt that he was kind of the scapegoat, because we all know that while he was busy doing those things that were so absolutely appalling, he was being lavishly praised by his superiors in the police and awarded medals for, amongst other things, bravery...And those people calling the shots have never been held to account which is both unsatisfying and deeply unfair.” Breytenbach is equally incensed about the failure to “see even one” notable State Capture prosecution. As for claims of “political interference” there as well, she says: “The last time interference was mentioned was with the access to the database of the State Capture issue; there was..a peripheral reference to interference. But…when we (Parliament’s Portfolio Committee) asked about it, we were told, well, we prefer to keep it in-house because we don't want to make a fuss. Well, that's just not my approach to things, I'm afraid.”