Nelson Mandela Foundation

Invitation to cover: Reckoning with Reconciliation

Date: 4 October 2018

From: Nelson Mandela Foundation

In October of 1998 Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Chairperson of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), handed the Commission’s Report to then-President Nelson Mandela.  On 4 October 2018 the Nelson Mandela Foundation (the Foundation) plans to mark the twentieth anniversary of this historic moment with an event aimed at accomplishing a number of objectives.

Twenty years on it is important for South Africans to revisit the work of the TRC.  What does that work signify today?  Why did its recommendations find such little purchase?  Where does South Africa stand in relation to reconciliation?  Is it too late to revisit the recommendations?  What would it take to complete the Commission’s unfinished business?

Exploring these questions will be Dr Mbongiseni Buthelezi (scholar and head of the Public Administration Research Institute), Dr Chandre Gould (a former TRC investigator), Dr Noel Solani (historian and senior Ditsong manager), Sylvia Graham (a former FeesMustFall and Afrikaans Must Fall activist) and Imtiaz Cajee (Timol family member and activist fighting for justice in relation to the murder of Ahmed Timol). 

The event will also launch two new public resources, both of which have strong connections with the questions of reconciliation and the work of the TRC.  One is the long-awaited report on archival activism in South Africa by the Archival Platform (A Ground of Struggle: Four Decades of Archival Activism in South Africa), a project of the Foundation and the University of Cape Town.  The other is an online archival resource generated by the Foundation as a result of its work on the book Dare Not Linger, an account of Madiba’s presidency.

Venue: Nelson Mandela Foundation, 107 Central Street, Houghton (Secure parking available along Central Street)

Date: Thursday, 4 October 2018

Time: 18h00 - 20h00

Please confirm your attendance with Ditebogo Diale on DitebogoD@nelsonmandela.org

 ENDS

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Luzuko Koti