Historical Papers, Wits University

AK2300	HARMS COMMISSION OF INQUIRY RECORDS 1990

	Copyright 2010, Historical Papers, The Library, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

	Several judicial inquiries were undertaken in 1990. The most publicized, and ultimately the most disappointing, was the Harms Commission. Justice Minister Kobie Coetsee announced the establishment of the Harms Commission on January 31, in response to outcries by South African and international human rights groups over allegations by three former police officers in October and November 1989 that they had been members of an officially authorized and funded police death squad. In early 1990, another death squad, the Civil Cooperation Bureau (CCB), sponsored by the South African Defense Forces, was revealed. The allegations presented the de Klerk government with one of its first major domestic crises and nearly provoked the dismissal of the Defense Minister, Gen. Magnus Malan.
	Unfortunately, the Harms Commission was seriously flawed in both design and practice. At the outset, Justice Harms announced that he would limit the inquiry to acts committed within the borders of South Africa, even though many anti-apartheid activists had been assassinated on foreign soil. Government witnesses, some of whom showed up to testify in wigs and other disguises, were not required to produce pertinent documents. The CCB was disbanded in August, but no prosecutions resulted. The Harms Commission report, which was released in November, failed to name any special units of the army or police, let alone any individual officers, as participants in the death squads. The report was denounced by opposition groups as a whitewash.
	Source: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,HRW,,ZAF,456d621e2,467fca2c2,0.html

	The records in this collection consist of 2957 pages of evidence heard in South Africa and 960 pages of evidence heard in London. The collection is digitally available, see below in this online inventory, but there are no hardcopies.
	1 CD

	LISTING OF EVIDENCE

A	LONDON EVIDENCE

A1	Tshikalange, 264 pages
A2	Coetzee, 679 pages


B	SOUTH AFRICA EVIDENCE

	The South African evidence streches over 2957 pages. Please use the list of persons below, which will indicate the page numbers, where their evidence can be found. The links to the online documents are arranged by the very same page numbers.

	Badenhorst, pp 8-60
	Barnard, pp 898-929, 1469-1546
	Botes, pp 1684-2011
	Botha, pp 2121-2149
	Brits, pp 1168-1307, 1367-1419
	Buchner, pp 2812-2823
	Burger, pp 1420-1469
	Cilliers, pp 1307-1364
	Du Plessis, pp 2763-2811, 2930-2957
	Du Plooy, pp 2012-2042
	Joubert, pp 61-89
	Klopper, pp 64-73
	Mamasela, pp 2164-2258, 2475-2512
	Mostert, pp 993-1168
	Neetling, pp 2841-2886
	Ngqulunga, pp 2258-2344
	Nofemela, pp 96-518, 580-690
	Pfeil, pp 74-82
	Schoon, pp 2512-2596
	"September", pp 2887-2919
	Van der Hoven, pp 2344-2367
	Van Deventer, pp 2043-2071
	Van Dyk, pp 2597-2633
	Van Rensburg, pp 2823-2840
	Van Zyl, pp 524-579, 700-897
	Vermeulen, pp 2633-2652
	Verster, pp 1547-1683
	Webb, pp 2072-2120
	Wright, pp 524, 985-993


B1	Introduction, 8 pages

B2	Pages 8-60
B3	Pages 61-89
B4	Pages 90-96
B5	Pages 197-260
B6	Pages 261-315
B7	Pages 316-380
B8	Pages 381-427
B9	Pages 428-496
B10	Pages 497-518
B11	Pages 519-579
B12	Pages 580-648
B13	Pages 649-690
B14	Pages 700-773
B15	Pages 774-822
B16	Pages 823-897
B17	Pages 864-959
B18	Pages 985-1085
B19	Pages 1086-1158
B20	Pages 1159-1208
B21	Pages 1209-1342
B22	Pages 1343-1366
B23	Pages 1367-1419
B24	Pages 1420-1524
B25	Pages 1525-1638
B26	Pages 1639-1702
B27	Pages 1703-1792
B28	Pages 1793-1864
B29	Pages 1865-1985
B30	Pages 1986-2071
B31	Pages 2072-2120
B32	Pages 2121-2149
B33	Pages 2150-2276
B34	Pages 2378-2367
B35	Pages 2475-2537
B36	Pages 2538-2652
B37	Pages 2763-2840
B38	Pages 2841-2886
B39	Pages 2887-2919
B40	Pages 2920-2957