Evaluating the truth and reconciliation commission

Following a negotiated transition to democracy in South Africa, the Truth a nd Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was established to deal with crimes of t he past regime. Despite the detail of submissions and the length of the Fin al Report, this article highlights the partiality of truth recognised by th e Commission. The usefulness of acknowledged truth to deal with South Afric a's past is shown to have been neutralised by wider concerns of social and criminal justice. In detailing the governmental reticence to provide repara tions, the judicial disregard to pursue prosecutions, and the dismissal of responsibility for apartheid at a wider social level, the author argues tha t opportunities for reconciliation and developmental change are limited. Ag ainst the problems of crime, violence and unresolved land issues, the poten tial of the TRC to build a 'reconciliatory bridge' is called into question. The truth offered by the Commission increasingly appears of limited value.