JOHANNESBURG - International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola says apartheid-era cases were reopened after the National Prosecuting Authority approved the move, and not because of pressure from victims’ families.
Lamola was being cross-examined at the TRC Cases Inquiry on Monday about his tenure as Minister of Justice and Correctional Services between 2019 and 2024.
He said his decision to support the reopening of the cases was based on the facts and the law.
"I made the decision on the basis of the facts and the law. If the facts were not there and the law did not support, even if there was a gun in my head we would not have proceeded with the inquest.
"So, I would not agree that what we have done was on the basis of a gun being put on our heads. We did it because it was the right thing to do so."
Lamola maintained that the evidence presented to him by the NPA was convincing.
He said the process also had to be “victim-centric”, with the families of victims given an opportunity to make submissions and provide input.
Lamola said he did not regard their involvement as pressure, but as participation in the pursuit of justice.
He said he therefore supported the NPA’s submissions because he believed reopening the cases was the right thing to do.