Williamson granted amnesty

By M.S. Prabhakara

CAPE TOWN, JUNE 2. The Amnesty Committee of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission has granted amnesty to Craig Williamson, a notorious and very high profile spy of the apartheid regime, in connection with the murder of Ruth First, who was killed by a letter bomb on August 17, 1982 at her office in the Eduardo Mondlane University in Maputo, Mozambique. Also given amnesty in this case was Jerry Raven, Williamson's deputy who assembled the letter bomb.

Further, both the killers received amnesty for another similar letter bomb murder whose victims were Jeanette Schoon and her six-year-old daughter, Katryn, killed at their home in Lubango in Angola on 28 June 1984.

Ruth First, scholar and journalist and a fighter against apartheid in her own rights, was the wife of Joe Slovo, one of the top leaders of the African National Congress and the South African Communist Party. At the time of the murder of his wife, he was the general secretary of the SACP and chief of staff of Umkhonto weSizwe, the ANC's armed wing. Jeanette Schoon was married to Marius Schoon, anti-apartheid activist and member of both the ANC and the SACP.

Joe Slovo, who served the first democratic government as Minister of Housing, died in January 1995 while Marius Schoon died soon early last year, soon after the amnesty committee completed its hearings in these cases.

Loyal and committed fighters of the liberation movement, neither Ruth First nor Jeanette Schoon (much less her six-year-old child) were, however, actively involved in the armed struggle against the apartheid regime at the time of their murder - the rationale repeatedly offered during the amnesty hearings by Craig Williamson held in the latter part of 1998. This was the case even in respect of Marius Schoon, husband of Jeanette, who said while opposing the granting of amnesty to Craig Williamson that he and his wife had been involved in trade union work and teaching while in exile in Lubango. This was confirmed by Mr. Mac Maharaj, senior ANC leader actively involved in the armed struggle who testified before the Amnesty Committee.

The decision of the Amnesty Committee has caused wide dismay. The murders were cowardly deeds perpetrated against defenceless women and children who at the time of their murder were engaged in research and teaching and had no reason to consider themselves as targets of the regime.

A crucial requirement for the granting of amnesty, according to the TRC legislation, is ``proportionality,'' that is, the crime for which amnesty is being sought should be ``proportionate'' to the objective that is being sought to be achieved by committing the crime. It is difficult to see how the Amnesty Committee could consider that the killing of a six-year-old child and her mother, both specifically targeted, could ever be considered ``proportionate'' to the objective of pursuing the war against the opponents of apartheid in their own home territory. The same can be said about the attack on Ruth First, she being chosen as the victim only because of her relationship with her husband, for long the target of the regime.

Two other crucial requirements for granting amnesty are that the applicant must make ``full disclosure''; and establish a ``political context'' for the crime. As one who followed much of the hearings, one can say that while Williamson was able to establish the ``political context'' of his crimes, he was utterly devious in respect of ``full disclosure.'' Many aspects of the killings like the chain of command through which the orders passed and the assembling and transport of the bomb never came to light during the hearings. The strongest memory one has of those hearings are of a smirking and self-admiring Williamson, clearly relishing his reputation as the ``super-spy'' of the apartheid regime who had successfully infiltrated the liberation movement; and scored several ``hits.''

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