No Future Without Forgiveness

While the TRC’s task was to help heal a wounded people, its own members were South African as well. They too were “wounded and traumatized” (198), which made them distrustful of one another. They took offense easily and were defensive of their own turf. The working environment was stressful. Tutu admits making some staffing errors at the outset. He should have been alert to racial representation in staffing, but many early appointments were white. After the first round of staff appointments, the commission almost had a scandal. One commission member sat on a panel interviewing applicants in the Western Cape regional office, and that very same commissioner’s spouse got the job. This commissioner happened to be white. Luckily, the media did not emphasize this issue, but it divided the commission’s attention at the first hearing in East London.

Confidential information commonly leaked to the press, adding to distrust. To adjust to this reality, Tutu “tried to avoid having too much that was confidential” (201) and developed a good relationship with the press. Tutu “would have collapsed” from all the stress if not for his early morning walks, daily Eucharist, and knowledge of all those pulling for him. In response to criticism of bias in the hearings about the Bisho massacre, Tutu made a bland statement to the press about his commitment to fairness.