No Future Without Forgiveness

Tutu stalwartly defends the model of restorative justice for South Africa and beyond. This model of justice, grounded in the African tradition of ubuntu, seeks to unify a community by reintegrating offenders and healing victims. It stems from the premise that harm to any community member is harm to all. A strong temptation for any oppressed people is to seek revenge—to punish those responsible for their oppression. In South Africa, a white minority oppressed the Black (and other non-white South African) majority for centuries. Tutu urges South Africans to resist the temptation of retribution and instead follow the path of restorative justice.

Distinguishing restorative justice from general amnesty, Tutu emphasizes its demands. Restorative justice requires a full reckoning with the past to expose the ugly truth. Victims must tell their stories, and perpetrators must confess their crimes publicly and accept responsibility for them. This process is not easy. For victims, the opportunity to finally share their experiences, which were often horrific, can bring relief. Perpetrators face public disapproval and often the breakup of personal relationships. Tutu notes that a retribution model of justice was impractical for South Africa. Not only did the nation simply not have the resources to prosecute the many perpetrators, but the outgoing government would not have accepted such a model.