Nelson Mandela on the ‘Third Force’: I Have Never Seen Such Cruelty
While many aspects of “third force” violence are not clear, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) report showed that Eugene de Kock and senior Security Branch personnel received orders to carry out violence. In addition, de Kock gave orders to members of C-10 Vlakplaas Unit to carry out violence. F.W. de Klerk immediately rejected the commission’s version of events, saying he was “astounded and disappointed” that the commission would attack him without giving him the opportunity in advance to discuss the allegations. It was the first time the TRC had suggested wrongdoing by De Klerk himself as it argued that he knew more than he admitted and was allowing top generals to escape unpunished, as ultimately, no prosecutions ever resulted from the report.
Allegations of “third force” activity peaked in the wake of the Boipatong massacre in June of 1992. Nelson Mandela blamed apartheid President F.W. de Klerk for the massacre when he stated, “I am convinced we are not dealing with human beings but animals. We will not forget what Mr. de Klerk, the National Party and the Inkatha Freedom Party have done to our people. I have never seen such cruelty”. On 29 June 1992, at the funeral of the Boipatong Massacre, wherein 39 people were murdered, Mandela stated, “I can no longer explain to our people why we continue to talk to a regime that is murdering our people and conducting war aga
