Magnus Malan’s trial ends

The seven-month trial of former Minister of Defence Magnus Malan ended on 11 October when he and other officials were cleared of all charges relating to the murder of thirteen people in KwaMakutha in 1987. The case centred on allegations that the former government had waged a dirty war against its opponents. Judge Jan Hugo concluded his judgment, acquitting Malan and other nine defendants. Hugo acknowledged that the killing was the deed of Inkatha vigilantes on the payroll of the South African Defence Force (SADF), however the prosecution did not bring enough evidence to substantiate their claim. President Nelson Mandela fully accepted the court's decision and asked those that might have been directly affected by the ordeal to accept it. Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), promised that even if they were acquitted, the TRC was still likely to call them to account as it was in a better position of extracting the truth than the courts.