Mr Geir Lundestad, Director of the Nobel Peace Institute,

Esteemed Members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee,

Members of Parliament and Ambassadors,

Distinguished Guests and Friends,

Great men and women have graced these august chambers, including great leaders from my own country.

They stood at this very place, inspired and motivated by a desire for peace, security and stability.

Our national heroes and icons, President Nelson Mandela, Chief Albert Luthuli and elders of our country such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu, have been honoured here for their undeniable belief in peace, justice and democracy.

It is in their honour that I speak here today. I thank you for this opportunity.

Let me also thank the people of Norway for the substantial role that they played in mobilising international solidarity against apartheid.

Successive Norwegian governments offered moral, practical and diplomatic support to the liberation movement, the trade unions and the churches in their resistance to apartheid.

We thank in particular the Solidarity Committee of the Norwegian Confederation of Unions which became one of the key organisations supporting our struggle.

Norwegian youth and Christian organisations later played a key role in enforcing the oil boycott against apartheid South Africa.

In extending our gratitude, we borrow from Chief Albert Luthuli in his Nobel Lecture in 1961.

He said: “Alone we would have been weak. Our heartfelt appreciation of your acts of support of us, we cannot adequately express, nor can we ever forget; now or in the future when victory is behind us, and South Africa's freedom rests in the hands of all her people’’.

We will always remember that solidarity.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Peace is a meaningful topic for South Africans because we know the meaning of conflict and violence, and the impact thereof.

The people of Norway experienced violence just recently.

We express our heartfelt condolences to the loved ones of those who lost family and friends in that horrendous tragedy which cost the lives of young people here.

We also extend our support and solidarity to the Government and people of Norway in their fight against violence and the scourge of terrorism.

But let me also congratulate you on being resolute in the face of terror, and for not allowing yourselves to be intimidated by the cowardice of the perpetrators of violence against your peaceful nation.  

It is perhaps against the backdrop of such horrendous acts of violence that we now understand better why Alfred Nobel, a trained chemical engineer and inventor of the dynamite and other destructive devices, instituted the Nobel Peace Prize.

For he – in his wisdom- must have understood better than most of us, the true destructive qualities of those inventions.

We recall the teachings of a Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu, that:

“If there is to be peace in the world, There must be peace in the nations. If there is to be peace in the nations,

“There must be peace in the cities.

If there is to be peace in the cities,

There must be peace between neighbours.

If there is to be peace between neighbours,

There must be peace in the home.

If there is to be peace in the home, there must be peace in the heart”.   

Many people around the world ask us how South Africans succeeded to emerge from decades of conflict and build a new nation?

We have built a successful, vibrant, solid and thriving democracy with strong democratic institutions.

We have built a new nation, and we continue to strive towards the goal of building a truly non-racial, non-sexist and prosperous South Africa.

South Africa has done well because we had a good foundation. The ANC, the oldest liberation movement in Africa, is the most important ingredient in the success of South Africa, from the difficult years of struggle to the current transformation and reconstruction phase.

The ANC had gained a lot of experience since its formation in 1912.  It developed strategies and tactics over the years which enabled it to adapt and prepare to lead and govern.

The ANC profoundly understood the nature of the conflict in our country, had politically matured with time, and was therefore able to provide mature and clear leadership.  

The ANC had also started its policymaking very early in its history.  Eleven policy papers were presented at the founding conference, on topics ranging from schools and churches, African labour, segregation and the land question amongst others.

The ANC had also proudly been the first in the country and continent to articulate the question of human rights.

A Bill of Rights was adopted during the December 1943 conference of the ANC, before the declaration of human rights by the United Nations in 1948. This laid the foundation for the human rights culture that prevails in our constitution and our culture.

Most importantly, what helped South Africa to succeed was the ANC’s policy of non-racialism.

The movement took the bold and difficult step of declaring that the enemy in our country was the system of oppression and apartheid and not white people.

It opened its doors to all South Africans regardless of colour, race or creed, so that together they could fight colonial oppression and apartheid.

This confused many in our own country and also around the world, who preferred to simplify the South African question as a struggle of blacks and whites.

That policy of non-racialism sowed the seeds of non-racialism, reconciliation and forgiveness.

The ANC knew what it was looking for. It led a struggle for liberation, equal rights and equal opportunities, and for fundamental social, economic and political transformation.

Most importantly, what contributed to the ANC’s success was the type of leadership that the organisation produced - men and women who were prepared to sacrifice even their lives, for the sake of freedom and justice.

All these aspects were correctly captured in a statement made by President Nelson Mandela during the Rivonia trial in 1964 when he summarised our views as follows:    

“I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons will live together in harmony with equal opportunities.

“It is an ideal which I hope to live for, and to see realised. But my Lord, if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."

I must add that it is important to note that out of the four Nobel Peace Prize winners, two were Presidents of the ANC, who led the movement during different epochs in our history.  

Chief Luthuli obtained the award at the height of apartheid repression.

He preached non-violence in the face of extreme brutality and repression by the apartheid regime. President Mandela on the other hand, who received the award during the transition period, provided leadership to all.

He worked tirelessly to convince both oppressor and the oppressed, that reconciliation was the way to go for the sake of peace and stability in our country.

He succeeded to secure the cooperation of Mr FW de Klerk, who received the Nobel Peace Prize award jointly with him.

All of these factors and this supreme quality of leadership enabled the ANC to lead the country out of the abyss.

It is important to note as well that the ANC also did not fear other political parties.

All parties were invited to the negotiations for a political settlement. They were regarded as equal partners.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Following the national democratic elections in 1994, the task of truly uniting the country and healing of the wounds began.

We asked ourselves how we were going to deal with the past.

There were those who believed that we should follow the post- World War 2 example of putting those guilty of gross violations of human rights on trial, as was done at Nuremberg.

We chose to avoid this option as it would not have helped us to achieve reconciliation and build a new nation.

We wanted our people to experience and enjoy the dividends of peace, freedom, stability and constitutional democracy.

We opted for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

We agreed that the main characteristics of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission would have to be the following:

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission would have to be national in scope, focusing on the past. It would have to be a temporary body operating within a definitive time frame.

It would have to investigate a pattern of abuse over a set period of time rather than a specific event, and it would have to be officially sanctioned, authorized and empowered by the state.

As for the goals of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission we decided on few main ones.

Firstly, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission should contribute to transitional peace by creating an authoritative record of what happened.

Secondly, it should provide a platform for the victims to tell their stories and obtain some form of redress, and for perpetrators to respond.

Thirdly, it should be able to recommend legislative, structural or other changes to avoid a repetition of past abuses.

Lastly, it should establish who was responsible and provide a measure of accountability for the perpetrators.

The even bigger and more fundamental question we asked ourselves, was, what role the commission should play in building a new and democratic, non-racial, non-sexist South Africa.

What kind of society did we intend to create? The goal remained clear, as articulated as early as in 1919 by one of the former ANC President Sefako Makgatho.

He said the ANC was established;

“to destroy racism and to create on its ruins, a non-racial South Africa with traditional democratic rights that would be available to all, irrespective of race, colour, religion, sex, possessions, formal education and so on’’.

As we considered and pondered these questions and challenges, we realized that the Truth Commission would have to, in some way, contribute to the forging of a single, national South African identity.

It would have to contribute to nation-building and the transformation of society and our legal system.

It would in essence, mean moving away from a punitive to a remedial justice system where retribution, hatred and revenge are replaced by corrective measures, remedial approaches and reconciliatory imperatives.

It would mean that we prioritize the rule of law and ensure that our constitution becomes truly the highest law of the land.

In essence, reconciliation meant the creation of a society that values human rights and human dignity.   It meant that we should all accept the moral and political responsibility of nurturing a culture of human rights and democracy.

That is a task we have all embraced, regardless of political persuasions and background.

But what exactly do we mean by a human rights culture?

I would contend that the following elements must be present in any society for it to define the nature of that society as one with a human rights culture:

·         Support for the rule of law;

·         Political tolerance and acceptance;

·         Rights consciousness;

·         Support for due process;

·         Commitment to individual freedom;

·         And commitment to democratic institutions and processes.  

Looking back, through the hard work by all political parties led by the ANC, and also many sectors of society, all South Africans can proudly say that we have achieved a lot.

We have managed to prevent the then much anticipated bloodshed and civil war that so many had predicted.

We have achieved a large degree of unity as a people.  Whereas before we felt no sense of national pride and nationhood, today we can proudly say that we are one nation, one people and one country.

Both victim and perpetrator were given the chance to tell their story.

Some stories may remain untold or unheard, but the opportunity is always available for people to come forward at any time and share their experiences in order to build the future.

The experiences we have gained through our successful transition process, including the Truth and Reconciliation process, have made it possible for us to share these unique achievements and principles with the world.

Much of our involvement in conflict resolution, peacemaking and post conflict reconstruction, especially in the African continent, is informed by our experiences.

 As the world grapples with conflict in countries such as Libya, Somalia and other parts of the world, we urge tolerance and inclusiveness amongst all.

We tell the affected parties that peace will hold if all belligerents are able to participate in the quest for solutions.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Peace and reconciliation are achievable goals. South Africa is a prime example of that fact.

In conclusion, I would like to quote again from Chief Albert Luthuli’s Nobel Lecture.

’’ It may well be that South Africa's social system is a monument to racialism and race oppression, but its people are the living testimony to the unconquerable spirit of mankind.

“Down the years, against seemingly overwhelming odds, they have sought the goal of fuller life and liberty, striving with incredible determination and fortitude for the right to live as men - free men’’.

Let peace reign in our hearts, our communities and all nations of the world.

And Congratulations to Norway for her contribution to peace in the world!

I thank you!