GOOD Party Condemns AfriForum’s Call for ANC Inquiry Amidst Delays in Prosecuting Apartheid Crimes
Cape Town – The GOOD party has criticized AfriForum’s recent move to ask the Khampepe Commission to investigate allegations of political interference that purportedly obstructed ANC [African National Congress] leaders from being prosecuted for acts of terrorism during apartheid.
This year, President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed retired Constitutional Court Judge Sisi Khampepe to lead the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Inquiry focused on the delays in the prosecution and investigation of crimes from the apartheid period.
On Friday, 10 October 2025, AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel announced that his organization submitted a formal request to the Khampepe Commission, coinciding with the submission deadline.
On Sunday, 12 October 2025, Kriel remarked, “The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has recently begun prosecuting former security force members for various offenses, yet continues to refuse to investigate the misdeeds of ANC leaders for political reasons.”
“AfriForum asserts that the past should be put to rest; however, if this does not happen, ANC leaders who did not receive amnesty must also be investigated to guarantee equality under the law.”
This suggestion has sparked a strong reaction from the GOOD Party, which accused AfriForum of employing “whataboutism to evade accountability.”
The GOOD Party maintained that if AfriForum has knowledge of terrorist acts committed in the name of the ANC or any other group during apartheid, it should report this information to the NPA instead of using it to exonerate those involved in the violence of that era.
The GOOD Party stated: “Threatening to expose information about the ANC, contingent on the government halting investigations into crimes by members of the apartheid security forces, amounts to political extortion and undermines the constitutional principles of equal justice and accountability.”
The United Nations has classified apartheid as a crime against humanity.
A democratic South Africa established a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to facilitate what Kriel calls closure on the past.
The TRC served as a platform for granting amnesty to individuals who committed crimes during the apartheid era, provided they approached the commission and were acknowledged for their honesty and political motives.
“Those individuals who chose not to seek amnesty, or did not qualify, can be prosecuted – regardless of their political affiliations or the assertions made by Kriel,” the GOOD Party emphasized.
Furthermore, the GOOD Party pointed out that Kriel is attempting to distort history by creating a false equivalence between those who maintained apartheid and those who fought for democracy and justice.
“If AfriForum possesses incriminating information about ANC leaders, it should present this to the NPA, which is tasked with impartial prosecution,” the GOOD Party added.
“AfriForum seems to believe that Afrikaners, and white individuals in general, have escaped accountability for apartheid, without contributing to lasting democracy.”
“They aim to separate their community from any responsibility, over 30 years into democracy, for the ongoing color-coded structural inequality in South Africa, alongside pervasive criminal impunity.”
The GOOD Party commented that AfriForum (and related organizations) contradict the preamble of the Constitution, which demands that South Africans “acknowledge the injustices of our past… pay tribute to those who suffered for justice and freedom, and respect those who have worked to build and develop our country.”
The GOOD Party concluded: “If AfriForum values integrity, it should disclose any information it has regarding violent acts committed by the ANC and its supporters.”
“The NPA must fulfill its obligation to prosecute criminals.”