The Truth and Reconciliation Commission and gender : the testimony of Mrs Konile revisited

Abstract

This article draws on a well-known narration of the Gugulethu Seven incident from the Truth
 and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) proceedings with specific reference to testimonies of the
 mothers of the Gugulethu Seven. The article focuses on Mrs Konile’s testimony as a case study:
 Testimony of a black woman whose son was murdered by the apartheid government’s security
 forces. During the TRC hearings, Mrs Konile ‘failed’ to effectively narrate her story, which
 resulted in her testimony being dismissed as being incoherent. This article examines the
 underlying attributes of Mrs Konile’s testimony and revisits why she was considered
 ‘incapable’ of articulating her experience in a convincing manner. The analysis aims to
 acknowledge, identify and give insights about this woman’s testimony from an African women
 theologian viewpoint (specifically with references to the Isixhosa religious cultural background).

http://www.hts.org.za

am2018

Dogmatics and Christian Ethics