Advocate Chris Macadam, the former Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions, brought to light serious allegations concerning the handling of apartheid-era investigation dockets.
Advocate Chris Macadam, the former Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions who worked on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) cases, testified that former Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi ordered the transfer of 400 TRC dockets from the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to police to block the NPA from prosecuting ANC leaders.
Macadam claimed that he ordered the transfer as a strategic move to obstruct prosecutions of prominent ANC figures. However, Macadam denied that some of the TRC dockets transferred to SAPS may have already been decided and closed.
"Selebi alleged that the reason for those 400 dockets being in the NPA building was to compile a case against the State President and other people. Mr (Bulelani) Ngcuka then invited Mr Selebi to come and remove the dockets...Mr Ngcuka said this is the allegation, you need to take those dockets so there could never be any of these allegations again," he testified.
Macadam further testified that the prosecutorial guidelines allowed the perpetrators of apartheid-era crimes to escape justice, stating: "The prosecution guidelines developed by the Amnesty committee to guide the prosecution of TRC cases were unconstitutional....I cannot recall who instructed Dr Silas Ramaite to put the prosecution of TRC cases on hold pending prosecution guidelines."
