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“Ubuntu” justice and the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission : a theological-missiological study

Thesis (MTh)--Stellenbosch University, 2022.

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Main Author: Ntlapo, Headman S.
Other Authors: White, Peter
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University 2022
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access_status_str Open Access
author Ntlapo, Headman S.
author2 White, Peter
author_browse Ntlapo, Headman S.
White, Peter
author_facet White, Peter
Ntlapo, Headman S.
author_sort Ntlapo, Headman S.
collection Thesis
dc_rights_str_mv Stellenbosch University
description Thesis (MTh)--Stellenbosch University, 2022.
format Thesis
id oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/124537
institution Stellenbosch University (South Africa)
language English
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:45:58.010Z
license_str Other — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository
publishDate 2022
publishDateRange 2022
publishDateSort 2022
publisher Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
publisherStr Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
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spelling oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/124537 “Ubuntu” justice and the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission : a theological-missiological study Ntlapo, Headman S. White, Peter Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Practical Theology and Missiology. Forgiveness Truth and Reconciliation Commission South Africa. Truth and Reconciliation Commission Reconciliation -- Political aspects -- South Africa Justice UCTD Thesis (MTh)--Stellenbosch University, 2022. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study examines some of the missiological problems of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), taking into consideration the theological and missiological concepts of forgiveness, reconciliation, and justice. The researcher introduced the Ubuntu Justice concept and further proposed the viability of the concept as a missiological framework with which to respond to the activities of the TRC. To respond to the main and subsequent research questions, the researcher used the qualitative research methodology, focusing on the literary review and the case study research approaches. The researcher explored the methodology and the goal of public hearings and used the “Gugulethu Seven” and the “PEBCO Three” cases to highlight the sacrosanctity of the truth, remorse, and forgiveness in the process of reconciliation. This inquiry found that as an African understanding and a strategy of upholding justice and maintaining peaceful relations, Ubuntu recognises the importance of the process of rehabilitating both the victim and the perpetrator. For the process of reconciliation to be genuine, the perpetrator must genuinely commit to treating the victim as an equal, affirming both the humanity and the dignity of the victim. The researcher established that the TRC cannot be said to be a victim-centred project. Rather, it was constituted to complement the elite political compromise of pre-1994 South Africa and to appease international on-lookers. We concluded that the victims’ perception of amnesty would be very much informed by the presence of other forms of justice. Equally, our manner of doing Ubuntu should be one that drives reparation, redress, and the transformation of social, political, and economic institutions that were complicit in perpetuating structural injustice. We found that the TRC’s manner of Ubuntu was Christianised, as victims were sometimes pressured into forgiving perpetrators without any form or commitment to redress. The researcher argues that in the context of socio-economic calamities that constrain and deface human dignity, the church’s missiological reflection of the poor must be liberative. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie ondersoek sommige van die missiologiese probleme van die Suid-Afrikaanse Waarheids- en Versoeningskommissie (WVK), met inagneming van die teologiese en missiologiese konsepte van vergifnis, versoening en geregtigheid. Die navorser het die Ubuntu Justice-konsep bekendgestel en verder die lewensvatbaarheid van die konsep voorgestel as 'n missiologiese raamwerk waarmee op die aktiwiteite van die WVK gereageer kan word. Om op die hoof- en daaropvolgende navorsingsvrae te reageer, het die navorser die kwalitatiewe navorsingsmetodologie gebruik, met die fokus op die literêre oorsig en die gevallestudienavorsingsbenaderings. Die navorser het die metodologie en die doel van openbare verhore ondersoek en die "Gugulethu Sewe" en die "PEBCO Drie" gevalle gebruik om die heiligheid van die waarheid, berou en vergifnis in die proses van versoening uit te lig. Hierdie ondersoek het bevind dat Ubuntu as 'n Afrika-begrip en 'n strategie om geregtigheid te handhaaf en vreedsame verhoudings te handhaaf, die belangrikheid erken van die proses om beide die slagoffer en die oortreder te rehabiliteer. Vir die proses van versoening om eg te wees, moet die oortreder hom opreg daartoe verbind om die slagoffer as 'n gelyke te behandel, wat beide die menslikheid en die waardigheid van die slagoffer bevestig. Die navorser het vasgestel dat die WVK nie as 'n slagoffergesentreerde projek gesê kan word nie. Dit is eerder saamgestel om die elite politieke kompromie van voor-1994 Suid-Afrika aan te vul en om internasionale toeskouers te paai. Ons het tot die gevolgtrekking gekom dat die slagoffers se persepsie van amnestie baie ingelig sal word deur die teenwoordigheid van ander vorme van geregtigheid. Net so moet ons manier van doen Ubuntu een wees wat herstel, regstelling en die transformasie van sosiale, politieke en ekonomiese instellings dryf wat medepligtig was aan die voortsetting van strukturele onreg. Ons het gevind dat die WVK se manier van Ubuntu gekersten is, aangesien slagoffers soms gedruk is om oortreders te vergewe sonder enige vorm of verbintenis tot regstelling. Die navorser voer aan dat in die konteks van sosio-ekonomiese rampe wat menswaardigheid inperk en aantas, die kerk se missiologiese refleksie van die armes bevrydend moet wees. Masters 2022-02-27T14:16:45Z 2022-04-29T09:18:37Z 2022-02-27T14:16:45Z 2022-04-29T09:18:37Z 2022-02-27 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/124537 en Stellenbosch University xii, 121 pages application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
spellingShingle Forgiveness
Truth and Reconciliation Commission
South Africa. Truth and Reconciliation Commission
Reconciliation -- Political aspects -- South Africa
Justice
UCTD
Ntlapo, Headman S.
“Ubuntu” justice and the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission : a theological-missiological study
title “Ubuntu” justice and the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission : a theological-missiological study
title_full “Ubuntu” justice and the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission : a theological-missiological study
title_fullStr “Ubuntu” justice and the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission : a theological-missiological study
title_full_unstemmed “Ubuntu” justice and the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission : a theological-missiological study
title_short “Ubuntu” justice and the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission : a theological-missiological study
title_sort ubuntu justice and the south african truth and reconciliation commission a theological missiological study
topic Forgiveness
Truth and Reconciliation Commission
South Africa. Truth and Reconciliation Commission
Reconciliation -- Political aspects -- South Africa
Justice
UCTD
url http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/124537
work_keys_str_mv AT ntlapoheadmans ubuntujusticeandthesouthafricantruthandreconciliationcommissionatheologicalmissiologicalstudy