Reproduction of Violence in post-apartheid South Africa – Political assassinations and whistleblower assassinations

Learning from South Africa: Lessons for Catholic Churches in Africa on Land Redistribution Abstract Land redistribution remains one of the most critical challenges across Africa, shaped by colonial legacies, post-independence neglect, and ongoing inequality. While many African states struggle with reform, faith-based institutions—especially Catholic Churches—hold both moral authority and land assets that could contribute to just redistribution. This article draws on the South African Catholic Church’s experience between...

Catholic Church in South Africa and the Redistribution of its Land to Communities AbstractThis paper critically examines the Catholic Church’s evolving role in land redistribution in South Africa, focusing mainly on rural contexts across six dioceses in four provinces. It traces the Church’s shift from a complex historical entanglement with colonial land acquisition to a post-apartheid commitment to land justice, evolving from isolated diocesan initiatives into a coordinated...

The Analysis of Land Reparation Program in South Africa through the Lens of Catholic Social Teaching Abstract This article examines the South African land reparation program through the ethical and theological framework of Catholic Social Teaching (CST). Land dispossession under colonialism and apartheid created structural injustice that continues to shape inequality. Catholic theology provides a unique lens for examining land restitution by integrating scriptural visions of justice—such as...

Analysis of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission through the Lens of Pope Francis’ Fratelli Tutti Abstract This article examines the relationship between the work of Truth and Reconciliation Commissions (TRCs) and the vision of reconciliation, fraternity, and social friendship articulated in Pope Francis’ 2020 encyclical Fratelli Tutti: On Fraternity and Social Friendship. The study argues that TRCs—particularly those established in South Africa, Canada, and Latin America—provide practical laboratories...

SACBC Justice and Peace Guide for Negotiated Partnerships in Land Reparation Program Models of Partnerships Between Commercial Farmers and Land Reparation Beneficiaries SECTION 1: PURPOSE OF THE HANDBOOK  This handbook is designed to help land reparation beneficiaries prepare for and engage in negotiations with commercial farmers. It provides: A clear explanation of different partnership models. Benefits and risks of each model. Checklists to prepare before negotiations. Practical tools...

Catholic Church Involvement in Negotiations Between Commercial Farmers and Land Reparation Beneficiaries: Advancing Racial Reconciliation Through Land Justice in South Africa Abstract Land reform remains a central and unresolved question in post-apartheid South Africa. Despite efforts to redress the historical injustices of colonial dispossession and apartheid land policies, progress has been uneven and often contested. The persistence of unequal land ownership reproduces racial and economic divisions, undermining reconciliation....

The Catholic Church believes land is a gift from God and its use should promote a dignified life and meet the needs of the common good.   Amid the land reform initiatives in the post-apartheid South Africa,  the Catholic Church started its own land redistribution program.  We share below an academic article offering an analysis of the redistribution program. The restitution of Roman Catholic Church land to indigenous people...

Lessons to Learn from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa: Its Successes and Failures Abstract The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of South Africa (1995–2002) remains one of the most significant transitional justice experiments of the late twentieth century. Established to address the atrocities of apartheid, the Commission sought to uncover truth, foster reconciliation, grant amnesty in exchange for full disclosure, and recommend reparations for victims....

During apartheid, there were a lot of forced displacement or land grabbing and the victims of the forced displacement have approached the Church seeking support in their cause for justice.   The government  established a program for the reparation for internally displaced people during apartheid but this program is in a state of a crisis.     In this article, we describe the crisis. The reparation program is facing a...

On 20 January 2025, twenty-five survivors and families of victims who were forcibly disappeared or killed during South Africa’s fight for democracy have filed a court application against the President and the government. They are seeking constitutional damages for the government’s gross failure to adequately investigate and prosecute apartheid-era political crimes following the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) process. The suppression of post-TRC accountability efforts has allowed witnesses...