REVERBERATIONS of a clash between senior members of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and former President F. W. de Klerk echoed in South Africa yesterday. They swirled around the Defence Force Chief, Georg Meiring, who served as a high ranking officer under Mr De Klerk but who was appointed to his present position by President Mandela.
The controversy began when the TRC deputy chairman, Mr Alex Boraine, released a statement implicitly accusing Mr De Klerk of lying on an issue of national importance a 1992 report by Gen Pierre Steyn into allegations of covert action by military personnel against the political opponents of Mr De Klerk's government.
Mr De Klerk ordered Gen Steyn to conduct the investigation after by judicial investigators on a raid the headquarters of a secret subdivision of the Defence Force known as the Director of Covert Collections. He later denied Gen Steyn had submitted a written report to him, insisting that the general - who was appointed Secretary of Defence by Mr Mandela - had reported to him verbally.
Dr Boraine said: "The TRC has established conclusively the existence of a written report produced by Gen Pierre Steyn's 1992 investigations ... "
Mr De Klerk hit back via a statement put out by a senior aide, accusing Dr Boraine of attacking him publicly without giving him a chance to present his side to the TRC and describing Dr Boraine's statement as "a calculated attempt" to harm him.
To a large extent the quarrel is over the definition of a "written report". It is now common cause that Gen Steyn reported verbally to Mr De Klerk but that he substantiated his report with "written notes and a diagram". Dr Boraine, who conceded that there was no formal report, said: "The (notes and diagram) were made available to Mr De Klerk."
Mr De Klerk's aide replied: "The document was in no way an official report to the State President. It was made available to him only insofar as he had it in his hands at, some stage during the briefing."
More serious than the semantic dispute between Dr Boraine and Mr De Klerk is the TRC disclosure that Gen Meiring was one of 60 upper echelon soldiers suspected by Gen Steyn of involvement in secret "Third Force" activities against Mr De Klerk's political opponents, particularly African National Congress cadres.
Mr De Klerk, however, did not take action against Gen Meiring or two more high ranking officers suspected by Gen Steyn of involvement in Third Force actions. Mr Klerk's explanation was that there was insufficient evidence to take so drastic a step at so delicate a stage in the transformation process".
Instead, acting on the advice of the three suspected generals, he ordered 23 officers to take compulsory leave or go into compulsory retirement.
. Surgeons who removed the prostate gland of the TRC chairman, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, have discovered that it was malignant. Further tests are being conducted and it will take some time to establish how serious the cancer is and whether it has spread.
Spokesman for the hospital where the archbishop was treated Christelle Terblanche:
"There's nothing to suggest cancer outside the prostate at this stage. The urologist does not believe it helpful to become involved in speculative comment about the prognosis."