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This resource is hosted by the Nelson Mandela Foundation, but was compiled and authored by Padraig O’Malley. It is the product of almost two decades of research and includes analyses, chronologies, historical documents, and interviews from the apartheid and post-apartheid eras.

Report of the Working Group Established under Paragraph Three of The Pretoria Minute

Scenario's

1.. Status quo remains :  Arms are not handed over, cadres remain underground, law enforcement continues.

2.. All arms are surrendered to authorities and those surrendering the arms receive indemnity and can apply for licences where applicable.

3.. All arms and cadres to be taken out of the country.

4.. Arms and cadres put under joint supervision and control in assembly points.

5.. Arms and cadres remain where they are now with arrangements for joint supervision and control.

6.. Acceptance of principle that no political movement can have a private army with a phased disarming of cadres under joint supervision.

The Working Group

1.. Agreed that the democratic process implies and obliges all political parties and movements to participate in this process peacefully and without resort to the use of force;

2.. Therefore accepted the principle that no political party or movement should have a private army;

3.. Accepted that the ANC had, in good faith and as a contribution to the process of arriving at a peaceful settlement, suspended all armed actions and related activities, with the presumption that the process would lead to the situation where there would be no return to armed action;

4.. Without commenting or reflecting to questions of legality in the context of present South African legislation, recognized the historical fact that the ANC had placed armed cadres within the country;

5.. Agreed that in the context of points 2 and 3 above, it was vital that control be exercised to ensure that no armed actions or related activities occur;

6.. Further agreed that in the context of points 2 and 3, a phased process be initiated which will enable the armed cadres of the ANC to resume their normal lives with the possibility of joining such national security forces as would be provided for in the new constitution;

7.. Agreed that as a first step, those members of the ANC designated by the movement to ensure the implementation of para 3 of the Pretoria Minute, would work with designated government representatives to ensure mutually agreed supervision and control;

8.. Agreed that these persons would, in keeping with the process leading to a peaceful settlement, initiate a phased process of normalizing the lives of the armed cadres of the ANC, including the absorption of offensive material in their possession into the national stock of defence material;

9.. Further agreed that where applicable, individual weapons would be licenced in terms of the existing law;

10.. Confirmed that in the context of para 3 of the Pretoria Minute, the ANC will introduce any new military cadres or weapons of war into the country.

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