Between the mid seventies and the early nineteen nighties, Paul Erasmus was a secret police official in South Africa. His unit was responsible for what he calls dirty tricks, which included arson, sabotage, theft, discrediting people, illegal phone tapping, and firebombing. Then, before apartheid ended, he went in front of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, to confess to 500 offenses and 80 serious crimes and was granted partial amnesty in 2000.
Paul Erasmus attributes his return of conscience, in part, to the realisation that he had destroyed the career of a musician whose work, talent and passion he grew to admire and love.
Over time, a strange kind of respect and even friendship has developed between Roger Lucey, a political singer, and his former tormentor. Their new relationship is one example of the reconciliation that was part of the political achievement of post apartheid South Africa.
Links:
Guide to Forgiveness
Having trouble forgiving after feeling hurt, disrespected or violated? Here are some points to help you.
Roger Lucey
Find out what Roger Lucey has been up to since the political unrest of the Apartheid era that almost derailed his passion for music.
Freemuse
Independent international organization advocating freedom of expression for musicians and composers.
Womex
WOMEX is the world’s biggest professional music Conference, Trade Fair and Showcase for world, roots, folk, ethnic, traditional, alternative world, local and diaspora music.
Books:
 The Bang Bang Club
by: Greg Marinovich and Joao Silva 2001
The Bang Bang Club: Snapshots from a Hidden War
 Apartheid's Friends
by: James Sanders 2006
Apartheid's Friends : The Rise and Fall of the South African Secret Services
 A Human Being Died That Night
by: Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela 2004
A Human Being Died That Night : A South African Woman Confronts the Legacy of Apartheid
 South African Truth Commission
by: Kenneth Christie 2000
The South African Truth Commission assesses different versions of the South African past, the complex negotiations leading to the establishment of the Commission and the complex politics of amnesty, justice, and nation building.
 Country of my Skull
by: Antjie Krog 2000
Country of My Skull: Guilt, Sorrow, and the Limits of Forgiveness in the New South Africa
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