Allegations of a third force arose with the assassination of opponents of the Nationalist government. The covert nature of these activities and the incomplete information that was revealed later meant that the perpetrators of the incidents reported could not and in some instances remain unknown.
The TRC was established with the passing of the National Unity and Reconciliation Bill. This was preceded by consultations with submissions and proposals, conferences and debates. Amnesty and the validity of amnesty granted by the previous government was debated. This section contains material about the period leading to the establishment of the TRC. Also see 2.5.2. Amnesty.
This includes a broad range of material about abuses with some material covering international actions against apartheid. See 9.2. for the Kairos magazine Amandla which appeared regularly with information about South Africa and 9.14. Shirebu, the Shipping Research Bureau and related publications concerning sanctions and trade. Often international campaigns against trade combined South African and Namibian trade, see 10.3.2.5.