Former president Thabo Mbeki has told a commission of inquiry that claims he took part in secret talks with apartheid-era generals to prevent prosecutions are "a complete fabrication".

Mbeki testified on Monday, 19 October 2026, before the commission chaired by retired justice Sisi Khampepe. The commission is examining alleged political influence over the investigation and prosecution of crimes from the apartheid era. His testimony is continuing.

What Mbeki told the commission

Mbeki said "there were no meetings that took place", according to published coverage of his evidence. He said his government respected the independence of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and did not interfere with the National Prosecuting Authority or its decisions on whom to prosecute.

He described one meeting at which generals from the South African Defence Force and the police raised their difficulty. According to Mbeki, they said their political principal, deputy president FW de Klerk, should go to the amnesty committee and tell the truth about the matters it dealt with.

A summary of his evidence also says he drew a distinction between presidential pardons and decisions to prosecute.

The claim he rejected and the inquiry's remit

The allegation put to Mbeki is that he personally initiated, and from 1998 took part in, a series of secret talks with former defence force and police generals. The aim, it is claimed, was to find a way to prevent prosecutions for conflicts of the past. Published coverage describes the claim as based on hearsay evidence and does not say who made it.

The commission's terms of reference cover Mbeki's period as head of the executive. It is looking at why prosecutions of cases referred by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission did not proceed.

A separate report says testimony from former president Jacob Zuma has been postponed. We have not confirmed the reason and it should not be speculated on.

What we do not yet know

  • Who made the allegation, and what evidence supports it. The coverage we reviewed does not say.
  • What else Mbeki will say as his testimony continues, and what questions the commission puts to him.
  • When Zuma will appear, and the commission's own explanation for the postponement.
  • When the commission will report its findings.
  • Second confirmation needed: the "complete fabrication" and "no meetings" quotes appear in one report we reviewed. Check them against the hearing record or the commission's statement before publishing.