In South Africa, five apartheid-era police officials, including a former police minister, have received suspended sentences for the attempted murder of a leading black activist in 1989. The former police minister, Adriaan Vlok, was sentenced to serve five of a 10-year sentence for plotting to kill the Reverend Frank Chikane. Chikane was made violently ill by poison hidden in his underwear but survived the attempt on his life. Outside the courtroom, Chikane said he hoped the ruling would heal old wounds.

Rev. Frank Chikane: “We have passed the world of speculation now and theories about what happened during the apartheid days. There were lots of debates, the people who didn’t believe what happened. But today I think we have gone past that stage. Having listened to the story, I must say even if I had an idea of what the story is all about, when it is presented in court, it’s a real chilling story. But I have listened to the story, and I can confirm that I consider myself to be a miracle.”