Set the Apartheid Secrets Free: Statement in Solidarity with SAHA

A statement by various organizations and individuals supporting the South African History Archive (SAHA) in its legal battle against the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) to gain access to records regarding apartheid-era economic crimes.

• The South African History Archive (SAHA) is appealing a South Gauteng High Court ruling in the Bloemfontein Supreme Court of Appeal as of March 3, 2020, seeking access to South African Reserve Bank (SARB) records concerning investigations into apartheid-era economic crimes.
• The SARB is accused of protecting individuals implicated in human rights abuses and economic crimes, including Vito Palazzolo and Wouter Basson, by denying access to investigation records.
• The South Gauteng High Court ordered SAHA to pay R2.7 million in legal fees to the SARB, which the signatories argue reverses established practice from the Biowatch case and creates a chilling effect for other civil society organizations.
• The signatories demand that the SARB Governor comply with the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA), release the records, and withdraw the request for cost payments.

APA

Sooka, Y., Ntsebeza, D., Burton, M., Aggett, J., Essop, S., Andersson, G., Fritz, N., & O’Sullivan, G. (2020). Set the Apartheid Secrets Free: Statement in Solidarity with SAHA. Public Affairs Research Institute. https://pari.org.za/set-the-apartheid-secrets-free-statement-in-solidarity-with-saha/

Chicago

Sooka, Yasmin, Dumisa Ntsebeza, Mary Burton, Jill Aggett, Salim Essop, Gavin Andersson, Nicole Fritz, and Gerald O’Sullivan. Set the Apartheid Secrets Free: Statement in Solidarity with SAHA. Public Affairs Research Institute, 2020. https://pari.org.za/set-the-apartheid-secrets-free-statement-in-solidarity-with-saha/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Sooka |first1=Yasmin |last2=Ntsebeza |first2=Dumisa |last3=Burton |first3=Mary |last4=Aggett |first4=Jill |last5=Essop |first5=Salim |last6=Andersson |first6=Gavin |last7=Fritz |first7=Nicole |last8=O’Sullivan |first8=Gerald |title=Set the Apartheid Secrets Free: Statement in Solidarity with SAHA |publisher=Public Affairs Research Institute |date=3 March 2020 |url=https://pari.org.za/set-the-apartheid-secrets-free-statement-in-solidarity-with-saha/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{sooka2020set, author = {Sooka, Yasmin and Ntsebeza, Dumisa and Burton, Mary and Aggett, Jill and Essop, Salim and Andersson, Gavin and Fritz, Nicole and O’Sullivan, Gerald}, title = {{Set the Apartheid Secrets Free: Statement in Solidarity with SAHA}}, publisher = {Public Affairs Research Institute}, year = {2020}, month = mar, url = {https://pari.org.za/set-the-apartheid-secrets-free-statement-in-solidarity-with-saha/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }