ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the South African transitional justice experience and assesses its successes and failures which, in turn, can inform the policies and practices to be undertaken during the implementation of the Colombian peace agreement. It discusses the process of transitional justice in South Africa and the role of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) as its main mechanism. The TRC was undoubtedly the most important transitional justice tool in the country during the transition to democracy, and its objective was 'to promote national unity and reconciliation in a spirit of understanding which transcends the conflicts and divisions of the past'. Transitional justice initiatives in post-agreement scenarios are far from perfect. In South Africa, after the culmination of the TRC's mandate, a series of critiques have emerged revealing the existence of numerous weaknesses of this process. Leadership, planning and political willingness to overcome the old practices of corruption and caudillismo are required in Colombia.
