South Africa: Information on cases of murder, kidnapping or other crimes committed against children of Pan African Congress (PAC) members from Lesotho or South Africa
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 January 1990 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | ZAF3459 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, South Africa: Information on cases of murder, kidnapping or other crimes committed against children of Pan African Congress (PAC) members from Lesotho or South Africa, 1 January 1990, ZAF3459, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ac8f10.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
In addition to the reports already available to the requester, the abuses and occasional cases of death suffered by children arrested in South Africa and the "Homelands" are extensively reported in the book The War Against Children (New York: Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, 1986). However, no specific reference to children of PAC members could be found. Recently, various news reports have covered the activities of South African security forces' death squads in South Africa and neighbouring countries, although again no specific reference to targeting of children of PAC members could be found among the sources currently available to the IRBDC.
Please find attached a copy of two documents which contain some recent information on the PAC and other South African organizations with similar goals:
-"PAC Revival?", in Southern Africa Newswatch, (Ottawa, International Defence and Aid Fund for Southern Africa), 30 June 1989, p. 4;
-"South Africa: The ANC's diplomatic offensive", in Africa Confidential, (London, Miramoor Publications, Ltd.), pp. 3-4 (focused mainly on the African National Congress, but published about the same date as the other attachment and containing information which helps put the other article in context regarding the other South African dissident groups).
According to these sources, the PAC is described as a significant liberation movement operating in exile which had been backed by Tanzania and recently decided to concentrate its operations within South Africa's borders.