Beyond forgiving
Howard Grace reflects on a story of tragedy and hope
South Africans Ginn Fourie and Letlapa Mphahlele form an unlikely team: a white Christian woman and a black atheist man. One has suffered directly from the actions of the other, but both have been victims – and risen beyond their pain. What brings them together is a profound story of tragedy and hope. For me it is a story that relates not only to the Quaker Peace Testimony, but also to the basis upon which ‘believers’ and ‘non-believers’ can find common cause.
In 1993, during the apartheid era, Letlapa, then director of operations for the military wing of the Pan-Africanist Congress, ordered reprisal massacres in response to the killing of black school children. Ginn lost her only daughter in one of these. She later forgave Letlapa.
You need to login to read subscriber-only content and/or comment on articles.