Senior apartheid-era police officials and the black churchman they tried to poison in 1989 urged more South Africans to come clean about the past, the clergyman at the centre of the case said today.
Former police minister Adriaan Vlok and four police officers received suspended prison sentences on Friday after pleading guilty to attempting to murder prominent anti-apartheid activist Reverend Frank Chikane by lacing his underwear with poison.
Vlok and three of the police officers met Chikane today "to express their heartfelt remorse and to apologise for their role in the attempted poisoning of the Reverend," Rev Chikane's office said in a statement.
"Reverend Chikane unreservedly accepted their apology and agreed with the parties that the manner in which the case was concluded sets an important example for South Africans in similar situations to volunteer information in order to heal the nation, advance reconciliation and deepen social cohesion," the statement said.
Last week's trial was seen as a test case for the prosecution of apartheid officials who were not granted an amnesty by the nation's Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Only a handful of cases have come to trial since 2003, when the commission - headed by Nobel peace laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu - ended its probe into crimes under apartheid.
Vlok made headlines last year when he apologised and washed the feet of Chikane, who accepted the act of humility.
Three of the four policemen joined him today. "They all emphasized the critical importance of dealing with the past in order to guarantee a better South Africa in future," Rev Chikane's statement said.
An aide to Rev Chikane said the fourth official had not explained why he did not join the others at today's meeting.