Cape Town - Even if it becomes clear that certain African National Congress (ANC) leaders acted as spies for the apartheid government, what difference would it make? a fairly exasperated Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu asked on Tuesday.

He was reacting to a question on how the allegations against Bulelani Ngcuka, national director of public prosecutions, could negatively affect reconciliation in the county.

Tutu, former chairperson of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), also took a swipe at the ANC during the opening of the 37th international conference on archives. He was speaking on archives and human rights.

Tutu told about 130 delegates from 60 countries that he was stunned at the time when the ANC requested an interdict to prevent the TRC reports from being published.

"The report contained a glowing report on the ANC's justified war (against apartheid), but also pointed out that a few human rights violations occurred on its side, as the ANC admitted in its presentations.

"But, now everything is part of our national archives and history. Nobody can say that they never knew what was going on. And it is documented to remind us of the atrocities and what we are capable of.

"All of us have an exceptional ability to be both evil and good. But, people were created to be good. Remember the past; so we never repeat it," Tutu said.

With acknowledgements to Cobus Grobler and Die Burger.