former state president P.W. Botha to give evidence at its forthcoming hearings on the roles played by armed forces and the state security council during the apartheid era," a statement said. The statement said Botha, who headed the country's white minority government for most of the 1980s, had on receiving the subpoena provided a medical certificate saying he could not attend the planned hearings in Johannesburg next month for health reasons. "We indicated we would not withdraw the subpoena ... and we are exploring an alternative date for his appearance," said the statement, issued by commission chairman Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The statement said Botha had been subpoenaed to give evidence on the roles played by South Africa's armed forces and the state security council during the apartheid era. It said the former defence minister, General Magnus Malan, and ex police minister Adriaan Vlok had also been subpoenaed to appear at the commission's hearing on the state security council.