From: wsargeant@igc.apc.org (Winslow L. Sargeant)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african
Subject: IPS:South Africa, arrest of intelligence
Date: 21 Jul 92 17:39:00 GMT

/* Written 12:04 am  Jul 21, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */
/* ---------- "SOUTH AFRICA: ARREST OF INTELLIGENC" ---------- */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Reference: Europe, western
Title: SOUTH AFRICA: ARREST OF INTELLIGENCE AGENTS EMBARRASSES DE KLERK


an inter press service feature

by eddie koch

johannesburg, jul 18 (ips) -- reports that south african agents
were sent to london this year to assassinate a dissident police
officer who spilt the beans on pretoria's hit squads have deeply
embarrassed the government of president frederik de klerk.

the reports, which first appeared in the british media,
indicate that two south african army agents were sent to london
to arrange for renegade policeman dirk coetzee to be eliminated
by irish unionists.

south african security forces have close links with the
protestant paramilitary groups in northern ireland, but the
arrest of two south africans in london by scotland yard has
strained pretoria's normally close diplomatic ties with the
british government.

the disclosures this week mean that prime minister john
major's government will face a tough grilling in parliament
about the activities of south african security men in england.

opposition labour mps, backed by some conservative
backbenchers, will demand to know why the agents, allegedly sent
to kill coetzee, were not charged in england instead of being
sent back to south africa.

''i will also ask the home secretary to investigate the
security operations of the south africans in the united
kingdom'', said labour mp robert hughes in london this week.

the disclosures have also focussed new attention on south
african army chief general christoffel van der westhuizen, the
current head of pretoria's military intelligence department, who
is under investigation for ordering the murder of well-known
anti-apartheid activists in the mid-1980s.

lieutenant pamela du randt, one of the agents arrested by
scotland yard earlier this year in connection with a plot to
kill coetzee, was van der westhuizen's personal assistant and
helped him set up an irregular army unit known as ''the hammer
forces'' which harassed and detained anti-apartheid leaders in
the 1980s.

the ''hammer forces'' operated as a uniformed army unit but
its members also took place in irregular operations as
plainclothes agents. (more/ips)


south africa: arrest (2)

the african national congress (anc), backed by human rights
organisations, is outraged that the general still controls the
army's controversial special forces suspected of fanning
township violence in south africa.

evidence obtained by scotland yard suggesting that members of
south africa's security forces ran a hit-team as late as april
this year is also deeply embarrassing for de klerk.

it coincides with charges made by anc leader nelson mandela
at the united nations this week that government forces are still
engaged in covert operations aimed at encouraging violence in
the country.

this week the south african defence forces (sadf) remained
tight-lipped about van der westhuizen.

media liaison officer colonel john rolt said the general was
still chief of staff intelligence and confirmed that du randt
had served as his personal assistant.

but the sadf said the general would refuse to answer press
queries about his links with du randt or his alleged involvement
in the 1984 murder of anti-apartheid activist matthew goniwe.

a sadf spokesperson confirmed that du randt and leon floris,
a former officer from the secret police unit, and two sadf
members had been sent to london in april to investigate
suspected links between the anc and irish republican army (ira).

a member of the team - ''without sanction, authority or
knowledge of the sadf'' - arranged for the monitoring of coetzee
but was stopped by british intelligence.

in a telephone interview from london this week, coetzee
rejected the sadf's explanation that the pair were in england to
look-into any alledged anc/ira connection.

he said this information was easily obtainable from british
intelligence and did not require south africa security force
members being sent to england.

de klerk acknowledged he had been fully informed of the
incident. ''i ... gave instructions that every asistance be
given to the british authorities. departmental investigations
are continuing and.. these results will be communicated to the
british authorities'', he said in a statement this week.

coetzee said scotland yard went to extraordinary lengths to
protect him after interrogating the two agents. ''i was lying
low at the time at a holiday resort in rye. the yard sent teams
out all over the country to look for me after picking them up''.

''when they found me they moved me to a safe hotel, which
they paid for. they assigned a heavy force of detectives to
protect me... they were certaian these people were here to kill
me'', coetzee said. (end/ips/ek/ar/92)