Amnesty Hearings — Boksburg — 1998-09-14

MS VAN DER WALT: What happened, was there a district divided into certain areas and then a general was appointed to these certain areas?

MR PRINSLOO: Yes, that is correct.

MS VAN DER WALT: On that specific day at this Fyndooringtjies Culture Festival resort, was the generals in staff together there again?

MR PRINSLOO: Yes.

MS VAN DER WALT: Can you still remember who was present?

MR PRINSLOO: Yes, it was General Kiewiet Roodt, General Cruywagen , the leader, myself, General Japie Oelofse, Dirk Ackerman, his brother, General Terreblanche.

MS VAN DER WALT: This General Terreblanche, who is that?

MR PRINSLOO: That is Mr Terreblanche's brother.

MS VAN DER WALT: That is Andries Terreblanche?

MR PRINSLOO: Yes, that is correct.  Then it could be that I left out someone.

MS VAN DER WALT: Then at that stage, did you once again discuss the fact that bombs had to be planted now?

MR PRINSLOO: Yes, the assurance was once again given that those who had contact with the special forces or unit, that equipment was ready, resources were ready and chaos will definitely now be created from the next week onwards.

MS VAN DER WALT: And then you were given instructions by Ackerman to within your area begin with the operations on that Sunday?

MR PRINSLOO: Yes, more specifically I knew that I had to begin with the operations on that weekend, not operate but we had to be in place in our areas or in our place of safety and in this case it was the game farm.  I then also the instruction specifically for the car bomb or I received this from General Ackerman.

MS VAN DER WALT: You also said that you had to get hold of a person who could execute this operation, this special force member.

MR PRINSLOO: That is correct.

MS VAN DER WALT: Was there any other instructions given with regards to other explosions that had to take place on that specific day?

MR PRINSLOO: Not specific instructions, everybody knew what it was about

MS VAN DER WALT: What did you do after you received this instruction?

MR PRINSLOO: Well I took it through to the game farm and conveyed it to the commanders, and specifically the way in which I received the instructions, I conveyed it in the same manner to the special forces person and that would be Cliff Barnard.

MS VAN DER WALT: Why did you choose him?

MR PRINSLOO: At that stage Cliff Barnard was a confident of the generals in staff as well as Mr Terreblanche, as well as other prominent figures within the AWB.

MS VAN DER WALT: Why specifically him, did you know that he would be a suitable person to execute certain operations?  Did you in the past have contact with his expertise?

MR PRINSLOO: Yes, Cliff Barnard was one of the best trained people in the AWB then.  He received special force training, not just from the AWB but before he became an AWB member.  He received special force training from the Defence Force as well as from the South African Police.
	I know for a fact that he was used in the operations of the Germans in the then Windhoek, he brought them through, as well as other operations that he had to execute on behalf of right-wing organisations in the Gauteng area.

MS VAN DER WALT: You said that you also conveyed the instructions to their commanders, who are you talking about?

MR PRINSLOO: The commanders would be the people who were present on the game farm.

MS VAN DER WALT: With whom did you talk there?

MR PRINSLOO: We came together in a meeting where members like for example, Brigadier Leon and Johan was present, Abie Fourie and Mr du Plessis.

MS VAN DER WALT: What was discussed at this meeting?

MR PRINSLOO: We discussed, or I conveyed to the people that they will have to start looking at volunteers who they would have to apply in the certain areas and to create chaos.
	I also mentioned to them that if they would indicate a person, this person had to, will have to be selected by myself and Leon van der Merwe, as well as head office.  The people were not identified at the first meeting, to me or Leon van der Merwe.

MS VAN DER WALT: Can I just take you back to the instruction that you received, that on the Sunday, that would then be the 24th of April 1994, that a bomb had to go to Johannesburg.  You also said that you identified Cliff Barnard, did you then personally or through someone else give instructions to him?

MR PRINSLOO: No, I gave him instructions personally and told him that this comes from the generals in staff.

MS VAN DER WALT: Did he have to complete this task alone or what was your instruction to him?

MR PRINSLOO: Well at that stage, I cannot say with certainty, but I did not name any names of whom he had to use, I left it to him to decide.

MS VAN DER WALT: Because evidence was led by Mr Etienne le Roux that he did receive instructions to go to Koesterfontein and to help.  So if I understand your evidence correctly, Mr Barnard had to choose his own people?

MR PRINSLOO: Yes, that is correct.

MS VAN DER WALT: And what did you tell him, what must the target be?

MR PRINSLOO: I told him - at that stage he already knew what the target was.  If he was informed by generals in staff, members of it or Mr Terreblanche personally, I do not know, not at that stage.  I know that he had contact with them, he knew exactly what was expected of him.

MS VAN DER WALT: Where did he have to go, Johannesburg?

MR PRINSLOO: Specifically Johannesburg.

MS VAN DER WALT: And then later on the game farm, or let me just ask you this, you just received instructions that a bomb had to go out to Johannesburg, did you receive any other instructions from the generals in staff to do anything else?  This is now after you received the instruction to take this bomb to Johannesburg.

MR PRINSLOO: Well on my arrival at the game farm, I requested and gave the instructions that we immediately must get the communication lines up with, amongst others Ottosdal and Schweizer-Reneke and Ottosdal would then relay my message to Schweizer-Reneke, Schweizer-Reneke would then relay a message to Hoopstad area, from Hoopstad they would then relay the message to Brandvlei.

MS VAN DER WALT: Why did you want to make contact with them?

MR PRINSLOO: I had to make contact with them on a regular basis to find out where their people are moving. It was necessary for various things, logistical reasons amongst others.  If my people would move through an area, I wanted to know if they could make use of the logistics facilities of for example Hoopstad and then specifically Ventersdorp.

MS VAN DER WALT: Did you then make contact with Ventersdorp. with the radio?

MR PRINSLOO: I received a message later that they had attempted to make contact with head office but then on the B channel they could then give the message that the people were ready and that we will be able to make contact with them on the B25, which didn't materialise at that stage.

MS VAN DER WALT: Did you have personal contact, during the time that the people were on the game farm, with Ventersdorp head office?  Did you personally go there?

MR PRINSLOO: I personally drove through to Ventersdorp.  I left a message the first time that I urgently want to speak with the generals in staff because I cannot communicate with them, my people are cut off and they wanted to go on and what is going on in the other areas and provinces and if they are ready.  I personally drove through to leave a message and the generals in staff came through and came to see me on the game farm.

MS VAN DER WALT: When was this when they came to see you on the game farm?  Was this before the bomb in Johannesburg or after?

MR PRINSLOO: It was after the bomb.

MS VAN DER WALT: Can you then say what happened there?