Amnesty Hearings — Boksburg — 1998-06-23

MS VAN DER WALT: Mr Chairperson, the next applicant is the sixth applicant on Volume 6 list, Johan Wilhelm Du Plessis.

JOHAN WILHELM DU PLESSIS: (sworn states)

MS VAN DER WALT: Mr Du Plessis, you applied for amnesty and also filled in the form and that is in Volume 1 from page 101 - 117 and Section B from 214 - 223, is that correct?

JOHAN WILHELM DU PLESSIS: Yes, that is correct.

MS VAN DER WALT: Mr Du Plessis, you were with the other applicants in the High Court charged and you were found not guilty on all the charges?

JOHAN WILHELM DU PLESSIS: Yes, that is correct.

MS VAN DER WALT: And is it correct that you apply for amnesty as you set out the deeds that you did in Annexure A that would then be the pipe bombs that went out to the different places, the bomb to Germiston and the bomb to Jan Smuts?

JOHAN WILHELM DU PLESSIS: Yes, that is correct Mr Chairperson

MS VAN DER WALT: You did not have any knowledge about the Bree Street bomb?

JOHAN WILHELM DU PLESSIS: Yes, that is correct.

CHAIRPERSON: Does he apply for amnesty for these offences and found not guilty?

MS VAN DER WALT: That is correct yes.

CHAIRPERSON: I know he can still apply for amnesty but what is the point in applying?

MS VAN DER WALT: May I answer?  In the first instance this applicant was the one who gave the instruction for the pipe bomb, I can say yes, the instruction and if there's any civil charges against him, he must apply for amnesty for that.
	Mr Du Plessis, the occurrences in Annexure A - you've explained them but there's one aspect I'd like to refer you to and that is paragraph 24, that is on page 112 where it is not completed.  You talked about the throwing of the pipe bombs were discussed at the meeting, that you do mention there in paragraph 24?

JOHAN WILHELM DU PLESSIS: That is correct Mr Chairperson.

MS VAN DER WALT: Can you tell this Honourable Committee what was discussed?

JOHAN WILHELM DU PLESSIS: That specific meeting, we discussed that pipe bombs had to thrown.  The instruction or order was given by Nico Prinsloo, other officer who was present was Brigadier Leon van der Merwe.  The pertinent target area that was explained to me or given to me was the PWV area.

MS VAN DER WALT: Was that the Pretoria/Witwatersrand area?

JOHAN WILHELM DU PLESSIS: Yes, that is correct.

MS VAN DER WALT: Was anything said to you regarding targets?

JOHAN WILHELM DU PLESSIS: Targets that was indicated by General Nico Prinsloo to me was called taxi ranks.

MS VAN DER WALT: And then you further continue in your application how you conveyed these instructions and you do confirm that?

JOHAN WILHELM DU PLESSIS: Yes, that is correct.

MS VAN DER WALT: Then furthermore, page 114, paragraph 27.

CHAIRPERSON: Before you continue, what happened in the meetings?  You said that the throwing pipe bombs was discussed in that meeting?

JOHAN WILHELM DU PLESSIS: That is correct, Mr Chairperson.

CHAIRPERSON: As a result of that meeting certain instructions were given?

JOHAN WILHELM DU PLESSIS: These instructions were given by me to certain people.

CHAIRPERSON: Before that, did you take part in the meeting?
The meeting, the discussion of the pipe bombs were discussed?

JOHAN WILHELM DU PLESSIS: Yes I was present there.

CHAIRPERSON: Did you take part in the discussions?

JOHAN WILHELM DU PLESSIS: No, I did not take part - I was at that meeting told that I must gather or bring people together who will throw these pipe bombs.  The target area is the PWV area and that the purpose of the pipe bombs would be to create a fear psychosis amongst the people in order to disrupt the elections.

CHAIRPERSON: Did you listen when they said that the pipe bombs or that the targets must be taxi ranks.

JOHAN WILHELM DU PLESSIS: No, that instruction was given to me pertinently.

CHAIRPERSON: But did you hear when they discussed it at that meeting?

JOHAN WILHELM DU PLESSIS: No, I did not hear when they discussed it, in other words I did not hear that on a general level where the decision was made that the targets must be taxi ranks.

MS VAN DER WALT: I refer you to paragraph 27 on page 114 -there you mention that on Sunday 24th April, 1994 you went to Koesterfontein.  Why did you go there?

JOHAN WILHELM DU PLESSIS: General Nico Prinsloo gave me the instruction the evening before that the next morning I must go with Jan de Wet to Koesterfontein on a mission.  I do not know what mission it was but I thought it could have been a bomb mission.

MS VAN DER WALT: Paragraph 29 page 115 you mentioned that at the shooting range, Barnard further gave the instructions of the Staff Generals and was given instruction that a bomb must be planted in a stolen Peugeot.  Why did you say that this instruction comes from the Staff Generals?

JOHAN WILHELM DU PLESSIS: I had already, it had something to do with Barnard, with the Germiston bomb.  I knew that he deals with instructions that was given to him by the Staff Generals in that Nico Prinsloo had told me that I must go with, with the Germiston bomb and the instruction for the Jan Smuts bomb I also received from Cliff Barnard.

MS VAN DER WALT: Was there any Generals at the shooting range present on that day?

JOHAN WILHELM DU PLESSIS: The day before the Jan Smuts bomb exploded, there were a few Generals at the shooting range itself, at the Waterfall Shooting Range in Rustenburg.  General Ackerman, General Smit from Welkom as well as Nico Prinsloo, they were present at the shooting range.

MS VAN DER WALT: And this General Ackerman, it seems that if, according to the application, there was more than one Ackerman, which one do you refer to?

JOHAN WILHELM DU PLESSIS: This is the General Ackerman, I think he was currently - I think they talk about him as the Commandant General - the highest General there is.

MS VAN DER WALT: Mr Du Plessis, is there anything else you would like to add to the happenings in Annexure A?

JOHAN WILHELM DU PLESSIS: No, Mr Chairperson.

MS VAN DER WALT: Do you then confirm the content?

JOHAN WILHELM DU PLESSIS: Yes.

MS VAN DER WALT: Do you confirm the content of Annexure A?

JOHAN WILHELM DU PLESSIS: What annexure is that?

MS VAN DER WALT: That is the ideology of the AWB and the -I would just like to get it for you.

JOHAN WILHELM DU PLESSIS: Yes, Mr Chairperson.

CHAIRPERSON: Mr Du Plessis, are you satisfied that you take note of the content of the document, have you read it before?

JOHAN WILHELM DU PLESSIS: No, Mr Chairperson, I did not read it.

CHAIRPERSON: Because questions will be put to you regarding that document and it doesn't help to say no now that you agree with it and then later you say "I do not agree", it will not help you.  So if you need some time to read it, ask for it and we will give you an opportunity.

JOHAN WILHELM DU PLESSIS: I would appreciate some time.

CHAIRPERSON: And the content of your application, Annexure A, have you read that?

JOHAN WILHELM DU PLESSIS: Yes, I did.

CHAIRPERSON: You do know what the content of it is?

JOHAN WILHELM DU PLESSIS: Yes I do.

CHAIRPERSON: And the fact that you confirm that is that correct?

JOHAN WILHELM DU PLESSIS: Yes.

CHAIRPERSON: Is there nothing you would like to change in that?

JOHAN WILHELM DU PLESSIS: No Mr Chairperson.

CHAIRPERSON: How long do you think he will need to read that document?

MS VAN DER WALT: I apologise, I did not know that he hadn't read it, that is not my applicant, I accepted it but can I ask for ten minutes?
NO FURTHER EXAMINATION BY MS VAN DER WALT
COMMITTEE ADJOURNS
ON RESUMPTION

JOHAN WILHELM DU PLESSIS: (s.u.o.)