Amnesty Hearings — Pretoria — 1976-07-19

MR VAN WYK: Yes, my third bail application was successful after ten months.  Du Plessis and I both got bail.

MR GIMSBEEK: How long were you then outside of prison before the trial was finalised and you were sentenced to imprisonment?

MR VAN WYK: I was on bail for about two years until the trial.

MR GIMSBEEK: Now during the period that you were outside of prison, that you were on bail, did you become involved in the same kind of political activities again?

MR VAN WYK: No, not at all.  I did become involved in the Boere Kommando of Northern Natal but they had no military objectives and strategies and I would not have considered taking part in a similar operation.

MR GIMSBEEK: You also got a job whilst you were out on bail?

MR VAN WYK: Yes it was quite difficult with the threat of possible imprisonment hanging over me, but I did obtain a job at Kingsway Hospital.

MR GIMSBEEK: What kind of a position did you hold there?

MR VAN WYK: I worked as a porter and transported people.

MR GIMSBEEK: In the two years that you were on bail awaiting trial you also started studying through UNISA?

MR VAN WYK: Yes, that's correct.  I started studying for a BA degree, I think that was in 1993, beginning of 1993.

MR GIMSBEEK: Did you finish the degree course?

MR VAN WYK: Yes I obtained the degree last year.

MR GIMSBEEK: So this year have you enroled for further study?

MR VAN WYK: Yes.  This year I am busy completing my honours in psychology.

MR GIMSBEEK: No Mr van Wyk your political ideas are these still the same as when you committed these offences?

MR VAN WYK: No.  Many of my ideas have changed although to a certain extent it's still the same.

MR GIMSBEEK: Now could you give us a complete overview of that?

MR VAN WYK: Yes.  I still regard myself as an Afrikaner.  I still love my volk, my nation, and I hope that things work out for us, that we can have peace in this country and I do believe that it is busy happening at the moment.   There is talk of a Volkstaat although I don't regard that as the 'be all and end all' of our struggle.
	I think what has changed significantly is that I don't consider myself to be a racist.  I have a great respect for other people, other nations and races and it's not an issue for me any longer.  
	And what is a great relief is that there was such a great fear which I had before, I was terribly afraid of the unknown of what would happen in South Africa, at that stage I feared an ANC takeover and now I know it was just propaganda, it was just a myth.  So I have been relieved of that fear.

MR GIMSBEEK: Now these dire prognostications never actually materialised?

MR VAN WYK: That is correct, it never happened.

MR GIMSBEEK: Now if somebody was to say to you, or the government of the day was to say, look we refuse to talk to you any longer, a Volkstaat is simply no longer possible, would you not perhaps consider taking part in this kind of criminal activity again?

MR VAN WYK: No I wouldn't, because we must pursue a long term solution, nothing can happen overnight, and if a Volkstaat does not materialise I think that if our faith is strong enough and we keep our culture quite pure we will be alright.

MR GIMSBEEK: For the sake of convenience I am going to go through your amnesty application which is in front of you.  I trust that the Committee members also have copies.  Then I would like it to be read into the record.  Mr van Wyk, page 1, the details there, now is it correct, your personal details?

MR VAN WYK: Yes they are correct.

MR GIMSBEEK: Now paragraph 7A, whether you are an official or a supporter of any other political organisation or institution, you mentioned the Nationalist Socialist Partisans, Northern Natal Boere Kommando, Afrikaner Cultural League, we know the NSP doesn't exist but are you still a member of any of the other organisations?

MR VAN WYK: I am a member of the Afrikaner Kultuurbond, but the Northern Natal Boere Kommando doesn't exist and the Boere Kommando in general doesn't exist any longer.

MR GIMSBEEK: Now the capacity in which you served in the relevant organisations, you said you were a lance corporal in the Boere Kommando.

MR VAN WYK: And as far as the NSP is concerned I was an ordinary soldier.  I had no particular position of authority, I simply followed orders.

MR GIMSBEEK: Now with reference to paragraph 8 you weren't a member of any of the State security forces were you?

MR VAN WYK: No.

MR GIMSBEEK: We have dealt with the charges against you so you confirm again that these are the totality of the charges for which you are requesting amnesty, there aren't any other offences?

MR VAN WYK: That is correct, there are no other offences.

MR GIMSBEEK: Good.  As far as the victims are concerned who are referred to in paragraph 9A, B  and C you say that you have remorse that you regret what ...(intervention)

MR VAN WYK: Yes absolutely, I feel remorseful about that.

MR GIMSBEEK: And then 10A refers to the political objective, and then you refer to Annexure A in your application.  Could you please just read that out, the entire annexure.

MR VAN WYK: Reads
		"The basic strategy of the National Socialist Partisans was to establish a countrywide organisation which would inform the Volk about the dangers of a Communist takeover of the country as well as to acquire weapons and to offer resistance to such a takeover.  The National government was also targeted as just as a great an enemy of the Volk as the freedom movements.  A growing number of people would be trained in the arts of warfare to protect the people against the feared bloodbath which was expected and also to provide support in a rightwing military takeover for the call for an independent Volkstaat.  
		The NSP also began to liaise with many rightwingers as well as rightwing organisations in support of the execution of this common goal.  In this regard you are referred to a document which is submitted as evidence in the Supreme Court by the State, which contains, amongst other things, the political objectives and tenets and methods.  A copy of this document is attached marked Annexure Z1".

MR GIMSBEEK: Now looking at the document Z1 could you perhaps elaborate on this document?

MR VAN WYK: I can't really elaborate to any degree because this was really a document which wasn't intended for my eyes as a member of the NSP. It was part of the planning which du Plessis and White did.  But I did have certain background knowledge regarding the document and it relates basically to the planning that was done regarding the organisation and also the things which people would have encountered in training in the base which was intended in the South West.
	I also know that the reasons for establishing a base in South West was as a result of the history of any liberation organisation one will note that foreign bases were absolutely important because bases within the country's borders do not provide maximum security.  	But as I have said I wasn't particularly involved in this information.

MR GIMSBEEK: But you associate yourself, you align yourself with what is in the document?

MR VAN WYK: Yes I did.

MR GIMSBEEK: Good.  Now let's return to Annexure A.  The aims of the NSP.

MR VAN WYK: Reads Annexure A.
"The NSP's role was chiefly as a coordinator of a rightwing attack, offensively as well as defensive.  Various rightwing organisations had sufficient support but not one of those organisations had the potential for leadership and vision which was required.  There was a split between rightwing organisations who shared the same objectives and this was on account of petty differences of opinion and poor leadership".

MR GIMSBEEK: Could you expand on that?