Amnesty Hearings — Pretoria — 1997-02-25

HASSAN MALL: ... video to be shown, I leave this in the hands of my learned friends who are lawyers as 
well as technicians, thank you.

ADV DU PLESSIS: Thank you Mr Chairman.  Mr Chairman, first of all, we would like to apologise 
for the fact that we are starting a little bit late.  It is due to one specific problem and that is that we exactly 
pin-pointed last night on a time counter on a video machine, exactly which excerpts we want to show.  
However, the video machine that was provided to us this morning, does not seem to have a time counter 
that is working. 
	That is why I tried to fix that and it seems that I can't get passed that.  If you will excuse me, then 
what I will do is we will try to show to you the excerpts that we decided last night to do, but I will in all 
probability have to search backwards and forwards a little bit if you would allow me that opportunity.

HASSAN MALL: Yes, certainly, certainly.

ADV DU PLESSIS: Mr Chairman, we intend to show just parts of the Prime Evil video which we deem 
important and then I intend to, with your permission, call Captain Hechter, just to give very shortly, some 
comments and some evidence on certain of the aspects that we intend to show.  There are 
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GAUTENG: 72
two video's.  The one video will deal with Prime Evil, or is
the Prime Evil video with some excerpts that we deem important and, the second video is a video which 
deals with inter alia the actions of comrades and the actions of
activists.  It shows necklaces and what is also very important, is it shows exactly what kind of violence the 
South African Police was, and probably still is exposed to, today.  
	I have to point out to you, that in respect of the second video, there are certain parts of that video 
that are very gruesome. We think that it is important that we should show that because of the fact that that 
indicates visually what the applicants were exposed to from day to day at that time, but I have to warn you 
that some of the excerpts are very gruesome.

HASSAN MALL: Shall we clear this room of all those under 25?

ADV DU PLESSIS: Mr Chairman, whoever is going to be offended, and I can say to you that it is 
going to be bad, should not look then.

JUDGE WILSON: Where are we going to see this video?

HASSAN MALL: Here in this room?

ADV DU PLESSIS: In this room, yes, on the screen in front of you.

JUDGE WILSON: Well in that case, can you please ask them to turn out that bright light, Ms 
Khampepe and I have to look straight at to see the video?

ADV DU PLESSIS: Yes, I'll see to that.  Having looked at the light, Mr Chairman, I understand 
that completely.  May I proceed?

HASSAN MALL: It's made a vast difference thank you.
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GAUTENG: 72

ADV DU PLESSIS: May I proceed?  Thank you Mr Chairman.   Mr Chairman, before I go ahead, I 
have to point out that I am not going to show certain parts.  If the Committee feels I am going to fast 
forward it on the basis that one can see it on the screen, if the Committee feels that they want to view 
something specifically, please indicate to me or otherwise if the Committee wants to see the whole video, 
we can show the whole video.  I don't know what the Committee would prefer.

HASSAN MALL: Well, at this stage we don't have a clue as to what we are about to see.

ADV DU PLESSIS: Alright.

ADV DU PLESSIS: PLAYS THE VIDEO

EXCERPTS OF VIDEO: It was a time of growing Black resistance against the National Party's apartheid 
policy.  Most White people believed it was a communist onslaught against Christianity and civilization.  
The Soviet must be stopped in Southern Africa.  We need your help as a team to stand up against the evil 
forces wishing to destroy our lovely country.  There is too much to be protected to leave it in the hands of 
irresponsible people.  
	(Excerpt)  We were also taught, I mean we were literally taught to hate.  If you look at the 
Security course that I went on for five weeks we were subjected to and we swallowed all of this - the 
ranting and raving of a person that I describe as a cross between Eugene Terreblanche and Adolf Hitler, 
about the satanic godless communists, and their Black surrogates that were going to swamp us.  I've got for 
example, my Criminology and Ethnology training manual from when I joined the Police and I can read to 
you a little piece here about the differences 
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GAUTENG: 73
between Whites and Non-Whites in respect of crime.  
		"The Bantu are less civilized, the more primitive the people is, the less they are able to 
control their emotions.  At the slightest provocation they resort to violence.  They cannot 
distinguish between serious and less serious matters, they are less self-controlled and 
more impulsive."
This video was taken at the Police Training ....

ADV DU PLESSIS: Mr Chairman, I am going to comment every now and then just to indicate the 
relevance of certain parts of the video.  You will recall that evidence was given in respect of this specific 
issue by Brig. Cronje in respect of the propaganda that the Police was subjected to, and this is a further 
indication of exactly what kind of propaganda they were subjected to at that stage.

HASSAN MALL: Yes.

SCREENING OF VIDEO CONTINUES: It shows White policemen undergoing anti-terrorist training, 
a mock ambush is set up.  	Eugene de Kock's predecessor at Vlakplaas is Captain Dirk Coetzee, who 
completed his Officer's training in 1975, one year before De Kock.  
(DE KOCK SPEAKS)  We had a special lecturer, Brigadier Neels du Plooy, who was the so-called 
specialist, a big Christian too, and he came to lecture us junior officers on communism, terrorism and 
worked us up into a frenzy with his knowledge and the viciousness and the cruelty of the enemy, of the 
communist, of the terrorist.  
	These people they call human beings, how could they cut up nuns in East London during the riots 
in those early years, and they deserved nothing else but the worst, no mercy at all.  
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GAUTENG: 74
	After his training .....
	No casualties were sustained by Security Forces and follow up operations are continuing.  That is 
the end of this communication.

COMMENTARY CONTINUES: It was a war in which 40,000 people died, fought between the White 
dominated forces of Ian Smith and the liberation armies or Robert Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo.  South 
Africa refused to impose United Nations' sanctions 
against Rhodesia.  
	Our orders, and ever since 1965 we refused to be a party to these boycotts and the policy of South 
Africa will remain.  
	Including war supplies you will continue to allow them to go through ... (indistinct)
	I am afraid the answer that I have just given you, is the answer that I want to give you at this 
stage.  Unofficially, however, the Government had to help its northern neighbour.  South African 
policemen were sent to fight alongside the Rhodesian counterparts.  This film was shot in 1974 and shows 
South African policemen on war duty in Rhodesia.  (Indistinct) and De Kock were amongst them.

ADV DU PLESSIS: Mr Chairman, I show this because Brigadier Cronje has given evidence that his 
started his career partly in the Rhodesian war and that the South African police were already at that stage 
involved in a war situation and not simply involved in a situation pertaining to normal police duties.

SCREENING OF VIDEO CONTINUES: ... He was very, very loyal to the cause.  A man 
who was practically skilled in the skills and the arts of warfare.  The man who was in hundreds of contacts, 
who was in multiple landmine explosions, a man who PRETORIA HEARING	AMNESTY/