Amnesty Hearings — Bloemfontein — 1997-03-27

MR DE RU: Thank you, your Honour.
	On the second of January 1991 I was busy with a case in Soweto where I attended court proceedings and on my way back and I contacted per radio that there was a robbery where an aged White man, at the age of 70, was attacked and robbed during the early hours of the morning, that was on the 2nd.  At that stage Warrant Officer Herbst was already busy with the investigation.  Warrant Officer Herbst heard me over the radio and he asked if I could help him with identification concerning this case.   
I want to explain to you that Kragbron is a small community outside Sasolburg and previously it was power installation and there are a few houses occupied by aged people and also less affluent people.  It is cheap housing, and it is approximately 28 kilometres from Sasolburg.  
	Your Honour, because I was already cognisant of the duties in connection with Colonel Voigt with regard to these crimes being committed against farmers and aged people, I immediately said that I would be of assistance.  I completed the necessary or fetched the necessary forms for identification of suspects and then I found Warrant Officer Herbst.  I met him on the road to Kragbron, that was on the Sasolburg/Koppies main road.  
	And at that stage in my vehicle, it was myself, Detective Hammond, Nel and also Pienaar and we discussed who should take out the person and that a situation should be created that there should have been or would have been an escape.  Nel said that he worked with Internal Stability Unit before he was, before he came to me and the Detective Unit and that he, it was a long time since he shot anyone.  They were also cognisant with regard to the feeling that was created by the officers regarding criminals of this nature that was motivated to kill farmers and aged people and I also believed that these criminals were influenced by youth leaders and political leaders to kill, murder aged people and to attack and assault them and to rob them.  And I believed that every person who committed such acts on aged people belonged to a political organisation and that they were instructed by the political organisation to kill and attack White people to gain acknowledgement within these organisations, and that White people should be the victims for political motives.  
	We took the suspect out to the scene, that was at Wag 'n Bietjie, Wag 'n Bietjie Way number 71, that was in Kragbron.  I completed the form regarding the identification he did at the house.  When we finished there we left the scene and we went to the farm Beltren.  This farm is situated directly next to Kragbron where you go to the access gate to Kragbron, it is about 800 metres from Kragbron.  We drove along a gravel road next to a fence and there is a pipe going there and it is a deserted place and we went up to bushes on the right-hand side, this pipe inlet and there were also bushes on the left side, but it was a bit further from the road than on the other side.  
	Myself, Hammond and Nel and the deceased then got out of the car.  Pienaar remained in the vehicle because at that stage he was busy to talk to Herbst over the two-way radio in the car.  Herbst and them, they were far from us, they were not close to us.  
	We climbed through the fence, that is myself, Hammond, Nel and the deceased.  We walked to the right-hand side towards the trees.  The suspect was in front of us and when he got to the trees I realised that it would look as if he would escape, it looked like an easy way.  I shouted to him and fired a shot, he fell and he lay on the ground without moving.  Hammond and Nel went to look at him and we decided to keep Nel away from the scene so that the escape could look feasible.  Hammond and myself were both largely set people and it would not have been possible for us to really run after somebody who was escaping.  Pienaar was still in the vehicle.  
	I continue to page 18.  Because of the rain at that stage, heavy rain that we had and he could not see anything, Hammond and myself went to the other side of the road and we fired shots to create another scene.  What I mean is that we went over the pipe inlet to the left side of the road.  We ordered the duty officer to the scene.  
	Hammond, myself, we all planned the shooting incident and at, the inquest was completed at a court in Sasolburg.  You will also see there is an exhibit regarding the inquest that was held by Magistrate Barnard in '91 in June where possible reasons for causes for death was given, that the person was shot in the heart, he was shot because he was escaping, someone responsible and the answer is, "no".  I submit this document.  It is J56, it is also an exhibit and I think it should now be E.  Thank you.
EXHIBIT E HANDED IN