Amnesty Hearings — Boksburg — 1998-09-15

CHAIRPERSON: And what did you say to him or why did you go to him?

MR PRINSLOO: I especially went to Ventersdorp because I wanted the people on the farm to work out my communication system and General Cruywagen was in charge or placed in charge of amongst others the communication network throughout the whole area as well as the other areas.

CHAIRPERSON: Did you see Terreblanche on that day?

MR PRINSLOO: Yes I did.

CHAIRPERSON: And what did you discuss with him?

MR PRINSLOO: I discussed the bomb.

CHAIRPERSON: The Bree Street bomb?

MR PRINSLOO: Yes that is correct.

CHAIRPERSON: What did you tell him?

MR PRINSLOO: I just said or I asked him did he know what happened or what time it happened. At that stage I did not specifically know when it happened. I did not have the details.

CHAIRPERSON: So you went to Mr Terreblanche to get information?

MR PRINSLOO: That is what was on the television.

CHAIRPERSON: Not to report back to him but to get information from him?

MR PRINSLOO: Also to get information and to report back.

CHAIRPERSON: About what did you want to report back?

MR PRINSLOO: That the bomb was sent out.

CHAIRPERSON: But if you go and ask Terreblanche when did this go off then what could you have told him then?

MR PRINSLOO: Yes but there were specific times and groups. I did not see Mr Barnard them during the rest of that day.

CHAIRPERSON: Mr Prinsloo we have to accept that if you went to go and ask Terreblanche what time the bomb went off how could you then assume that he did not know.

MR PRINSLOO: He definitely knew about it.

CHAIRPERSON: Then why did you then go through to Ventersdorp to go and tell him that there was a bomb attack and that we did it in Bree Street if he knew about it?

MR PRINSLOO: That is correct.

CHAIRPERSON: And you realised that he knew about it you were going to ask him when the bomb went off.

MR PRINSLOO: Yes, that is correct. We would have discussed this.

MR MALAN: And you said that you saw General Cruywagen there?

MR PRINSLOO: Yes, that is correct.

MR MALAN: Why did Cruywagen and Roodt go back to the game farm?

MR PRINSLOO: I did not see them in Ventersdorp.

MR MALAN: No you were asked if I heard you correctly but I will look at my notes but if I heard you correctly you said the Sunday that you went in to Ventersdorp you amongst others saw General Cruywagen and then it was also asked did you see Mr Terreblanche and you said - I would just like you to remind me but I would just like to construct what I have got in mind and what I heard you say. You said amongst others on the Sunday you wanted to go and speak with Cruywagen because he was in charge of communication for the area as well as a larger area and you had a problem and you went to go and discuss this with him and then you were asked if you saw the leader and then you said yes. Did you see him or did you not see him?

MR PRINSLOO: No, I didn't see him. They came to visit me on the game farm.

MR MALAN: Who else did you see there? The leader and?

MR PRINSLOO: There were various other leaders or members in Ventersdorp.

MR MALAN: Was this of the Generals in staff?

MR PRINSLOO: No I cannot remember if I saw any one of the Generals in staff.

MR MALAN: Then why did you go there then?

MR PRINSLOO: To get the people who could establish a communication system for me so in order for us to communicate with the other areas. I am sorry?
PROBLEMS WITH MICROPHONES

MR PRINSLOO: With the people who would come to visit me on the farm.

CHAIRPERSON: So did you discuss it with them?

MR PRINSLOO: With the people who came to visit me?

CHAIRPERSON: No that morning when you went to Ventersdorp.

MR PRINSLOO: Well that was in the afternoon.

CHAIRPERSON: Well then the afternoon in Ventersdorp.

MR PRINSLOO: I did convey the message to the people in Ventersdorp. To specifically send a communication person to me.

CHAIRPERSON: Did you also tell this to the leader?

MR PRINSLOO: I could have mentioned it to him, I am not sure that I did. It is possible that I could have done it. I cannot specifically say I did.

MR BRACHER: The evidence of the previous witness and I think your evidence is that over those few days when the bombings were taking place you drove backwards and forwards to and from Ventersdorp and you said just now that was two or three occasions. Is that correct?

MR PRINSLOO: Yes it could be so, two or three times. I cannot specifically remember how many times.

MR BRACHER: Well a few occasions. It was two or three a fair guess?

MR PRINSLOO: Yes, I would say approximately.

MR BRACHER: When you went back to head-office who did you phone there on those occasions? Who was in charge of the head-office?

MR PRINSLOO: Sometimes it would be Generals in staff, members of the Generals in staff. Terreblanche was always present.

MR BRACHER: Mr Eugene Terreblanche was always present?

MR PRINSLOO: That is correct.

MR BRACHER: Can you remember who else was present when you went back?

MR PRINSLOO: A person or if someone or if Mr Terreblanche was not in his office I would find him on his farm or somewhere in town. Ventersdorp is not a big place and at that stage there were hundreds of members in Ventersdorp.

MR BRACHER: Now we are not talking about members. I am talking about leadership.

MR PRINSLOO: There were various commanders there.

MR BRACHER: Except to go back to sort out your communication problems what else did you go back to do at head-office?

MR PRINSLOO: Well I went to go and visit my farm.

MR BRACHER: No, no, no at head-office. You see you were the go-between between Wildsplaas and head-office conveying orders backwards and forwards.

MR PRINSLOO: That is correct.

MR BRACHER: What were those orders.

MR PRINSLOO: My orders? I went to go and report back at Ventersdorp and at one opportunity I went to go and try and find a person who would be responsible for communication between the game farm and the other areas in the district.

MR BRACHER: Did you go back to head-office to report about the Germiston bomb?

MR PRINSLOO: Amongst others yes because at that stage there were various bombs that went off at different places as well as people who were arrested with explosives.

MR BRACHER: Did you go and report those events to head-office?

MR PRINSLOO: Well I had to do it at some stage. The times and dates I cannot specifically say.

CHAIRPERSON: Who did you report to?

MR PRINSLOO: I did to co-members of the Generals in staff.

MR BRACHER: Do you remember who those were though, which members of the General staff?

MR PRINSLOO: Well at one stage or at stages it could have been General Oelofse, General Ackerman, General Terreblanche.

MR BRACHER: Eugene Terreblanche?

MR PRINSLOO: No, General Terreblanche.

MR BRACHER: What is his first name?

MR PRINSLOO: Andries.

MR BRACHER: Ackerman, is that Dirk Ackerman?

MR PRINSLOO: That is correct they are also two brothers.

MR BRACHER: What is the brother's name.

MR PRINSLOO: Well I cannot remember.

MR BRACHER: You don't remember who you reported about the bombings then?

MR PRINSLOO: Well it was a members of the Generals in staff but I cannot specifically say that Pretoria was reported back to 4 of these members or 5 of these Generals in staff. I cannot remember their names or cannot say.

CHAIRPERSON: Why did you not report back to the leader because he is at head of the war?

MR PRINSLOO: We always reported back to him.

CHAIRPERSON: By you?

MR PRINSLOO: Yes and by Brigadier Leon van der Merwe.

CHAIRPERSON: No I am not talking about other people. I am talking about you. Every time that you went to Ventersdorp and you reported back did you report back to the leader? Is that correct?

MR PRINSLOO: Yes that is correct. At one stage during that visit to Ventersdorp I would see him.