Special Hearings — Mandela United Football Club Hearings — 1997-11-24

JOHN LOUIS MCPHERSON: I presently hold the rank of senior superintendent in the South African Police Service and I am in office as the head of administrative services for the area of Johannesburg.  I have 30 years service in the South African Police Service and have gained extensive experience in the security branch, intelligence unit and covert strategic communications.
 In the period 1985 up until after 1988 I was the section head of the Africa Desk.  The desk comprised of general intelligence work in Africa.  In the period October 1988 up until 1989 I was the section head of the foreign desk specialising in general intelligence abroad.  
 In the period 1989 up until 1990 I was the head of covert strategic communications known as Stratcom.  In the period 1990 up until 1992 I was a staff officer with crime combatting investigations known as CCI.  On the 18th of May 1992 I was transferred to a unit known as International Liaison.  This unit was especially established to draw South Africa back into Interpol.  The unit was successful and South Africa was accepted as a member of Interpol.  I was appointed deputy director of Interpol South Africa.  Commissioner John Wright was appointed as director.
 In 1994 I was appointed deputy district commissioner for Johannesburg North.  In 1996 I was appointed as area head of negative discipline.  This post comprises the control of discipline in the police force.  In 1997 I was appointed in my present post.
I accept that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission
requires my testimony regarding the period 1989 up until 1990 when 
I acted as head of covert strategic communications known as 
Stratcom.  Now to understand the concept of strategic 
Communication it is necessary to present the commission with a 
general definition of strategic communications.  
Strategic communications is the planned coordinated execution of a 
deed and/or the presentation of a message by means of various
 communication instruments to -
1.  change the attitudes, values and views of individuals
 and/or a group of persons and/or to create the required
 attitude and/or to maintain an existing attitude;
2. to neutralise hostile propaganda and/or to utilise hostile
          propaganda; and
3. to reach national objectives.
 Stratcom can be seen as political warfare as utilised in the Republic of China or psychological warfare as utilised in Europe or civic action as utilised by the Americans or active measures as utilised by the old Soviet Union.
 Stratcom was a covert operation and was conducted in secret.  Stratcom was part of the national management system which came into operation on the 1st of August 1985.  The branch, strategic communication which coordinated all projects on a national basis functioned directly under the State Security Council.  Authorisation for a project was obtained by presenting a project per memorandum to the Minister of Law and Order and when authorised the project was registered with the branch for strategic communication, which as I said formed part of the State security council structure.  All registered projects were presented on an annual basis to the State President for evaluation and authorisation of secret funds.  
 Mr Gelberg, a national investigator with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission presented me with five documents and indicated that I will be required to testify about the contents and my knowledge thereof.  When I studied these documents it became clear to me that the documents related to Operation Romulus and Operation Ram.  
 As to amplify the above operations it is necessary to explain the operational structure of Stratcom, the Department of Law and Order through the security branch of the South African Police acted in the following three areas, the educational field, the labour field and the counter-revolutionary field.
 Operation Romulus was approved nationally under the counter-revolutionary field incorporating Operation Ram.  The operation was directed against all individuals and groups within South Africa advocating violence or were considered as revolutionaries and persons against peaceful change.  The objectives of Operational Romulus were the following:
1 To question the credibility of the ANC;
 2. the promotion of disunity between the ANC and the SACP;
 3 the promotion of moderation and South Africa's interests in general.
These were the broad objectives of Operation Romulus and Operation Ram.
 I will now testify to my knowledge of the documents presented to me and my interpretation will be in general because these actions took place after I had been transferred from Stratcom.
 If we then look at Annexure A, I would refer the honourable Truth and Reconciliation Commission to the document with the heading "Operation Romulus.  Dissemination of suitable material, re Winnie Mandela abroad - discrediting of the ANC".
 This document was signed by the section head on the 20th of June 1991 and I can only interpret the relevance of the contents of this annexure in the light of the objectives of Stratcom.  I was not the author of the document.
 The objective as amplified in the annexure falls within the scope of the objectives of Stratcom.  The subject, Winnie Mandela, was considered as a revolutionary.  I say the name now, it is Mrs Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, but in the document they still talk of Winnie Mandela.  One of the methods utilised by Stratcom was to disseminate information obtained through intelligence to the media which was in fact the case in this instance.  I have no knowledge of the details that were disseminated in this instance, in other words I haven't had access to the actual news reports that I can say what the contents were of the articles.
 If we then look at Annexure B, the heading is "Top secret Romulus incorporating Operation Ram".  This appears like a report-back document from an operator.  The document is undated and I was not the author of the annexure and I have no personal knowledge of the contents thereof.  The document clearly states that the objectives of Operation Romulus and Operation Ram are almost identical.
 The method applied in this document was to prepare certain information gained through intelligence and then to present it to the local and international media.  The issues addressed were in line with the objectives of Operation Romulus.
 If we then look at Annexure C, sorry for the spelling mistake, it's "Intended media release regarding the ANC's undemocratic policy, ethnic division in the organisation and the existence of and the conditions in the Mbarare detention camp in Uganda".
 The annexure dated the 8th of November 1990 pertains to arrangements for the return of two exiles.  They were brought back under the auspices of an organisation called "Returned exile coordinating committee", also known as RECOC.  I was personally involved in establishing this organisation.
 The purpose was to have a media conference to discredit the ANC for their undemocratic policy and to disclose the circumstances in the ANC Uganda camp.  This action again fell within the objectives of Operation Romulus.
 Then if we look at Annexure D a telex, "Project Romulus, covert ad hoc action to exert pressure on the ANC/SACP".  This annexure is unique in that a national action was launched and conducted under Operation Romulus.  The instructions were that several aspects had to be addressed, for example an analysis of the latest election of the National Executive Committee and the influence of the SACP, that is the Communist Party, the National Executive Committee, the NEC.  I was effective in the placing of an article in the Citizen with the heading "37 Reds elected to top ANC body".  See copy of the article annexed to Annexure D marked Annexure D1.
 And then the last document is Annexure E, "Commendation for exceptional work no.W87873B W/O P F Erasmus".  This document dated the 20th of May 1991 had, after I had been transferred from Stratcom, I am not the author and I have no personal knowledge of the contents at all but this document is a recommendation for excellent service and outstanding performance of Paul Erasmus, who is sitting next to me, who was employed as a Stratcom operator in the Witwatersrand.  It was common practice to recommend policemen for outstanding performance and this is a typical example of a letter of recommendation.
 I am prepared to amplify the above here at this meeting.