Amnesty Hearings — Johannesburg — UNKNOWN

UNKNOWN: Yes, well I only recently heard that therehad been instructions from Head Office that all documentation,which might have been incriminating, had to be destroyed.

UNKNOWN: Brigadier the next topic which I wantyou to touch on briefly is the modus operandi at Vlakplaas.

UNKNOWN: While I was in command of Vlakplaas I hadfour sections under my command.  These normally consisted of twoWhite members, one commanding officer, and then the group calledthe Askari's who were terrorist who had turned to work for theSecurity Branch.  If another division, unit or sections elsewherein the country needed this capacity I sent these members to theparticular divisions where they
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served under the command of the particular division's commandingofficer.  They were transferred for that time to act under thatdivision and only with regard to disciplinary matters were theiractions reported to me.

UNKNOWN: Brigadier you need not discuss the nextunit or topic, we have already discussed the matter of what youcan or cannot remember.  Could you therefore turn to page 26. Could you read us the second and third paragraphs on page 26.

UNKNOWN: I want to state it quite clearly that inview of the number of incidents which took place in my periodat Vlakplaas particularly during 1983 to '89 that I don't haveknowledge and I cannot remember all the actions of my subordinates. I call on such subordinates to apply for amnesty  and to revealthe facts and particulars with regard to these actions.
 As far as memory allows I have attempted to remember every incidentwith which I was involved where there had been human rights violationsand which therefore falls under the ambit of this legislation,as well as the actions of my subordinates. 
 During my preparation for this application I was reminded bysome of these subordinates of a number of events which I had alreadyforgotten and with regard to which I have now been reminded. I therefore apply insofar as is necessary also for amnesty withregard to these events.

UNKNOWN: Brigadier without reading this, but doI understand you correctly, that you accept responsibility forthe actions of your subordinates who had been under your commandand who are today applicants before this committee with regardto the extent under which they were under your
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command?

UNKNOWN: Certainly Chair, I am morally obliged. I had been their commanding officer and I take responsibilityfor their actions.

UNKNOWN: Brigadier might we look at the next topic,Propaganda?

UNKNOWN: A war psychosis had been created by theSouth African government using media, television, newspapers,churches and cultural organisation promoting the belief that therehad been a total onslaught on the country, built around the ideathat this was a struggle against communism.  The true picturewas never revealed to the White South African community. Propagandain every form had been used.  The Press, the media was kept outof areas with serious unrest and therefore South Africa and therest of the world did not know what happened.
  Security forces were on a daily basis convinced to act againstthe liberation movements in the context of total onslaught andthe struggle against communism.  There had not been proper communicationbetween government and White voters.  As the struggle continuedmembers of the SAP had to act more and more outside normal policingframeworks and the legal system.  It became more and more a warsituation.  Eventually both sides of the struggle believe thathuman rights violations were necessary in the course of the struggleand such violations were committed on both sides.   Previous commissionersof the South African Police in their presentations to the Commissionaccepted collective responsibility for actions within this contextof struggle.  A particular incident of such propaganda can befound in the book of President Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom,on page 405 2B where/...
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where President Mandela says the following:-
  "By definition if a man worked for the present servicehe was probably brainwashed by the government's propaganda.  Hewould have believed that we were terrorists and communists whowanted to drive the White man into the sea".
Against this background the struggle against the liberation movementscontinued.  The propaganda with which we were fed is thereforeconfirmed by President Mandela himself.

UNKNOWN: Thank you Brigadier.  The next page thenyou mention the filing system of the security branch.  There hadbeen testimony by General van der Merwe in this regard and I amnot going to ask you to handle this.
 Mr Chairman that finalises the general evidence in respect ofBrigadier Cronje.  I want to say one thing, and that is that inrespect of the motivation, in respect of certain deeds, why thesedeeds were committed with a political motive, we had to repeatobviously the motivation every time in respect of every deed,now with your permission I can deal with this either now to sayto you in general, part of the motivation, not the whole motivationbut part of the motivation in respect of where an activist waseliminated would be the following, and then I could deal withthis evidence.  Otherwise I will have to deal with the evidencerepeatedly again in respect of each and every incident.  I amin your hands in that regard.

CHAIRPERSON: I think it would be convenient for you to dealwith the matter at this stage, rather than repeat it over andover again.

UNKNOWN: Thank you Mr Chairman.  I might statethat part of this motivation was also incorporated in the
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applications of the other applicants, so it will also be applicablethen as evidence to the applications of the other applicants. I also want to state that the evidence by Brigadier Cronje, now,was also in general incorporated in the applications of the otherapplicants and would therefore, with your permission, serve asevidence pertaining to their applications as well.  That wouldmean that I don't have to lead evidence on these aspects fromthe other witnesses as well.

UNKNOWN: Brigadier may I take you to page 58, it'sthe place in your application where you motivate why you actedwith a political goal in the elimination of Nyana in Swaziland. This is an incident with regard to which testimony will be presented,but for record purposes could you indicate your political purposesin the elimination of this activist.  Could you read this? Thismotivation only has to do with the broader, political contextof the purposes with the elimination of the activists, could youbegin reading on page 58 where you said the intention was in threeparts?