Amnesty Hearings — Pretoria — 1997-02-24

UNKNOWN: Mr Chairman we worked in teams, the permanent police officer as well as a group of 
ascaris.  Then we would for instance go to the Eastern Transvaal and there we would go to the local 
Security Branch and would assist them in the identification of returnee activists and terrorists.
	We assisted them in tracking down such activists and during the last part of that period, we 
largely acted to track down firearms used in acts of terror and we also assisted in a number of cases where 
crimes were involved, where we could gain information.

ADV DU PLESSIS: Captain Mentz, with regard to the firearms used by you during that time, were 
these firearms which were legitimately made available to you or did you also use illegal firearms?

UNKNOWN: ;	Mr Chairman, when I arrived at Vlakplaas there was a set of firearms of which there was 
complete records kept which was made available to me.  I had to sign for these firearms and take 
responsibility for these 
firearms, this was entirely legal and legitimate.	There were as far as I know, occasions on which 
firearms used in acts of terror which were then made available to us - such as mufflers for firearms, and so 
forth.  These firearms were then handed back subsequently and were then destroyed.

ADV DU PLESSIS: Captain Mentz, could you briefly give the Committee an idea of the effect of 
these operations at  Vlakplaas, how successful do you consider the Unit at Vlakplaas to have been between 
1990 and the end of 1992?

UNKNOWN: Mr Chairman, in documents that I would hand in at a later stage there are 
results by the Unit which were considerably successful with regard to stolen vehicles, drugs, firearms.  The 
Unit functioned successfully, this was PRETORIA HEARING	AMNESTY/

ADV DU PLESSIS: 65

UNKNOWN: a period of transition from the previous modus operandi of the Unit and the previous purposes as Brigadier 
Cronje has already given testimony.
	While we had to make these adjustments, when the liberation organisations were unbanned, we 
particularly focused on firearms used in acts of terror and the tracking down of information with regard to 
criminal activities.

ADV DU PLESSIS: Captain Mentz, briefly again, you served at a far later stage or you served in the 
Force after the other applicants were no longer serving.  You are still a member of the Force.  Could you 
give the Committee any further information with regard to the destruction of documentation?

UNKNOWN: Mr Chairman, while still stationed at the Unit Vlakplaas, we were given instructions and 
I cannot say that this came directly from De Kock or from whom, it may be from any of the other Officers, 
that gave us the instruction to destroy all documentations in our possession.  We for instance had photo 
albums of identified activists who had been exiles and who might have been returnee exiles with their 
particulars, there were a number of reports, all of these were burnt.  Every person destroyed their own 
documentation, as well as the documentation kept in our offices.   All of that documentation was destroyed.

ADV DU PLESSIS: Were you personally involved in the destruction of these documents?

UNKNOWN: Yes, I destroyed and I burnt my own documentation and the photo albums as mentioned, 
personally.

ADV DU PLESSIS: Can you remember who directly gave you instruction in this regard?

UNKNOWN: It must have been one of the Officers on 
PRETORIA HEARING	AMNESTY/

ADV DU PLESSIS: 66

UNKNOWN: Vlakplaas, I cannot tell you that De Kock gave that instruction to me personally, but that might have been 
the case.  I considered this instruction to have been from De Kock and I had been under the impression that 
it came from Security Branch Head Office, since I knew that we had an office at Security Branch Head 
Office, and I know that that documentation had also been destroyed, my deduction had been that this was 
an instruction from the top.

ADV DU PLESSIS: Captain Mentz, while serving at Vlakplaas, were there any particular incidents 
where courses were presented and during which you were given information where, if I may say so, you 
were brainwashed with regard to the liberation movements?

UNKNOWN: Yes, Mr Chairman.  I went to a Security Course and every day we were told that the 
Republic, the 
country could only be protected if the liberation movements were combatted in the most extreme way.	This 
continued even after some of the liberation movements were allowed.  We were told that we had to see to it 
that the people who worked for us, for instance the ascaris, that they did not have access to first hand 
information which they could hand through, or give through to any of the liberation movements.

ADV DU PLESSIS: Captain Mentz, you sat in on the evidence given by all four of the other 
applicants with regard to a range of incidents, and you were present when Brigadier Cronje gave testimony 
with regard to the general background to the struggle, the reasons for certain actions and certain steps that 
were taken, and particularly the testimony with regard to the fact that the Security Branch, including 
Vlakplaas, was in fact the political arm of the National Party, can you remember this testimony? 
PRETORIA HEARING	AMNESTY/

ADV DU PLESSIS: 67

UNKNOWN: I remember this testimony and I support it.

ADV DU PLESSIS: Captain Mentz your involvement in Vlakplaas was at a later date than that of 
Brigadier Cronje, was the view of the operatives at Vlakplaas during the time of your service there, while 
in fact negotiations were already engaged in with the liberation movements, were you still considered to 
have acted as the arm of the National Party?

UNKNOWN: Yes, that was still the view.

ADV DU PLESSIS: Political wing or military wing or police wing, what would that be?

UNKNOWN: Mr Chairman, the testimony was and I apologise that it was in fact the police arm, or in 
reality, I am trying to remember the exact testimony of Brigadier Cronje at this time, but as far as I can 
remember the testimony it was that the Security Branch was an extension, an arm of the National Party.  It 
was not simply a section of the South African Police which acted with regard to 
normal Government and Police actions.  It was in fact a
wing of the National Party, in the words of the speaker, a political wing of the National Party if I remember 
the testimony of Brigadier Cronje.

ADV DU PLESSIS: Would you confirm this Captain Mentz?

UNKNOWN: I would confirm this, and the Vlakplaas Unit would have been the armed wing of the 
Security Branch.

ADV DU PLESSIS: Captain Mentz, there is a single aspect which I want to cover with you in 
general testimony before we continue to specific testimony, namely the fact that prior to 1990, or rather 
1989, when you became involved in Vlakplaas, you took part in a number, or rather one or two actions of 
the Security Branch, while still in service at 
PRETORIA HEARING	AMNESTY/

ADV DU PLESSIS: 67

UNKNOWN: Murder and Robbery.  We have touched on this to some extent already.  I want us to rather go into some 
greater detail with regard to this testimony since it is of importance with regard to the general background 
of your testimony as well as with regard to particular incidents.  Could you sketch for the Committee how 
you would have been approached by the Security Branch and what exactly would have taken place and 
how you were involved in such actions of the Security Branch?