Amnesty Hearings — Pretoria — 1976-07-19

MR VAN WYK: The first one I went to go and see a person that I already knew.  I knew his political thinking, it was just a question of getting that person to basically cross a certain line, which I did not know at that stage, so we had to find out from that person and subtly approach that person which I did with du Plessis.  And the other person we approached, although I was not directly involved in speaking to him.

SISI KHAMPEPE: Would I be correct to say that you were not interested in recruiting more people because you conceived that quality and not quantity to be more important in your movement?

MR VAN WYK: I think quality was important but on the other hand my function would eventually have been to run a propaganda machine with due funds and due support from the international contacts we had.  So recruitment would have been, I think, done on a larger scale there when that materialised.

SISI KHAMPEPE: Would I also be correct that at the time of your arrest none of the Afrikaners that were intended to be trained had been trained?

MR VAN WYK: Yes you are absolutely ...(intervention)

SISI KHAMPEPE: ... in the country and outside the country?

MR VAN WYK: You are correct.

SISI KHAMPEPE: No further questions Mr Chairperson.

CHAIRPERSON: From what you have told us you were not accountable to any organisation except the group to which you belonged, is that correct?

MR VAN WYK: That's right.

CHAIRPERSON: As far as you were concerned you were seeking to achieve the aims and objects of that group?

MR VAN WYK: Of that group and of the overall aims and objectives of all the rightwing, of the rightwing spectrum basically.

CHAIRPERSON: Did that mean you were aiming at maintaining the status quo in the country?

MR VAN WYK: No we wanted to overthrow the status quo, we wanted a new status quo because we thought the old status quo was infected too much at that stage, but it would have been a similar one only I think to a worse degree.

CHAIRPERSON: Based on a model from Europe, a national socialist model?

MR VAN WYK: I think the nationalist socialist ideas we were sympathetic to it, yes.

CHAIRPERSON: You had adopted socialist views, is that correct?

MR VAN WYK: That's correct.

JUDGE WILSON: You had adopted the swastika hadn't you?

MR VAN WYK: Yes we adopted the swastika into our organisation's flag.

CHAIRPERSON: Is there any re-examination?  No?
NO RE-EXAMINATION BY MR GIMSBEEK

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you very much.

MR VAN WYK: Thank you Sir.
MR VAN WYK EXCUSED

CHAIRPERSON: Mr Rhoode you propose calling your applicant?

MR GIMSBEEK: Sorry, we want to call another witness.

CHAIRPERSON: Yes you may do so.

MR GIMSBEEK: We want to call Mr Gerry van Wyk, the father of Mr van Wyk.

GERRY VAN WYK: (sworn states)

MR GIMSBEEK: Thank you Mr van Wyk, thank you Chairperson.  Mr van Wyk what is your occupation?

MR G VAN WYK: I am on pension at the moment.

MR GIMSBEEK: What was your occupation before you retired?

MR G VAN WYK: I was a superintendent and then they changed that to area manager.  My salary was not changed.

MR GIMSBEEK: Where did you work?

MR G VAN WYK: I worked for the telecommunications department of Transnet.

MR GIMSBEEK: Mr van Wyk where do you live?

MR G VAN WYK: In a flat in Newcastle.

MR GIMSBEEK: Mr van Wyk what can you tell us regarding John, your son's, education?  And certain changes which occurred in his high school life and his political involvement etc?