Amnesty Hearings — Cape Town — 2000-06-21

DANIEL F DU TOIT BURGER: The capacity to acquire more information because he spent too much time out of South Africa.  He was establishing an infrastructure in Natal and then Mr Verster asked that there should be a preliminary study carried out, around the elimination of Evans.
	With all the information, that same day, between t he information structure and the information Mr Verster had, Mr Basson and myself, we made a preliminary study to him and Mr Basson was the, he made the proposals and the suggestions and he wrote them down and placed them in the project file.
	The suggestions around Mr Evans were that we use Mr van Zyl and his infrastructure, because Mr van Zyl had already established part of his infrastructure at that point, and that he would use them to await Evans at his house, and to attack him with a knife, which would create the impression that Mr Evans had been burgled and robbed, and was fatally wounded during the robbery.

MR P DU PLESSIS: What happened after that?  Was this suggestion approved?

DANIEL F DU TOIT BURGER: Yes.    We informed Mr van Zyl about the preliminary study that had been carried out.  I don't know whether he was under the impression that Mr Maree carried out the preliminary study, but it is not true, it was us, it was on a need to know basis.
	At a later stage, Mr Verster came back to us and said "right, are the people in place", he spoke to the Chairman and the operation had to be carried out.  Mr van Zyl made his people come from Cape Town, the address was given to him, from the Cape and after a day or two, he reported back to me that the address was wrong, in the sense that Mr Evans was not living there any more, or did not live there any more, I cannot remember.
	We said that he must just  make sure, and it took about five or six days till the project was aborted, because we could make no progress with Mr Evans' movements.

MR P DU PLESSIS: It was impossible to carry out that project?

DANIEL F DU TOIT BURGER: At that stage, yes.

MR P DU PLESSIS: Whose ordered that to be aborted?

DANIEL F DU TOIT BURGER: I went back to Mr Verster, I reported back to him, as I have told the Commission, and he told me "in that case, abort, because these people are from the Cape, they don't know it, they are standing in the street corners, send them back".

MR P DU PLESSIS: If you talk about them, who was sent back, were they van Zyl's operatives?

DANIEL F DU TOIT BURGER: Yes, that is correct.

MR P DU PLESSIS: And the project was aborted at that stage?

DANIEL F DU TOIT BURGER: Yes.

MR P DU PLESSIS: All right, in any case, the whole aim was that, the approval was that Mr Evans be eliminated but because of practical problems, it couldn't be carried out?

DANIEL F DU TOIT BURGER: That is correct.

MR P DU PLESSIS: All right.  The third aspect, as far as the third aspect is concerned, maybe just before we get to that, there was evidence by Mr van Zyl, with regard to other projects launched in the Western Cape, with regard to the burning of a printing press and about a minibus of a SWAPO member.  Were these projects also, did they also move through the same channels as you said with the necessary approval?

DANIEL F DU TOIT BURGER: Yes, that is true.  The minibus that was burnt out, was coupled to the SWAPO members.  That information came from the information structures, if I remember correctly.
	The printing press was information that came from the ground, and it was verified through our information structure.    It also got approval from this channels of the preliminary study and the order was given to Mr van Zyl.

MR P DU PLESSIS: All right.  There was also, maybe before we come to the Athlone bombing, at the Early Learning Centre, maybe to put it in the correct order, you already said that Maree had to establish an infrastructure in Natal, he had other things to do as well, and he went out of South Africa for that.  Botha was in the Transvaal area, is that correct?

DANIEL F DU TOIT BURGER: Yes, as far as I can remember.

MR P DU PLESSIS: And it is on record that he also got the order to monitor a certain Roland White?

DANIEL F DU TOIT BURGER: Yes.

MR P DU PLESSIS: You confirm that it was an official order of the CCB?

DANIEL F DU TOIT BURGER: Yes.  It came through Mr Verster, from Mr Verster, from the Co-ordinator.

MR P DU PLESSIS: Let's not go into too much detail, there will be questions asked, but there were problems and because of that Mr Botha was so-called place on ice, because he was compromised and Barnard, also one of the applicants here, was seen where he carried out the monitoring.

DANIEL F DU TOIT BURGER: That is correct.

MR P DU PLESSIS: Were you part of the process of putting him on ice?

DANIEL F DU TOIT BURGER: Yes, putting on ice, yes, that is correct.

MR P DU PLESSIS: All right, it was also mentioned that there was for example the monitoring of Mr Lubowski of SWAPO, when he was in the country, and that that was also an official order of the CCB?

DANIEL F DU TOIT BURGER: Yes, Mr Verster ...

MR P DU PLESSIS: So the order came from Mr Verster to you, you don't know the origin of the order?

DANIEL F DU TOIT BURGER: No, I don't know.

MR P DU PLESSIS: Very well.  These aspects happened throughout 1989, say from August, September and there was also information coming from Mr van Zyl, from his infrastructure with regard to Region 6, the Early Learning Centre, which led to the bombing of this centre, early in August 1989.  Could you please shortly tell us about this project?

DANIEL F DU TOIT BURGER: Mr van Zyl came to me at one point, during the handling of this Region's different projects and he informed me and the Co-ordinator about the activities of a movement called Kewtown Movement in Athlone at the Early Learning Centre, and that this Movement was responsible for certain bombings.  I am not sure if it was the post office and the police station or the post office and something else, but they also aimed to disrupt the elections which had to take place on the 6th of September with their activities.
	The information was then taken to Mr Verster.  Mr Verster at one point came back to us and I cannot remember if there had been a preliminary study by Mr van Zyl, because at one point, things happened very quickly around this project.

MR P DU PLESSIS: In any case, the information was submitted to Mr Verster.  What was Mr Verster's order in this regard?

DANIEL F DU TOIT BURGER: Mr Verster at one point came to me and said that he had spoken to the Chairman and that the suggestion that Mr van Zyl, he had suggested that this place be exploded with a limpet mine.

MR P DU PLESSIS: Who is that?

DANIEL F DU TOIT BURGER: Mr Verster.

MR P DU PLESSIS: Was there an order in that regard?

DANIEL F DU TOIT BURGER: Yes.

MR P DU PLESSIS: The preliminary study?

DANIEL F DU TOIT BURGER: Yes, I cannot remember specifically.

MR P DU PLESSIS: But in terms of the procedures?

DANIEL F DU TOIT BURGER: In terms of the procedures, I think that is how it would have happened.

CHAIRPERSON: Mr Burger, sorry Mr du Plessis, can you give an indication of the time period, from the time when Mr van Zyl first approached you and Mr Basson with information relating to the Kewtown Youth until the time that Mr Verster came to you with the order to go ahead and use a limpet mine?

DANIEL F DU TOIT BURGER: Chairperson, I was present here when Mr van Zyl gave his evidence.  I heard that he said that it was  about a period of a month, but with my preparation for this Commission, I read nobody else's evidence, and I rely on my memory and what I experienced, and that is why I don't want to be influenced.  I cannot remember these things, but I would say it must have been about 14 days, three weeks.
	And then during the last week, aiming the meeting that would have been held then, the authorisation came from the Chairman to the Managing Director, to me, to the operative, in a matter of two days.