Amnesty Hearings — White River — 2000-05-04

MR SMIT: As it pleases Mr Chairman, Learned Committee Members, the next applicant would then be Mr Jan Petrus Kruger.
	Before he is sworn in, I would just like to put on record his application is in regards to a bombing at the Sabie Magistrates Court, the Lowveld High School, as well as certain weapons and ammunition that was found on his property, being a farm in this area.  I can also mention, regarding the two bombings at the Magistrate's Court and the school, only the property was damaged, no-one was injured or died in these bombings.  And after he's sworn in I will then quickly take him through his statements.

CHAIRPERSON: Yes.

MR SMIT: If the Committee would just bear with us for a moment.

CHAIRPERSON: Are your full names Jan Petrus Kruger?

JAN PETRUS KRUGER: (sworn states)

CHAIRPERSON: Please be seated.

MR SMIT: Thank you, Mr Chairperson.  I will once again proceed in Afrikaans.
	Mr Kruger, you have completed two affidavits with regard to your application for amnesty, the first appears on page 54 to 59 of the paginated documents and the following appears from page 123 to page 132 of the paginated documents.  May I just hear from you, you have read these documents and you concur with the contents thereof.

JAN PETRUS KRUGER: That is correct.

MR SMIT: And on page 92 to 97 of the documents, or page 93, you have supplied further information to the Amnesty Committee.  This was not attested to, this was just signed on the 30th November 1999, is that correct?

JAN PETRUS KRUGER: That is correct.

MR SMIT: This information can be accepted as evidence, is that correct?

JAN PETRUS KRUGER: That is correct.

MR SMIT: If I may quickly guide you through the affidavits.  Firstly, the application with regard to three separate incidents, that is the bomb explosion at the Sabie Magistrate's Court, the explosion at the Lowveld High School, as well as what appears on page 31 to 40, is that correct?

JAN PETRUS KRUGER: That's correct.

MR SMIT: In order to save time, Annexures B1 to B10 deal with the fact that weapons and ammunition were found on your premises and you were arrested and charged for this.

JAN PETRUS KRUGER: That is correct.

MR SMIT: These charges as it appears from B1 to B10, you were charged and these matters are pending awaiting your amnesty application, is that correct?

JAN PETRUS KRUGER: That is correct, Chairperson.

MR SMIT: May I just enquire from you, you were a member of Toekomsgesprek, is that correct?

JAN PETRUS KRUGER: That is correct.

MR SMIT: You were also a member of the Conservative Party.

JAN PETRUS KRUGER: That is correct.

MR SMIT: That is also confirmed in a certificate from the Conservative Party, which appears on page 67 where all your names appear.

JAN PETRUS KRUGER: That is correct, Chairperson.

MR SMIT: For the sake of completion, your fellow applicant's name also appears here, he was also a member of the party.

JAN PETRUS KRUGER: Yes, that is correct.

MR SMIT: Was Mr Ras a member of Toekomsgesprek?

JAN PETRUS KRUGER: No, Mr Ras was not a member of Toekomsgesprek, although he was in the process of being accepted as a member.

MR SMIT: "In the process", are you saying this was at the stage when you were arrested?

JAN PETRUS KRUGER: Yes, that is correct.

MR SMIT: If you would please elaborate on the explosion firstly at Sabie Magistrate's Court, who placed the explosive device there?

JAN PETRUS KRUGER: It was the three accused, namely myself, Mr Ben Snyders and Mr Ras.

MR SMIT: And the three of you appeared as three accused, but here you will be the three applicants.

JAN PETRUS KRUGER: That is correct.

MR SMIT: The instruction for placing this device, where did you receive this instruction?

JAN PETRUS KRUGER: I received it from Mr Ben Snyders.

MR SMIT: Do you know where he received the instructions from?

JAN PETRUS KRUGER: He received his instructions from Mr Douw Steyn.

MR SMIT: And Mr Douw Steyn you have previously heard that Mr Snyders that he was the Chief of the Defence Group of Toekomsgesprek, do you agree?

JAN PETRUS KRUGER: Yes, that is entirely correct.

MR SMIT: For the sake of completion, was Mr Douw Steyn also a member of the Conservative Party?

JAN PETRUS KRUGER: Yes, he was a leadership figure in the CP.

MR SMIT: The Lowveld High School, who placed the explosive device there?

JAN PETRUS KRUGER: It was myself, along with the other two accused.

MR SMIT: Along with Messrs Ras and Snyders?

JAN PETRUS KRUGER: That is correct.

MR SMIT: All three of you were present there at Lowveld High.

JAN PETRUS KRUGER: That is correct.

MR SMIT: Where did you receive the instruction for blowing up those premises?

JAN PETRUS KRUGER: From Mr Snyders.

MR SMIT: And once again he told you to do it?

JAN PETRUS KRUGER: Yes, he said we should do it.

MR SMIT: And his instructions, where did he receive these instructions?

JAN PETRUS KRUGER: He received them directly from Douw Steyn.

MR SMIT: And before that explosion, did you have contact with Mr Douw Steyn?

JAN PETRUS KRUGER: On a few occasions, yes, I had contact with him.  That is correct.

MR SMIT: Did he convey any instructions to you or tell you anything with regard to the places that had to be blown up, amongst others the Lowveld High School?

JAN PETRUS KRUGER: On occasion after a meeting he said to Messrs Ras, Snyders and myself that Lowveld High had to be "banged".

MR SMIT: The reason for this blowing up or the explosion at the Magistrate's Court, as well as Lowveld High School, what was it?

JAN PETRUS KRUGER: The reasons were, Chairperson, to render the country politically ungovernable and to develop a psychosis of fear with the public.  That was the purpose.

MR SMIT: These statements that you are making now and the aims that you are putting forward here, were these ideas that you came up with yourself, or did this come from a higher authority?

JAN PETRUS KRUGER: Chairperson, it came from a higher authority.  Somewhere in my amnesty application I mention, with the division of the various groups of Toekomsgesprek where Mr Douw Steyn was the Chief of the Defence Interest Group, that these leadership figures' purpose was to identify State targets and to convey that information to us so that we could blow it up.

MR SMIT: And you say by blowing up these institutions you would cause fear with the public.

JAN PETRUS KRUGER: That is correct.

MR SMIT: Would it be correct to say that this objective - was this discussed at meetings of the CP, or Toekomsgesprek, or where did this come from?

JAN PETRUS KRUGER: This was put to us during meetings of Toekomsgesprek, as well as where we received our training in the manufacturing of these explosives.

MR SMIT: You have now said that you received training in the manufacturing of explosives, was this a member of Toekomsgesprek and in the Defence Interest Group?

JAN PETRUS KRUGER: Yes, this was part of the group of Defence undergoing this training, and I was also recruited by Mr Douw Steyn.

MR SMIT: The last few acts for which you apply for amnesty is the storage of firearms and explosives on the ground where it was found.  Who gave these explosives and arms to you?

JAN PETRUS KRUGER: Mr Snyders approached me and they requested if I could store, or had place to store these explosives and I told them yes.

MR SMIT: And the weapons which were stored at your place, who brought it to you?

JAN PETRUS KRUGER: Mr Ben Snyders.

MR SMIT: Was it only him?

JAN PETRUS KRUGER: That is correct.

MR SMIT: And the explosives, who brought this to you?

JAN PETRUS KRUGER: He did.

MR SMIT: And with the explosives, were you involved in the manufacturing thereof?

JAN PETRUS KRUGER: Yes, these were explosives that were manufactured elsewhere.

MR SMIT: With regard to the manufactured explosives, do you know where the resources came from?

JAN PETRUS KRUGER: This came from Sasol Fertilisers.