Amnesty Hearings — Johannesburg — 1997-04-08

ADV PRINSLOO: During September of 1993, did you receive any instructions from anybody?

PIETER JOHANNES HARMSE: Yes, I received a telephonic call from an unknown person who instructed me that it was from the Boer Resistance Army and that the war had started.

ADV PRINSLOO: Was there any prior arrangement that such instructions would be given from any person?

PIETER JOHANNES HARMSE: Yes, we were told at meetings that such instructions would be received, either telephonically or personally.

ADV PRINSLOO: Because of this instruction which you've received, did you give any further instructions to any other person?

PIETER JOHANNES HARMSE: Yes, I instructed Mr Froneman to identify a target.

ADV PRINSLOO: Before we pay any attention to the target, did you make any preparations with the regard to the devices or the components of the devices which were to be used?

PIETER JOHANNES HARMSE: Yes, since I worked on the mines I had access to a range of explosive devices and trigger devices.

ADV PRINSLOO: Did you have any other materials with which to build the explosive devices?

PIETER JOHANNES HARMSE: Yes, apart from the detonators I also had fertilizer which could be used in the explosive devices and I instructed Mr Froneman to obtain diesel which could be used in the explosive devices.

ADV PRINSLOO: I have taken you away from the topic - you had said Mr Froneman was instructed to pay attention to the targets.  Did Mr Froneman know what manner of target had to be selected?

PIETER JOHANNES HARMSE: At that time I instructed Mr Froneman that since the Boer Resistance Army was apposed to the onslaught on our religion, I instructed Mr Froneman to select a target which would involve Muslims.

ADV PRINSLOO: Was it possible for Mr Froneman to identify a target.

PIETER JOHANNES HARMSE: Mr Froneman approached me and informed me that he had selected a target, we discussed the target and decided together that it would have been a good target.

ADV PRINSLOO: Where would this target have been?

PIETER JOHANNES HARMSE: It was an Indian complex in Bronkhorstspruit, a commercial centre.

ADV PRINSLOO: What additional planning did you make with regard to carrying out this instruction and with regard to the target?

PIETER JOHANNES HARMSE: I instructed Mr Froneman to prepare the electrical part of the bomb and that we would depart the next morning at three o'clock to plant the bomb.

ADV PRINSLOO: Was Mr Froneman resident with you at that time or somewhere else?

PIETER JOHANNES HARMSE: No, he lived with his father and I told him to come to my house at about three o'clock the morning.

ADV PRINSLOO: Was this in Cullinan?

PIETER JOHANNES HARMSE: Yes and I also told him to bring fake number plates which we could then use on the motor vehicle.

ADV PRINSLOO: On the 18th of September 1993, did Mr Froneman indeed come to you house?

PIETER JOHANNES HARMSE: Yes, but without the number plates.

ADV PRINSLOO: What did you do with regard to the number plates or did you do nothing in this regard?

PIETER JOHANNES HARMSE: We placed the bomb in the car, we drove to
the police barracks where Mr Froneman removed number plates from a police bus.

ADV PRINSLOO: What did you do with these number plates after you removed this from the bus, could you tell the Committee?

PIETER JOHANNES HARMSE: On our way to Bronkhorstspruit, we placed the number plates on the vehicle which we were driving in.

ADV PRINSLOO: Please continue.

PIETER JOHANNES HARMSE: We drove passed the business centre, or commercial centre to check whether there were any persons present there.  When we noted that there was no one around, we parked the vehicle at the centre, we carried the bomb to the place where we set it, in front of the door.  He returned to the motor vehicle and I attempted to arm the device.
	After some difficulty, I experienced some difficulty and I was not able to arm the device, Mr Froneman returned and assisted me in arming the device.  Eventually I told him that we should rather leave the bomb, since we were not able to arm it, but he told me that it would be a waste of time and it would be of no use if we did not arm the bomb.  Eventually we succeeded in arming the bomb.
	We returned to our motor vehicle and we then returned home.  Just outside Bronkhorstspruit we stopped, removed the number plates.  One of the number plates was damaged.  On our way back to Cullinan, we threw one of these number plates out of the window, the damaged number plate.

ADV PRINSLOO: You may continue.

PIETER JOHANNES HARMSE: I then dropped Mr Froneman and he returned to replace the one number plate on the police bus and we both returned to our houses.

ADV PRINSLOO: During the remainder of this particular Saturday, what did you do?

PIETER JOHANNES HARMSE: Later during the course of the Saturday morning, myself and Mr Vaughn Bans went through to Rustenburg for a meeting of the Boer Resistance Movement.

ADV PRINSLOO: The section which the witness is referring to, is not contained in the affidavit and I apologise for this omission.

ADV DE JAGER: Could we just get some additional clarity.   You armed and placed the bomb, when was this supposed to explode, could you in any way control it?

PIETER JOHANNES HARMSE: No, the explosion of the bomb could not be controlled.  It would have been set off by some movement.

ADV DE JAGER: The bomb could therefor explode say at twelve o'clock in the day when there were a lot of people around?

PIETER JOHANNES HARMSE: That is correct.

ADV DE JAGER: Was there no electrical mechanism which  was able to control the device?

PIETER JOHANNES HARMSE: It had a switch which would have been a release device.

INTERPRETER: The interpreter unfortunately did not get the last sentence.

ADV PRINSLOO: At the place where you set the bomb, by your calculation and taking into account the fact that you set the bomb very early in the morning, when did you think would there have been contact with this bomb and by whom?

PIETER JOHANNES HARMSE: At that time, I did not know who would have set off the device.  I thought initially that at the unlocking of the shops, the bomb would be moved.

JUDGE WILSON: What did the bomb look like?

PIETER JOHANNES HARMSE: The bomb was contained in a 25 litre plastic
container.

ADV PRINSLOO: Was the bomb placed inside something?  Was the plastic container in anything else?

PIETER JOHANNES HARMSE: No, the plastic container was placed on its own in front of the particular shop.

ADV PRINSLOO: Should this bomb have exploded and should there have been damage, or if persons were to be injured or killed, would there have been any reaction from the side of the Boer Resistance Movement?

PIETER JOHANNES HARMSE: Yes, I would have contacted with the media to inform them that the Boer Resistance Movement would have taken the responsibility for the bombing.

ADV PRINSLOO: To continue with the events of the Saturday - after the bomb had been placed, you informed the Committee that you travelled with Mr Vaughn Bands to Rustenburg to the farm of the leader of the Boer Resistance Movement, Mr Andrew Ford.  Is that correct?

PIETER JOHANNES HARMSE: That is correct.

ADV PRINSLOO: At this particular meeting of the Boer Resistance Movement at Rustenburg, was anything handed to you, any award?

PIETER JOHANNES HARMSE: During this meeting I was made a General and I was given wings to hand to Mr Froneman.

ADV PRINSLOO: Did you then return to Cullinan?

PIETER JOHANNES HARMSE: Yes, after this meeting we returned to Cullinan to our homes.

ADV PRINSLOO: Did you make this reward to Mr Froneman, did you hand these wings to him or not?

PIETER JOHANNES HARMSE: Yes, during the course of the next day.

JUDGE WILSON: Apologies Mr Chairman, the interpreter gave it up as Mr Cullinan.

INTERPRETER: My apologies.

ADV PRINSLOO: Thank you Mr Chairman, it would have been Mr Froneman and it was at Cullinan, is that  correct?