SA Military Intelligence > Interviews > An interview with Colonel Lucas Ras regarding far right-wing activities, how effective they were and how they were infiltrated by the security police.
An interview with Colonel Lucas Ras regarding far right-wing activities, how effective they were and how they were infiltrated by the security police.
Date of interview: 26 October 2009
Length of interview: 2 minutes 8 seconds
Name of interviewee/s: Colonel Lucas Ras
Audio file name/s of interview: AL3283_PTA_RASLUCAS_20091026_1
De Wet	Dit is Maandag 26 Oktober 2009 Centurion. Ek sit hier met kolonel Lucas Ras, voormalige colonel in die veiligheidstak se D-tak eenheid. Ek wil net graag vandag met hom gesels oor die verregses, hoe effektief hulle was en hoe hulle geїnfiltreer was deur die veiligheidspolisie. Lucas, kan jy net vir ons vertel en noem weer vir my D-tak, wat het dit voor gestaan.
Lucas	Ek persoonlik was betrokke by die veiligheidstak met die insameling meer aan die intelligensie se kant. Dit het gegaan oor regse bedrywighede asook linkse bedrywighede. Die regses, die AWB onder meer, ander regse organisasies.
My persoonlike ondervinding in hierdie tyd was dat hulle nie baie goed georganiseerd was nie, maar baie rondgeval het. Sou hulle ŉ terreurdaad uitvoer sou ons binne die volgende twee dae, of in party gevalle dieselfde aand, die inligting kry en opvolg en sal daar arrestasies binne twee of drie dae uitgevoer word om die skuldiges aan te keer.
Wat ons ondervind het was dat, ons het gespot met die brandewyn-en-Coke squad, sou hulle ŉ bom plant het hulle in ŉ kroeg bymekaar gekom en ŉ paar drankies gaan drink en brag dan oor wat hulle gedoen het.
ŉ Ander geval is die Boere-krisisaksie wat ŉ totale ander storie was. Die mense was baie meer georganiseerd, hulle geledere is nie maklik geїnfiltreer nie en in my tyd by die veiligheidstak het ons omtrent geen inligting van die Boere-krisisaksie gekry nie.
Baie in teenstelling wat die ander regse organisasies en die AWB was
Transcript: Download (41 KB)
De Wet	It is Monday 26 October 2009, Centurion. I am here with Colonel Lucas Ras, a former colonel in die security branch’s D branch unit. I would like to talk to him about the far right, how effective they were and how they were infiltrated by the security police.
Lucas, please tell us about this and what D branch stood for.
I was personally involved with the security branch in gathering information on the intelligence side. It was all about right wing activities as well as on the left wing. The right wing, the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB) and other right wing organisations.
My personal evaluation at the time was that they were not really very effective and not well organised. When they committed a terrorist attack we were in a position to gather sufficient information to catch them within several days and in some instances within hours.
We were always referring to the right wingers as the “brandy and coke squads”. Soon after they planted a bomb the culprits would gather with their buddies in a pub boasting about their deeds.
Another case was the Boer Crisis Action. A total different kettle of fish from the other right wing organisations. These people were well organised, it was very difficult to infiltrate into their ranks and the security branch virtually had no intelligence on their activities during my time of service.
Very much in stark contrast of the rest of the right wing organisations.
Translation: Download (41 KB)
Description: An interview with Colonel Lucas Ras, a former colonel in the SAP Security Branch's D branch unit, regarding far right-wing activities, how effective they were and how they were infiltrated by the security police, consists of an audio recording, transcript and English translation. This interview was conducted, transcribed and translated by De Wet Potgieter on behalf of SAHA in 2009.