GOOD Statement by Brett Herron, Unite for Change Leadership Council Member and GOOD Secretary-General:
Notorious apartheid-era security police mass murderer Eugene de Kock has information that neither old nor new order political leaders want South Africans to know.
The information relates to old-order command structures and the complicity of high-level politicians in human rights violations. This information has been suppressed since the dawn of democracy.
Appearing as a witness at the reopened inquest into the killing of the so-called Cradock Four in 1985 today, De Kock said he was not involved in planning or executing the Cradock Four murders but described himself as an accessory after the fact.
His initial evidence on command structures was quickly objected to by lawyers representing parties implicated in the matter. The lawyer leading De Kock’s evidence said his client wanted to tell the truth.
Among the names De Kock mentioned in respect of a separate mass murder, as an adjournment was called, was that of former President FW De Klerk. After the adjournment, the court did not return to this evidence.
Just before his death in November 2021, De Klerk’s foundation issued a statement revealing an alleged agreement between the NP and ANC on no-prosecutions. Former President Thabo Mbeki denies that such an agreement exists.
The Khampepe Commission was appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa to probe whether there had been political interference in prosecutorial decisions not to proceed with cases recommended for further investigation by the TRC. The TRC submitted final recommendations to the Government 23 years ago.
If there was political interference, it directly violated the Truth and Reconciliation Commission process that was established to grant amnesty to perpetrators of human rights violations in exchange for their telling the truth. It points to a layer of secrets and compromising information that has never been revealed.
Former Presidents Mbeki and Jacob Zuma are presently involved in litigation in a bid to force the recusal of Judge Sisi Khampepe from the commission. President Ramaphosa, who appointed her, has asked Khampepe to stand down.
De Kock won’t know much about the ANC’s secrets but does know about many of the cases that the NPA has delayed prosecuting, including the chain of command – information that gets to the heart of the secrets.
Why is this important, now? Because it’s about the fundamentals of our integrity, as a nation, the integrity of those who have been leading us, and that of our dysfunctional criminal justice system.
South Africans agreed to a process of national unity and reconciliation on the foundations of truth and justice, only to see these foundations collapse. It’s important that we understand why and return to the tasks of developing a fairer and more inclusive nation.
*De Kock was sentenced to two life terms plus 212 years for a series of crimes including murder. He was paroled in 2015 after serving nearly 20 years. He is one of a tiny group of apartheid-era State criminals ever convicted for their crimes.
GOOD Manifesto on Transport Infrastructure: Advocating for improvements in public transport systems.
First Published here: MyZA.co.za
Did You Know?
- Cradock was founded in 1813 on the banks of the Great Fish River to cater for the migratory farmers who settled in this ruggedly beautiful area with its excellent grazing, abundant water and healthy climate.
- Cradock was officially renamed Nxuba on 26 August 2022. This change was officially gazetted by the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa, and it was part of a broader effort to rename towns with colonial or apartheid legacies in the Eastern Cape.
- Home to an actual Harry Potter’s grave: A British soldier with the name Harry Potter, who died during the South African War (Anglo-Boer War), is buried in the Cradock cemetery. His grave was discovered in 2002, long before the fictional character became a global phenomenon.
- Location of the last surrender of arms in the South African War: Cradock was the final place in South Africa where arms were officially laid down at the end of the South African War, with the event occurring four days after the Peace of Vereeniging was signed in 1902.
- Birthplace of Afrikaans publication: The first-ever article published in the Afrikaans language appeared in the local newspaper, the Cradock News, on December 4, 1868. This was a report on the separation of the Eastern Cape from the Western Cape, and the paper achieved the largest circulation in the country at the time.
- Second oldest cricket ground and library in South Africa: Cradock’s cricket ground and library are both the second oldest in the entire country, a testament to the town’s early establishment and development of civic amenities.
- Host to a total solar eclipse viewing by a Prime Minister: In 1942, the South African statesman and Prime Minister Jan Smuts came specifically to Cradock to witness a total eclipse of the sun, as the town was the best location for viewing the celestial event.