Issued by: Truth and Reconciliation Commission
The Amnesty Committee of the TRC is to hear amnesty applications relating to cross-border raids by former apartheid security policemen which led to the abduction and murder of political activists on Monday.
The hearing, scheduled to be heard from May 3 to 21, will be held at the Central Methodist Church in Johannesburg.
Prominent in these matters is Brigadier Willem Schoon who has applied for among other things, the killing of two ANC members in Zeerust, following the arrest of ANC activist, Alexandre Moumbaris on the Botswana border in 1972.
As in the Cronje matter in Pretoria last month, the Schoon matter is going to shed light on the co-operation between various former security police networks including, Vlakplaas and SADF Special Forces to destroy liberation movements.
Other matters set for hearing are: the abduction of a University of Transkei lecturer, Herbert Mbali from Lesotho in 1972. Applicants are DK Genis and WF Schoon.
Dirk Coetzee, Spyker Tshikalange, WF Schoon have applied for the abduction of Joe Pillay from Swaziland in 1981. While in South Africa, Jac Buchner and Kallie Steyn interrogated Pillay on suspicion that he was assisting members of the liberation movement between Mozambique and Swaziland.
WF Schoon, WJ Loots, CJDP Smit, F Crause, MM Modise will appear before the committee for the attempted murder of MK members in Botswana, Take Five and Sadi Pule. An unknown woman was also killed in the operation.
Other matters during the three sittings, include the killing of two PAC detainees at Vlakplaas. The abduction of Johannes Mnisi and ANC member in Swaziland, led to the killing of "George" and "Brown" in a gun fight with special forces. Mnisi had set up this meeting with other ANC members following his earlier abduction from Swaziland.
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April 29, 1999