Issued by: TRC
May 17, 1999
Vlakplaas commander, Eugene De Kock's amnesty applications for gross human rights violations starts next Monday on May 24 until June 25 at the Idasa Centre in Pretoria.
The coming hearings are among many of De Kock's matters that have been staggered and spread over the next four months until the writing of the Amnesty Final Report later this year.
The De kock 1 hearing, will among other matters include, the!! attack on the Chand house and the attack on the Chand family on 22 and 23 April 1990.
His six other co-applicants on the matter are Douw Willemse, Johan Tait, Marthinus Ras, Willie Nortje, David DJ Britz, Nicholas Vermeulen and Izak Daniel Bosch. According to Willemse, Vlakplaas had received information that the Chand family assisted "terrorists" to leave and enter South Africa.
De Kock, Simon Radebe an Askari, David Baker, Willie Nortje and Willem Bellingham have also applied for the murder of Brian Ngqulunga on July 19, 1990 in Bophuthatswana.
Wouter Mentz who is implicated has been heard and granted amnesty on the matter, while Charlie Chate is implicated by Bellingham.
In his application, De Kock claims that Ngqulunga had to be killed as he had been emotionally unstable. He says there was fear among Vlakplaasers that he could give sensitive information to the Harms Commission.
In another matter, De Kock and five other applicants will have their applications heard on the killing of Johannes Mabotha at Penge Mine in October 1989.
William Flores, Daniel Snyman, Kobus "Chappies" Klopper, Dawid Brits, Nicholas Vermeulen and Jan Potgieter. According to Snyman, Mabotha was an Askari who had returned to the ANC. Soweto special branch claimed they had monitored Mabotha talking to Winnie Madikizela-Mandela.
A cross-border raid into Swaziland and the killing of Keith Mcfadden and Zwelakhe Nyanda is among De Kock's amnesty applications.
James van Zweel, Willem Schoon, Chris Rorich, Paul van Dyk, Frederick Pienaar and Almond Nofomela are applicants in this matter.
Two applicants, Chappies Klopper and Johan Tait have applied for the killing of four unknown arms smugglers on April 21, 1991 at Komatiepoort.
In his application, Tait claims the weapons were being smuggled for use by the ANC, APLA, IFP and AWB. The alleged smugglers were led to an ambush by former Koevoet members including Simon Himbwasaa and Lukas Kalino who claim that the motive for the killing was not political.
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