Vlakplaas

During 1991 Vlakplaas investigated gun running from Mozambique to ANC and PAC units in the country. A plan to ambush and arrest four gun smugglers turned into a shooting spree. The four men were killed in cold blood, but the official story was that they were killed in self defence.

Casselton did not disappear. He went to live on Vlakplaas where his friend, Eugene de Kock looked after him. It was during this time, De Kock claims, that Craig Williamson wanted him to kill Casselton.

... shocks, smothering with a wet bag over the head or decide to work for the security police with benefits like proper pay and a luxury life on Vlakplaas. So it’s obvious, it’s human that you would choose the easy way ...

... the planning because for the future those type of plans may be used again, so I can’t divulge information regarding that. But the people waited, Vlakplaas members with Piet Retief members, for the people to infiltrate. And what happened is that the people, obviously being armed, when they ...

Coetzee said a death squad, consisting of four black Vlakplaas policemen, did the actual killing. One of them, Almond Nofemela, admitted his involvement at the end of 1989. Nofemela was at the time on death row for another murder. David Tshikalanga confessed shortly afterwards. Coetzee and the ...

... this past week to talk about their role in a shooting spree in Nyanga in March 1986. In a day of high drama it was revealed for the first time that Vlakplaas members were involved in the gruesome execution of seven young men from Gugulethu ten years ...

... for. It was not the only element of the third force, the army special forces took part in train violence in the 1980s as part of a third force. And Vlakplaas and the army’s Directorate Covert Collection also acted as a third force in attacks such as the Boipatong massacre. We can only hope that ...

... by the discovery of this huge arms cash near Krugersdorp. But it was not an ANC’s arms cash as the generals claimed. Eugene de Kock says his Vlakplaas unit had in fact been asked to supply the weapons that were then planted. It was done in order for the SADF to justify their second attack ...

out used their usefulness. They have outlived their usefulness. In other words they were not productive and the only way for one to be productive at Vlakplaas is to kill people. Vusi died, he refused to cooperate. Peter died, because he was useless according to them, he outlived his usefulness. ...

There were high expectations that the disappearance of the three Port Elizabeth activists known as the Pebco three would finally be resolved this week. It did not happen. Col Roelf Venter, a former Vlakplaas officer only admitted to being part of the abduction of the men.

Grim and gory details of Vlakplaas murders, abductions and cross border operations emerged again this week. Dirk Coetzee, Almond Nofemela and David Tshikalanga who are applying for amnesty for a range of atrocities continue to spill the sordid tales of South Africa’s secret death farm.

... the East Rand were seething. Six COSAS leaders died in July in 1985 after being lured into launching an attack with hand grenades, booby trapped by Vlakplaas policeman Joe Mamasela. At one of their funerals Maki Skosana was fingered as the informer who gave him away to the police. Even the people ...

... of the state started working together to eliminate those who oppose the National Party state. On the police side it was the security police and Vlakplaas, on the military side it was special forces, Military Intelligence, the Directorate Covert Collection and that sinister band with the ...

... country, but in the Western Cape their record was poor and this man, Capt Riaan Bellingan was dispatched from the special counter-terrorism unit at Vlakplaas to help Cape Town security police improve their intelligence gathering network and their counter-terrorism ...

In November 1989 Dirk Coetzee informed the world and I suppose De Klerk of the existence of Vlakplaas, a police unit on a farm outside Pretoria which specialized in assassinating government opponents.

... newspaper and one police contacted us after seeing her picture on the newspaper and said he knew that girl, because he kept guard at that girl in Vlakplaas police station. And the last time that police saw Nokuthula, Nokuthula was ill and she was severely and brutally ...

... they got wind of the police bus attack from two informers who had infiltrated the cell. // When were you given a description of the askaris from Vlakplaas who were with this man? // As far as I can recall we weren’t given any description we were just told that there were two informers with ...

Mamasela is a self confessed killer. He’s one of the Vlakplaas operatives who took part in the Pebco Three operation. He has not applied for amnesty but will testify before the Truth Commission once all the amnesty applicants have been heard. He has a very different account of the killings.

At about the same time Vlakplaas had launched a huge manhunt for Odirile Maponya, a high ranking MK guerrilla. During the search Eugene de Kock killed his younger brother, Japie Maponya with a spade. Stanza’s mother and two brothers, visibly upset by this late confirmation of his death believe ...

the secret message sent to arch assassin Eugene de Kock a day after the massacre. All these bear the hallmarks of a more sinister puppet master, the Vlakplaas death squads, designed to eliminate activists and cadres. ...