DE WET, Peter

My parents were very active in Pretoria as leading liberal anti-apartheid activists. They’d been jailed, they’d been banned. They were the first married couple to be banned. And in fact when they were banned they had to given exceptional permission to communicate with each other as husband and ...

I knew that it would be impossible to arrest armed men. I knew that these men were going to shoot, because the words that were used are that they should be ‘eliminated.’ // What other words were used? // To be ‘taken out.’ // What other words were used? // They had to be ‘swept.’ // ...

... near her home in Manguzi. We didn’t know what had happened to Claire and for two weeks we had no information, we had no knowledge, we had no idea what had happened to her. // We searched in various places in Manguzi, in Empangeni, and the area in between. // And then on the 24th of November ...

... and bearing in mind that in the opinion of the families you had set out to counter-ambush these individuals it would appear that you in fact succeeded in doing so. What do you say about that? // After we set up the original ambush for them we then withdrew from the operation. Thereafter they ...

So is it correct then that your mission clearly was that you should go out there and that you should kill the freedom fighters? // According to the situation, yes it was so.

... simply wanting to steal her vehicle. // We, Claire’s family strongly believe that this was a political killing. Amnesty International has made a major campaign based on the same belief and the whole style of the killing from the evidence collected seems to be that of a hit. It was fast, ...

... you his name because it’s not the way I operate, but he worked for me for years. He was a professor at Wits and he fell afoul of the law. They made him an offer that he couldn’t refuse, either go to jail or go to Spain and work for us, so he worked for me in Spain. // What did these agents ...

What happened after your release? // I came back to South Africa and it would have been an embarrassment for them if I had been seen to be a policeman. This I accepted and Mister Williamson kindly negotiated a payment of a R100 000, which I was given in cash and virtually told to disappear.

After tests showing brain injury the doctors authorised the patient’s return to the police cells. On the 11th of September the patient collapsed. The doctor accepted police refusal to transfer to hospital and agreed to mister Biko’s transfer 750 miles to Pretoria at the back of a Land Rover on ...

Well I’m lucky because I’ve got no family, but if I had a family it would have been disastrous for me. // Do you think it was worthwhile working for them? // No it was a total waste of time. // I’m still a pilot, I’m a qualified aircraft engineer and I’m working in Bira on old ...

Why were you selected? // Who knows, no I had the credentials, I’m a qualified pilot, I’m a commercial pilot. I was familiar with England. I worked there for many years. I’m a British subject, I was born in England and I fitted the bill.

At that stage the National Party had decided to give over the country to the ANC/SACP alliance. Mister De Klerk at that stage also mentioned that all religions would become equal. And that was something that was totally against the BWB and against my own objectives; because we believe that there is ...

‘Peter Jacobs, Former MK Cadre, Torture victim.’ // If I said to Mr. Jacobs I put the electrodes in his nose, I may be wrong; if I said I attached it to his genitals, I may be wrong; if I had put a probe into his rectum, I may be wrong. That is way the specific methods I could have used any of ...

... workshop in Johannesburg. And he said he had to leave early and a couple of minutes later we all heard a couple of shots that initially sounded like a backfiring, but within 30 seconds there were a number of other shots. And I said ”no, those are gun shots” and I ran outside to the ...

... a majority government. In 1993 while political parties and the National Party government were fine tuning talks on South Africa’s transition to democracy white right wingers were training and arming themselves to do battle. Two such men were Pieter Harmse and the young Leo ...

Are you going to apply for amnesty? // Well I don’t know, I’m still thinking about it. // If you do apply for amnesty what would you ask amnesty for? // Well, the crimes that I am alleged to have committed didn’t happen in South Africa so I don’t know how any South African Truth Commission ...

As advocate Bizos clearly said today, we knew that when you get taken by these people they can get anything out of you, because if they don’t get it from you voluntarily they’ll smash you up to get it and that is what they have done with all of us and that is what our, of course presumption is ...

We have been suffering all along not knowing where Steve was. Until now eventually we discovered that Steve has been killed by the Kabasa. We felt that it wouldn’t be proper that we should dig this grave again. It will cause more pain than now.

... to the onslaught on our religion. I instructed Mr. Froneman to select a target which would involve Muslims. // Was it possible for Mr. Froneman to identify a target? // Mister Froneman approached me and informed me that he had selected a target. We discussed the target and decided together that ...

Is it true that people were decorated for the London bomb? Were you decorated? // No. // Why not? // Maybe they didn’t think I had any part in it. They didn’t give me a medal, but all the rest of them got the SOE. // You were however involved in the breaking into the ANC offices in 1984. // I ...