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Operation Zero ZeroExplanation ... we know has a long history of helping Vlakplaas cover up their legal problems and Johan van der Merwe was involved in at least one Vlakplaas operation. The head of the ANC’s legal department, Mathews Phosa remarked afterwards that De Klerk sat in Pretoria and knew everything that went on ... One of the reasons why the operation went smoothly was because there was no popular support. There was no spontaneous reaction from the population. I suspect that everything is calm by now. We’re aware of the fact that in the early 1990s there was a, if you like, a general cleaning operation; motivated, so we’re informed, on the basis that much of that material is no longer relevant to current policing activities, particularly records of the security police. There was fairly ... was convenient for the RSA and that’s why they sent in … to say ‘we’ve got nothing to do with this.’ But using their forces and the covert operation not from RSA soil to launch attacks against that that they deemed to be a big problem at the time. And then how do you counter a mass ... 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. ‘On 2 December 1988, New Hanover police Captain Brian Mitchell ordered the elimination of a group of UDF members. The operation went wrong. Eleven people attending a night vigil were killed.’ // It was just I think the driving force behind it, behind the motives of the security establishment ... ... discussed these ideas with different right wing groups and individuals, both inside and outside South Africa. NSP members launched their first operation after taking a blood oath, swearing that they would give their lives for their objectives. The organisation needed money and ... The aim of the operation was to recruit her as soon as possible as an informer and to send her back to Swaziland immediately. Much success has been achieved with this method in the past. She still did not want to cooperate. After consideration and weighing all options Maj Gen Steyn gave Gen Taylor ... And the decision was in the conduct of war it is not possible to avoid civilian losses. // After the few incidences where civilians were caught, the president called us in and asked us to put a stop to this method of operation. I gave the instructions to all our forces to stop using the landmine. The only way of understanding the suspension of armed operation, comrade Sisulu has gone further to explain, that it means that we are not going to take initiative, but we are going to defend ourselves if we are attacked. Then you went back to Vlakplaas where you gave orders to Martinus Ras, Snyman and Vermeulen to prepare for the operation. What precisely did you tell them? // I can’t give you specific details, but the gist of it was that people would be killed and specifically that policemen would be killed. // ... The operation was the brainchild of General Johan van der Merwe and approved at the highest level of the then National Party government. // General van der Merwe gave the express instruction to use the hand grenades and to make these available to activists in order to eliminate them. It was a ... Beyond the contradictory accounts and the spine chilling facts, both Mbelo and Bellingan gave an insight into the emotional effects and anger they feel now about the operation then. Phila’s death was not an isolated occurrence. A member of Umkhonto we Sizwe’s special operations unit a man known as Raymond Mkhwanazi, or MK Tekere was kidnapped from Swaziland a month after Phile. His was one of the bodies found this week and a local newspaper investigation claims that the ... Towards the end of 1988 Mitchell and Terreblanche attended a meeting with Inkatha leaders including David Ntombela where it was decided to launch an operation that would clear and hold the Trust Feed area for Inkatha. to Cape Town by this Vlakplaas colleague, Constable Thapelo Mbelo and two askaris. Shortly after their arrival in Cape Town their first high profile operation in collaboration with Cape Town security police took place, the killing of the Gugulethu Seven. This week they applied for amnesty for ... ... security forces in the same way as Church Street, but in war, in conflict of course one can’t always be a 100 percent efficient, effective in an ... Firstly, he was in charge of the operation and then secondly, when the Goniwe Four were taken, Van Zyl took Goniwe, in other words physically during the kidnapping. If I have to explain the language used, I would be pleased. He was surprised because of the resistance offered by Goniwe. // Is that ... The clearest element about the Gugulethu Seven massacre is its murkiness. What we do know is that of the 22 police involved in the operation, some have taken responsibility for some of the deaths. But whether police shot and killed the young men has never been the issue. The question is whether the ... But you ended up killing people who are not regarded as white. Could this be regarded as a botched or a messed up operation? // Sir, I cannot comment on that. We were told to go to the tavern …. I don’t know how to respond to your statement. |