Special Report Transcript Episode 48, Section 3, Time 24:39

The most obvious generals De Klerk would have asked about Vlakplaas are Generals Basie Smit, Krappies Engelbrecht, Johan van der Merwe, Nick van Rensburg and Johan le Roux. We have learned from the affidavits of several Vlakplaas men that General Basie Smit was a regular visitor to Vlakplaas. They even had to keep his personal bottle of Chivas Regal whiskey for him. General Krappies Engelbrecht 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 in the ANC’s Quatro camp in faraway Angola but nothing about Vlakplaas ten kilometres from him. In the days of PW Botha the State Security Council was the highest decision making body, made up of cabinet ministers and generals. Goosen showed De Klerk minutes of a State Security Council meeting in 1986, which De Klerk attended where a proposal for a third force was discussed. It was agreed that this third force should have the capacity to ‘wipe out terrorists effectively,’ be very unpopular and ‘counter the underminers with their own methods.’ In other words, terrorist methods.

Notes: Max du Preez

References: there are no references for this transcript