‘I was made a scapegoat,’ De Kock tells Khampepe Commission

Former apartheid-era police colonel Eugene de Kock appeared before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), chaired by retired Justice Sisi Khampepe, at the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre in Newtown on Monday.

Eugene de Kock, the former apartheid-era police colonel notoriously known as ‘Prime Evil’ for his role in the apartheid death squads, has testified that he was made a scapegoat for the crimes against humanity.

Appearing before the Khampepe Commission of Inquiry probing allegations of political interference in TRC cases on Monday, De Kock stated that FW de Klerk’s Nobel Peace Prize must be revoked because he is a killer who was never convicted.

The convicted murderer, a former Vlakplaas security police base commander, also stated that he did not conduct his own recruitment of Askaris. Individuals held under Section 29 of the Internal Security Act assigned them.

“I do not have personal knowledge of whether there has been any agreement between political figures and high-ranking members of the 'security' forces to shut down the prosecution of people who did not receive amnesty through the TRC, or who did not apply,” he stated.

During his testimony, De Kock provided insight into the operations of the apartheid regime's special police unit, Vlakplaas.

He clarified that Vlakplaas did not actively recruit its operatives, known as Askaris; instead, high-ranking officials assigned them to the unit under the draconian Section 29 of the Internal Security Act.

Moreover, De Kock hinted at a potential conspiracy involving political figures and senior members of the security forces to evade justice.

Although he stressed that he lacked personal knowledge of any explicit agreements, the insinuation of collusion could have far-reaching implications for ongoing and future investigations into apartheid-era atrocities.

“Vlakplaas was responsible for counter-insurgency and anti-terrorism activities, and did not conduct its own recruitment of Askaris. Individuals held under Section 29 of the Internal Security Act assigned them,” he stated.

De Kock commanded the C10 counter-insurgency unit based at Vlakplaas, a farm west of Pretoria that became synonymous with state-sponsored violence against anti-apartheid activists.

He further told the Khampepe Commission that he did not have personal knowledge of whether there has been any agreement between political figures and high-ranking members of the 'security' forces to shut down the prosecution of people who did not receive amnesty through the TRC, or who did not apply.