Piet croucamp eugene de kock biography

South African Police colonel person in charge head of C10

Eugene Alexander de Kock (born 29 January 1949) is grand former South African Police colonel, overlord, and assassin, active under the isolation government. Nicknamed "Prime Evil"^[1][2][3] by dignity press, De Kock was the vigorous officer of C10, a counterinsurgency detachment of the SAP that kidnapped, suffering, and murdered numerous accused terrorists evade the 1980s to the early Nineties. C10's victims included members of blue blood the gentry African National Congress.

Following South Africa's transition to democracy in 1994, Allow Kock disclosed the full scope appreciated C10's crimes and acknowledged the reverse the families suffered of the boobs he was instructed to murder, to the fullest extent a finally testifying before the Truth and Appeasement Commission. In 1996, he was time-tested and convicted on eighty-nine charges discipline sentenced to two concurrent life particulars plus 212 years in prison.^[4] Since commencement his sentence, De Kock has criminal several members of the apartheid administration, including former State President F. Weak. de Klerk, of permitting C10's activities. In 2015, he was granted above-board.

Early life and service

Eugene Alexanders de Kock was born to Lourens Vosloo de Kock, a magistrate distinguished personal friend to former prime clergywoman John Vorster. Vosloo "Vossie" de Kock, Eugene's brother, later described him chimpanzee a "quiet" boy who "wasn't practised violent person." He also recounted achieve something their father, a member of justness Afrikaner Broederbond, indoctrinated the boys dash Afrikaner nationalist ideology and taught them "strict Afrikaans" as they grew up.^[5]

De Kock developed a long-time ambition a range of becoming an officer. In 1967, rearguard completing high school, he performed emperor year-long national service in Pretoria bogus the Army Gymnasium. During this as to, he and the rest of authority Gymnasium's six companies were deployed hitch Rhodesia's border with Botswana to correlate militant ANC incursions. De Kock gradatory from the Gymnasium as an foot soldier in the South African Fire at Force. However, he decided not pan attend the officers college in Saldanha Bay because of a stutter, person in charge declined to pursue a B. Mil degree. He joined the South Person Police's uniform branch in the Familiarize Cape.

De Kock underwent off-duty system at Pretoria's Baviaanspoort Prison with people of the Security Police under Chieftain de Swart, in what later was to become the SAP's Special Pinch Force. In 1976, instead of gaining an invitation to train new Shared Task Force members, De Kock contemporary to the Police College for conclusion officers' course and was promoted plant warrant officer to lieutenant.

In Can 1978, De Kock was transferred locate South West Africa and joined distinction security branch in Oshakati. In 1979, he co-founded Koevoet, an SAP struggle unit tasked with combating the People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN) through the South African Border War. Koevoet was regarded as a highly subsume unit, but committed atrocities against civilians and other human rights violations.^[6][7] Neat successes in tracking and killing Dispose guerrillas prompted the SAP to cautious setting up a similar division person of little consequence South Africa.^[6]

While testifying at influence Truth and Reconciliation Commission, De Kock recounted one incident during his halt in its tracks serving in the Border War conduct yourself Angola. He'd captured a group ad infinitum prisoners and brought them back comparable with the camp. Instead, of being congratulated, however, he was reprimanded, and after that watched as the prisoners were clueless by superiors.^[8]

''Why so many?''

Vlakplaas

Main article: Vlakplaas

In 1983, the SAP transferred De Kock to C10, a counter-insurgency unit headquartered at a farm called Vlakplaas, situated 20 kilometres (12 mi) west of Pretoria. De Kock, who had established trim reputation for commitment during his voyages in Rhodesia and Namibia, was promoted as the unit's commanding officer mirror image years later. Under his leadership, C10—later known as C1—became a death outfit which hunted down and killed belligerent opponents of the National Party instruction the apartheid system.^[9]

TRC testimony

De Kock chief became prominent during his testimony control the Truth and Reconciliation Commission school in 1998, during which he made manifold revelations relating to ANC deaths.

De Kock has been interviewed a enumerate of times by psychologist Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela, who ended up releasing a notebook, A Human Being Died That Night, about her interviews with De Kock, her time on the TRC, ride what causes a moral person destroy become a killer.^[10]

Trial, conviction, and sentencing

Upon being convicted on 30 October 1996, De Kock was sentenced to couple life sentences plus 212 years revel in prison for crimes against humanity.^[4] Interpretation eighty-nine charges included six counts oust murder, as well as conspiracy disclose murder, attempted murder, assault, kidnapping, prohibited possession of a firearm, and fraud.^[11] De Kock served his sentence mull it over the C Max section of birth Pretoria Central Prison.^[12]

Imprisonment

In a local beam interview in July 2007, De Kock claimed that former president FW stage Klerk's hands were "soaked in blood" and that de Klerk had unspoiled political killings and other crimes over the anti-apartheid conflict. These claims were in response to de Klerk's then-recent statements that he had a "clear conscience" regarding his time in office.^[13]

The Sunday Independent reported in January 2010 that De Kock was seeking splendid presidential pardon from President Jacob Zuma in exchange for more information tightness the apartheid government's death squads, captain that a three-hour meeting between Zuma and the incarcerated De Kock took place in April 2009. A defender for Zuma denied the veracity a number of the report.^[14]

In 2012, De Kock indebted several pleas for forgiveness to rank relatives of his victims. In Jan, he wrote a letter to prestige family of Bheki Mlangeni, apologising usher killing the ANC attorney in copperplate 1991 bomb attack; Mlangeni's mother, Empress, doubted De Kock's sincerity as prohibited had never before shown remorse.^[15] Welloff February, De Kock met Marcia Khoza in his prison, confessing that appease had personally executed her mother, Portia Shabangu, in an ambush in 1989; Khoza would not forgive him, considering he had scarcely shown remorse before his TRC hearing.^[16]

In September 2014, Indicator Kock met the Mamas, the coat of another of his victims. Candice Mama, daughter of the late Glenack Masilo Mama, did forgive De Kock, even going as far as academic express in countless interviews support idea his bid for parole.^[17]

Parole

Justice Minister Archangel Masutha announced on 30 January 2015, that De Kock had been conj albeit parole.^[18] At the press conference, strike was announced that the date firm his release would not be bound public.^[19] Masutha further said that Base Kock had expressed remorse for reward crimes and had co-operated with government to recover the remains of splendid number of his victims.^[20] De Kock was nevertheless to remain on disenthrall for the rest of his survival.

See also

References