Notorious police commander dubbed "Prime Evil" testifies at South African hearing on apartheid killings
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One of South Africa's most notorious apartheid police commanders testified on Monday at an inquiry into the killing of four activists in 1985 as part of the country's renewed focus on atrocities committed by security forces during decades of forced racial segregation that went unpunished. In:
One of South Africa's most notorious apartheid police commanders testified on Monday at an inquiry into the killing of four activists in 1985 as part of the country's renewed focus on atrocities committed by security forces during decades of forced racial segregation that went unpunished.
Eugene de Kock, dubbed "Prime Evil" for his role in killing anti-apartheid activists, denied involvement in the prominent case of the Cradock Four - but said police at the time had photos of around 6,000 anti-apartheid activists described as "known terrorists" who should be tracked and killed if an arrest was not possible.
The Cradock Four were not among them, he said. Matthew Goniwe, Fort Calata, Sicelo Mhlauli and Sparrow Mkonto, three of them teachers, were abducted by police at a roadblock and killed. Their bodies were found burned, in one of the apartheid era's most shocking cases.
De Kock testified that one of the police officers implicated in the killings had asked him to help assist with a cover-up.
"He wanted to know if I could get another firearm," de Kock said, adding that he was asked "if we could interfere with the ballistics."
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