ANC government paid apartheid assassin Eugene de Kock R40,000 'salary' after his parole, inquiry hears

28 January 2021 - 17:24
By mawande amashabalala AND Mawande AmaShabalala
Eugene de Kock, left, appears at the Truth And Reconciliation Commission (TRC) amnesty hearing with his lawyer Schalk Hugo on May 24 1999.
Image: REUTERS Eugene de Kock, left, appears at the Truth And Reconciliation Commission (TRC) amnesty hearing with his lawyer Schalk Hugo on May 24 1999.

The ANC government which paroled apartheid state assassin Eugene de Kock did not stop there — even spending R200,000 a month in taxpayers' money for his upkeep. 

This was revealed at the Zondo commission on Thursday.

The evidence came from an affidavit by a “Mr Y”, but was presented by “Ms K”. The two are current State Security Agency (SSA) spooks. Their real identities have been withheld.

The state capture inquiry heard during the testimony of the unidentified witness that the government, through SSA “Operation Lock”, spent R200,000 on De Kock every month after his release.

The expenditure included a state-sponsored safe house for the assassin and a R40,000 monthly “salary”.

The reasons for this expenditure were not revealed.

De Kock is a former colonel in the police force of the apartheid regime. His claim to fame is commanding the infamous Vlakplaas unit which specialised in executing and torturing anti-apartheid activists.

De Kock was released on parole in 2015, having been sentenced to more than 200 years behind bars in 1996.

The testimony is continuing.

TimesLIVE