SOUTH AFRICA-CRIME: TOP POLICE OFFICER ENJOYS LAVISH LIFE IN JAIL

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

CHRIS LOUW

PRETORIA, Dec 15 1994 (IPS) - LOYALTY OF SOME WHITE POLICEMEN TO THE NEW SOUTH AFRICAN GOVERNMENT IS IN DOUBT FOLLOWING REVELATIONS THAT AN OFFICER ACCUSED OF MURDER WAS GIVEN FIVE-STAR TREATMENT IN A CELL IN VERWOERDBURG NEAR HERE.

COL. EUGENE DE KOCK (45), WHO FACES A TOTAL OF 106 CHARGES, INCLUDING EIGHT OF MURDER, WAS ALLOWED A TELEVISION SET, A DECODER FOR ACCESS TO A POPULAR COMMERCIAL CHANNEL, A VIDEO RECORDER AND A CELLULAR TELEPHONE, WHILE BEING DETAINED.

DE KOCK IS A FORMER COMMANDER OF THE NOTORIOUS VLAKPLAATS UNIT OF THE PREVIOUS SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE (SAP) WHERE MUCH OF THE “DIRTY TRICKS” CAMPAIGNS AGAINST THE THEN BANNED AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS (ANC) WERE PLANNED AND EXECUTED.

VLAKPLAATS MEMBERS ALSO ACTED AS A “THIRD FORCE” TO FOMENT VIOLENCE AMONG BLACK POLITICAL OPPONENTS, THE SUPREME COURT WAS TOLD.

THE REVELATIONS COINCIDE WITH A WARNING THIS WEEK BY SAFETY AND SECURITY MINISTER SYDNEY MUFAMADI THAT CHANGES WILL BE FORCED UPON POLICEMEN “WHETHER THEY LIKE IT OR NOT”. HE SAID IT WAS KNOWN THAT MANY WHITE POLICEMEN FOUND IT HARD TO ADJUST TO THE NEW NON-RACIAL DISPENSATION.

ADDRESSING 1,000 MEMBERS OF THE POLICE IN BLOEMFONTEIN ON WEDNESDAY, MUFAMADI SAID POLICEMEN WHO DID NOT FEEL AT HOME IN THE NEW FORCE, MUST RATHER LEAVE. “WE NEED A CLEAN, DEFINITE BREAK WITH THE PAST.”

A SPECIAL INVESTIGATION TEAM OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE (SAPS) TESTIFIED IN THE SUPREME COURT THAT THE FORMER POLICE COLONEL WAS, CONTRARY TO THE RULES, ALLOWED ALCOHOL IN HIS CELL, AND THE DOOR WAS HARDLY EVER LOCKED.

AND ON AT LEAST TWO OCCASIONS HIS FORMER COLLEAGUES IN THE POLICE EVEN TOOK DE KOCK TO WATCH CLUB RUGBY MATCHES IN VERWOERDBURG.

IT WAS TESTIFIED THAT DE KOCK MADE LIBERAL USE OF HIS CELLULAR PHONE, PHONING POLICE HEADQUARTERS 25 TIMES, AND PORTUGAL AT LEAST 105 TIMES.

JUDGE W.J. VAN DER MERWE ORDERED THAT DE KOCK BE TRANSFERRED TO THE PRETORIA CENTRAL PRISON AND THAT ALL HIS “PRIVILEGES” BE WITHDRAWN. HE WILL BE HELD IN THE PRISON UNTIL FEB. 20, WHEN HE WILL APPEAR IN COURT ON THE FIRST CHARGES AGAINST HIM.