EUGENE DE KOCK - The Strangest Parole! Where is he?

Friday, 10 April 2015

I have not read, I have STUDIED Anemari Jansen’s book called Sluipmoordenaar van die staat. For those who have not researched, read or made an effort to learn about Eugene, then this is a good reference point. Most of the book is taken from Anna van der Hoven’s evaluation of Eugene for the Court Case CC 226/94 and from the Amnesty Application written by Eugene de Kock to the then President, Thabo Mbeki, and from Eugene’s own manuscript. The two books, A long Night’s Damage and A Human being Died that night are used as references. There are a few interviews with people who worked with Eugene. For me, the most enlightening aspect of the entire book is the words Eugene from his own manuscript. These are his words and his emotions. Through his own words, I have got to learn more about Eugene and my passion and motivation to see him freed, is even more important now. I would estimate that there is less than 10% of the book that is original to the author. I have over the years been somewhat led to believe that Piet Croucamp has been a visitor every month for the last 20 years. According to the interview he has with Anemari Jansen, this is far from the truth.

I will share the most devastating aspect of the entire story, written by Eugene himself. I will leave you to place the understanding of what he has been though on your own, while mulling over the following words:

“Ek het klaarblyklik baie ernstige misdade begaan en moes maar my pak vat. Ek het die verskriklike omstandighede in C-Max 31 maande lank verduur. Toe ek vra waarom ek in C-Max geplaas is, is aan my gese dis omdat die sielkundiges met my wou eksperimenteer. Mev. Helena du Toit, maatskaplike werker by die trunk in daardie tyd, het heirdie stelling bevestig.

Ek is deurentyd emosioneel gemartel. Hulle het deurnag ligte anngeskakel gehou of dit in my gesit laat skyn. Daar was regdeur hierdie typd ‘n gehamer aan die seldeur. Van die obervasieplatform bokant my sel was daar voortdurend ‘n gehamer en geraas. Ek kon slegs ‘n uur per dag rondbeweeg – ek kon oefen in ‘n hok van 1 x 5 meter. Daar is met my kos gepeuter. Ek mag geen besoekers ontvang nie. Ek was heeltemal geïsoleer". (pg 266).

For 31 months, Eugene saw no one and not once did he see the sun. For me this is the most distressing aspect of what I have learned. As he says, he understood that he had been forgotten by God and by people. Once he was sent to C-Max in 1999, all Eugene’s police friends and “medevegters” finally stopped visiting and completely forgot about him. These words that I share with you are the words that have broken my heart. Do not even read page 310, because not only will your heart be broken, but you will be extremely angry at how he has been used and how his safety has been compromised for a little media attention.

Those who have also been implicated in the crimes that he has been punished for have no need to be concerned. He has not named a single one of you. He uses words like, “’n sekere persoon...” and so on. If he has not named you now, he will never name you so please do not become a threat to his safety in an attempt to keep yourself out the shit. He does, however, mention some of the people who gave him orders. Those people are the ones who denied knowledge of him or the goings on at Vlakplaas. Those people are the ones who will benefit from his continued incarceration or …. I cannot even say it.

This “parole” is anything “but”. He has no access to internet or telephones. His personal effects are still in his prison cell in Pretoria. He needs urgent attention for degeneration of his eyesight. His nearest and dearest have no contact with him. I am extremely worried that he is not safe. I have not heard that he is safe for almost two weeks. Nor has anyone else. At least when he was in prison, we knew where he was. There is something very, very wrong. I am extremely worried. Please keep him in your prayers as well.