Last Public Words on Eugene de Kock - by me

My task is complete. I can now put this cause of championing for the freedom of Eugene de Kock down. He called me today. His strict parole conditions will be lifted shortly, and under the circumstances he is happy. I asked him if he has everything he needs. Like the true gentleman that I have come to know through my research, his answer was, “I have a bed, blankets, food … I have much more than many people in our country has”.

It is not a co-incidence, but a God-incidence that I had already written this piece and had decide to call it “My final public words on Eugene de Kock” when Eugene phoned me from Julian Knights office. I am still going to share the majority of what I had already written with you. Only my introduction has changed because I got that phone call at 14h00 today. Eugene has asked me to close the group by midnight tomorrow, 15 May 2015. I will delete everyone from the group by 21h00.

This has been quite a journey. Through lobbying and championing for a release from prison of Eugene de Kock, I have lost many so-called friends and DNA family. The decision to take on this cause was made when I received a reply from Eugene de Kock in response to a letter that I had sent him. He told me in that letter that he was a lost cause, and my energies would be better spent on something else. The moment I read that sentence was the moment that a great and driving passion gave birth within me to see a wrong put right.

Over the years I watched our membership grow from a membership of 3 to a membership of over 3500 members. That in itself was a miracle because Eugene de Kock was a very unpopular political hot potato. And an even larger miracle was that so many people, including previous enemies, stood together and with one voice in harmony, requested his release on compassionate grounds only.

On 31 January 2015, Eugene de Kock was given parole by the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services. Another miracle!!

The lies, secrecy, double agents, secret security agents and the unknown whereabouts of this prisoner between that day and today can only be described as unconstitutional, a human rights abuse and has left more questions about parole than answers. Every question asked, created more uncertainty.

My own involvement over the last three months has been harrowing. The numbers of people who have wanted to ride on the infamy of Eugene and whose egos have needed to be stroked have been too many. These vocal people were members of our group until fairly recently, when hearing the truth no longer suited them. Their agendas and our agendas started to deviate more and more. Up to the point when the Minister announced Eugene’s parole, I entertained those who had different agenda’s to mine, only because I had decided that if it were necessary for me to sup with the devil in order to get Eugene free, then I would do it. Once I had established that my intuition was right about the ‘strangest parole ever’, I was no longer prepared to entertain people who were out to gain benefit from Eugene. What shocked me the most was that not even those closest to him, or his legal representatives, knew what had happened to him or that he had gone missing. Everyone had become so complacent after the Minister’s announcement, that he was forgotten!

I did not forget. I even put up with people telling me to leave the man alone, and wanting to know what I was trying to gain from disturbing his peace. I have been offended and demonized over and over, but the latest allegation that I used a ploy to fraudulently accumulate money for myself by using a “pension for Eugene de Kock” scheme is not only a lie, it is insulting to my integrity.

With Conrad Kruger and Jaap Cilliers now working as Vos’s (Eugene’s brother) legal team, and in conjunction with Julian Knight and Roelof du Plessis for Eugene, my input is no longer required. The petition for a Pardon or Unconditional Release can continue up until Eugene’s sentence of 25 years has been served, or until Eugene informs Ben Kruger or myself to withdraw it from circulation.

Eugene was sentenced to 212 years which was commuted to life imprisonment. From my understanding of our Justice and Correctional Services law, a person who has a life sentence can be unconditionally released after serving 25 years. Eugene has served 20 years of the 25 years. The five years between are the years that he has been given parole for. Thus, after 25 years, he will by law have an unconditional release, which means that he will be truly free and not under the supervision of the Department of Correctional Services.

I no longer want my words and my writing to be policed by others. I want to write what I like, as Steve Biko used to say. I also no longer want to be the scapegoat for others with ulterior and impure motives.

What I have gained by taking on the cause to free Eugene de Kock cannot be measured in money. Eugene has on many occasions given me the reason to get up and fight harder for my own life. For that, I will be eternally grateful. I regret nothing.

I wish everyone in the Free Eugene de Kock FB Group every blessing and that each of us will always have enough of whatever it is we need, and a little more besides so that we can help one another. My prayer for Eugene de Kock is that his true freedom becomes a reality as soon as is humanly possible for the legal teams to arrange.

Thank you for all your support, love and concern, not only for Eugene, but for me personally over the years. Thank you too must go to the admins of the group, Ben Kruger, James Marx and Dewaldt Louw for the thousands of man hours that went into this campaign. I would be re-miss if I did not include a thank you to all the female warriors of the group. Their intuition was right every time.

I have made some life-long friends – people who I am proud to be associated with. May the breeze be always at your back, the sun on your shoulders and may every storm contain the glimmer of a rainbow.

With love always

Merc Chick

P.S. I will never forget the courage and tenacity of the group who fought this fight! I salute you all.