MR BOOYENS: Mr Chairman, I call as my next witness, Riaan Bellingan, he an Afrikaans Bellingan.
MR SIBANYONI: Full names, Mr Bellingan.
WILLHELM RIAAN BELLINGAN: (sworn states)
MR SIBANYONI: Sworn in.
EXAMINATION BY MR BOOYENS: Mr Bellingan, you have before you your amnesty application which starts on page 255, is that correct?
MR BELLINGAN: That is correct, Chairperson.
MR BOOYENS: Do you confirm the correctness of the section from pages 255 to 271?
MR BELLINGAN: That's correct, Chairperson.
MR BOOYENS: And on page 272 you deal with the death of these persons.
MR BELLINGAN: That's correct.
MR BOOYENS: You have heard the evidence of Col de Kock with regard to the instructions which he conveyed to you and the motivation which he gave for the operation, do you agree with it?
MR BELLINGAN: That's correct, Chairperson.
MR BOOYENS: Were you, because of what Mr de Kock had said, under the impression that these persons were busy with terrorist activities in South Africa and you associated yourself with the instruction?
MR BELLINGAN: That is correct, Chairperson.
MR BOOYENS: Were you further satisfied from Col de Kock's conveyance to you, that the instruction came from an intelligence network and you refer to Trevits?
MR BELLINGAN: That's correct, Chairperson.
MR BOOYENS: Nobody spoke of Trevits yet, tell us what it is.
MR BELLINGAN: Trevits was a body at head office where all the intelligence services threw intelligence together and evaluated it, and I believed that the intelligence would have gone through there as well, Chairperson.
MR BOOYENS: If you speak of all the intelligence services, that is services like a Military Section as well as Civil Section of National Intelligence?
MR BELLINGAN: That is correct, Chairperson.
MR BOOYENS: Mr Bellingan, after you received the instruction, were you the driver of a kombi with false panels that transported AK47 with silencers to get them into Swaziland?
MR BELLINGAN: That is correct, Chairperson.
CHAIRPERSON: Can I interrupt you for a moment. Was this a Vlakplaas vehicle?
MR BELLINGAN: That's correct, Chairperson.
MR BOOYENS: And this vehicle was specifically modified beforehand for this purpose?
MR BELLINGAN: That is correct, Chairperson, it had false panels and one would not say it is a police vehicle. If one would pull us off the road it was not visible that this was a police vehicle.
MR BOOYENS: And one had to look carefully to see that there were false panels in which things were smuggled in?
MR BELLINGAN: Yes, Chairperson, it was very well hidden panels.
MR BOOYENS: And was were accompanied by Mr Larry Hanton, is that correct?
MR BELLINGAN: That is correct, Chairperson.
MR BOOYENS: And the two of you crossed the border with false identities?
MR BELLINGAN: That's correct, Chairperson.
MR BOOYENS: And on the other side of the Swaziland border, you have heard Col de Kock's evidence as to what took place there.
MR BELLINGAN: That's correct, Chairperson, that's 100% correct.
MR BOOYENS: Was your function to drive the people in to the point where the ambush was set up?
MR BELLINGAN: That is correct, Chairperson.
MR BOOYENS: And you dropped them off and they took their weapons, you then moved out from that point?
MR BELLINGAN: That's correct, Chairperson.
CHAIRPERSON: Had they travelled into Swaziland with their separate vehicles?
MR BELLINGAN: That's correct, Chairperson.
CHAIRPERSON: I think we heard from Mr de Kock they didn't want vehicles to be seen in the plantation, so you took them there?
MR BELLINGAN: I drove them from the place where we stayed, Chairperson.
MR BOOYENS: And then you moved out with the vehicle back onto the main road and you returned to pick up the people afterwards?
MR BELLINGAN: That's correct, Chairperson.
MR BOOYENS: Mr Bellingan, the Chairperson has asked one of your colleagues, Mr Baker, this type of operation was it typical of the type of offensive operations which took place?
MR BELLINGAN: That is correct, Chairperson.
MR BOOYENS: So it was not a unique operation in that sense?
MR BELLINGAN: That's correct, Chairperson.
MR BOOYENS: You have also in your application mentioned the name of Mr Willie Nortje.
MR BELLINGAN: That is correct, Chairperson.
MR BOOYENS: And you have already heard that his legal representative said he was not there, is it possible that you may be mistaken in that sense?
MR BELLINGAN: That is correct, Chairperson.
MR BOOYENS: And do you confirm the balance of your application?
MR BELLINGAN: Yes, I do, Chairperson.
MR BOOYENS: Thank you, Chairperson, no further questions.
NO FURTHER QUESTIONS BY MR BOOYENS
MR HATTINGH: Hattingh, Mr Chairman, I have no questions, thank you.
MR CORNELIUS: Cornelius, Mr Chairman, I have no questions, thank you.
NO QUESTIONS BY MR CORNELIUS
MR NEL: Thank you, Mr Chairman, Nel, I have no questions.
NO QUESTIONS BY MR NEL
MR ROSSOUW: Thank you, Mr Chairman, I have no questions, but may I take this opportunity, Mr Chairman, to hand to you the affidavit by Mr Nortje that I've referred to. I beg leave to hand it up to the Committee. I've already provided my colleagues with copies thereof.
NO QUESTIONS BY MR ROSSOUW
CHAIRPERSON: Will that be Exhibit J? As Mr Visser says, we jump the I.
MR ROSSOUW: Thank you, Mr Chairman.
MR BOTHA: Botha, Mr Chairman, I have no questions.
NO QUESTIONS BY MR BOTHA
MR VISSER: Visser, Mr Chairman, I have no questions thank you.
NO QUESTIONS BY MR VISSER
MR VAN HEERDEN: Van Heerden, Mr Chairman, no questions.
NO QUESTIONS BY MR VAN HEERDEN
ADV STEENKAMP: No questions.
NO QUESTIONS BY ADV STEENKAMP
MR SIBANYONI: I've got no question, Mr Chairperson.
ADV SANDI: No questions.
CHAIRPERSON: Did Mr de Kock accompany you to Swaziland?
MR BELLINGAN: No, Chairperson, Mr Hanton was with me in the minibus.
CHAIRPERSON: So your application is wrong in that regard. Page 272, paragraph 8(a)(iv).
MR BELLINGAN: I agree, Chairperson. Mr de Kock was in another vehicle.
MACHINE SWITCHED OFF
MR BELLINGAN: Chairperson, it was not a hotel, it was some holiday resort, there were triangular houses, the name was Smoky Valley Inn and that's where we lived. It was separate triangular houses in some valley.
CHAIRPERSON: And when did you arrive there?
MR BELLINGAN: Chairperson, that minibus was quite slow, so I would have arrived there sometime during the day. Because when one drives into Swaziland the roads are not so good, so one cannot drive that fast, so I must have arrived there during the day.
CHAIRPERSON: And you intended to leave that night?
MR BELLINGAN: Yes, we would have left after the operation, but it didn't happen as such and we only left the following morning.
CHAIRPERSON: Thank you. Re-examination?
MR BOOYENS: No re-examination, thank you, Mr Chairman.
CHAIRPERSON: ...(indistinct - no microphone)
WITNESS EXCUSED
MR BOOYENS: Yes, Mr Chairman. Mr Chairman, that concludes the evidence of the applicants I intend calling.
