DECISION
The Applicant has applied for amnesty for a number of incidents in respect of which hearings were held. This decision concerns two incidents which do not entail gross human rights violations and they are therefore dealt with in chambers.
1. The provision of arms to the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP).
During the period 1990 - 1991/1992 the Applicant upon the orders of Eugene de Kock assisted in providing arms which were stored by the Security Police at Vlakplaas, to the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP). This was done to assist the IFP in its conflict with the African National Congress (ANC). The Applicant was involved in the sorting, packaging and handling of these arms over the period mentioned above.
2. During the time that the Applicant was a member of the Vlakplaas Unit of the Security Branch he received instructions from his senior Eugene de Kock to assist in an operation of the so-called Stratcom section, also of the Security Branch. This involved an attack on a house in Soutpansberg Road in Queenswood, Pretoria. For this purpose the Applicant was issued with a .22 pistol. He is unable to recollect the names of the persons whom he accompanied. He is also unable to say exactly whose house was attacked but he does recall that it was an operation against so-called "leftist activists" in Pretoria. He was ordered to simply fire a few shots at the ceiling of the lounge. It was not intended to hurt or kill anybody and after having fired the shots the Applicant retreated from the scene. Nobody was injured or killed.
After having considered all the documentation on the file the Committee is satisfied that the acts to which the applications relate are acts associated with a political objective committed in the course of conflicts of the past in accordance with Section 20 of Act 34 of 1995.
Accordingly amnesty is GRANTED to Willem Albertus Nortje for:
(1) all acts directly flowing from or associated with the provision of arms to the IFP during the period 1990 - 1991/1992 at or near Vlakplaas, Pretoria.
(2) all acts directly associated with or flowing from an attack on a house in Soutpansberg in Queenswood, Pretoria during the course of 1988.
SIGNED AT CAPE TOWN THIS 17TH DAY OF MAY 2001
JUDGE A WILSON
ADV N SANDI
ADV F BOSMAN
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