Apartheid assassin De Kock believes he could be falsely implicated in Cradock Four murders

A notorious former police colonel and assassin from the apartheid era, Eugene de Kock fears he may have been wrongfully accused of the 1985 killings of the Cradock Four, a group of anti-apartheid activists who were brutally murdered by security forces.

In 1999, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) granted De Kock, who was dubbed “Prime Evil” for leading the apartheid counterinsurgency unit C10, amnesty for crimes connected to these killings.

The Cradock Four-Matthew Goniwe, Fort Calata, Sparrow Mkhonto, and Sicelo Mhlauli-were abducted, killed, and their bodies burned near Port Elizabeth in June 1985.

The apartheid security police initially attempted to cover up their involvement by fabricating a story blaming internal factional violence within the Azanian People’s Organisation (AZAPO)5. Subsequent inquests and investigations, including a 1994 inquiry, established prima facie evidence implicating members of the security forces in the murders

According to De Kock’s testimony, senior officials and politicians, including former president F.W. de Klerk, were involved in the killings, which were ordered from the highest echelons of the government and security apparatus.

He explained a system in which political leaders frequently disassociated themselves from the consequences of violent repression carried out by “hawks” in government who controlled “doves” and security forces. Additionally, De Kock emphasized how security police officers, such as Captain Sakkie van Zyl, who acknowledged shooting one of the activists, were involved in the murders and subsequent cover-up efforts.