e n e r a l christoffei “joffei” van der Westhuizen, the army ’s Eastern Province Command. powerful intelligence chief who The eastern Cape has long been is at the centre of the Goniwe regarded in military circles as the sec­ Gassassination row, was head of Armythe intelligence ond most important region in the coun­ South African Defence Force on the try, after the Witwatersrand. The EP Reef at the time when military agents Command is often used as a spring­ spied on murdered academic David board for officers headed for top posi­ Webster. chief linked to tions and the area has been used as a Van der Westhuizen— the flamboy­ testing ground for military strategies ant officer who allegedly gave the onier, such as those employed during the when he was head of the SADF’s 1980s to counter the "total onslaught” Eastern Province Command in 1985, to against the country. “permanently remove” activist Webster murder Adding a feather to Van der f Matthew Goniwe — moved to the Reef Westhuizen s cap was the fact that while at the end of 1986. he was in charge of the EP Command, it A senior military intelligence (Ml) One of the most powerful men in the military has been linked to was awarded the SADF’s coveted source told this week “Swond of Peace” in 1986 and 1987., The Weekly Mail the murder of human-ri<*hts academic David Webster — and he that Van der Westhuizen took charge of In his present controlling position of the Witwatersrand Command until is likely to be called to testify at the o fficial inquest due to start the security forces. Van der West­ huizen appears to have continued focus­ February 1990. when he moved on to soon. By LOUISE FLANAGAN and EDDIE KOCH become deputy chief of the SADF. This ing his operations in the eastern Cape as meant he received intelligence reports well as on the Reef, in some he from army agents who carried out has used his former EP Command “dirty-tricks” campaigns against anti- henchmen to cany out these operations. government leaders, including agents One of these is Lourens du Plessis, involved in the Johannesburg City named as the man who wrote and Council spy scandal. signed the now obsolete signal message Lawyer Tony Naude admitted during form asking for authorisation of the the official probe into the spy scandal that Goniwe murder. Du Plessis was at the he had made friends with Webster and time the acting Staff Officer for had monitored his activities for MI offi­ Intelligence at EP Command. cers on the Witwatersrand before the Although SADF spokesman Colo­ human-rights academic was gunned nel John Rolt has said that Du Plessis’ down outside hisTroyeville home on address was not known. The Weekly May 1 three years ago. Mail was easily able to contact him at Hannes Gouws, a city council securi­ his home this week. He is now retired ty agent who gave evidence during the from the SADF, but he still draws a mil­ itary pension. Hiemstra Commission of Inquiry, named a number of army agents who Du Plessis was the man in charge of worked out of Wits Command and M i’s Comops (communications opera­ would have fallen-under Van der tions) at EP Command under Van der Westhuizen s authority. Westhuizen. He was known for his con­ An official inquest into Webster’s tacts in the Ciskei and is believed to have assassination is due to start in a few been involved with the now defunct weeks and it is likely that lawyers for the Ciskei rebel movement lliso Lomzi, headed by Charles Sebe. His activities David WebsterTrust will call the contro- vereial general to the witness box. apparently included discrediting Lennox A joint investigation by The Weekly Sebe, then president of the Ciskei, with Mail and the independent Board of pamphlets and alleged support for those Inquiry into Informal Repression has wanting to overthrow him. established that Van der Westhuizen After the military government took made a name for himself in the eastern over in Ciskei, Du Plessis took up with Cape by setting up an irregular unit a clandestine military grouping called called the Hammer Forces which ear­ International Researchers-Ciskei ned out special operations against anti- Intelligence Services, enabling the unit govemment and township leaders. to make good use of his Ciske’i connec­ This was a citizen force unit whose tions. At one point, he was reportedly members earned the right to wear a ruining a food outlet in the Ciskei town badge in the shape of a sledgehammer of Alice on behalf of IR-CIS. on their chests after going through a spe­ Cape Civil group— Hammer”. : Du Plessis has also been mentioned the most powerful men in the military in connection with the Ml front organi­ cial training course held at KoOga in the And some members of this unil came today. i eastern Cape. Although its members to the Reef with their leader when Van sation Adult Education Consultants. His career path has been typical of •T he Department of Military, intel­ were uniformed, they otten took part in der Westhuizen was promoted to officer many SADF senior officers groomed irregular operations as plainclothes in charge of Wits Command. ligence has begun a witchhunt to find for the most powerful posts in lfie secu­ out who leaked the document that impli­ operatives. After Van der Westhuizen moved to rity forces. It is highly likely that members of the the Reef, the violence in Port Elizabeth cates Van der Westhuizen to the In 1975, he was involved in the Goniwe murder. Hammer Forces were involved in the and surrounding townships more or less SADF’s first big operation in Angola, mystery army roadblock on the night came to an end. Even the SADF com­ A number of military officers who. codenamed Operation Savannah. He had access to the top-secret registry in Goniwe was killed (see accompanying mented on this in a February 1988 issue then served as the Officer Command­ story). which the document was kept were of its newspaper. Uniform, although ing 14 Artillery Regiment at Potchef- The Hammer Forces unit was men­ Uniform ascribed the peace to the hauled on to the carpet this week. One stroom. and was involved in a lengthy of these officers told The Weekly Mail tioned during the Skweyiya Commis­ SADF’s efforts. project resulting in the development of sion of Inquiry into security activities at With his promotion to deputy chief of that “the authenticity of the document is the acclaimed G6 cannon. not in doubt”. the University of Transkei. A document the SADF in 1990 and then to Chief of By the early 1980s, he was stationed referred to the "snatching” of a universi­ It has also been established that the Staff Intelligence, his current position. in Port Elizabeth, where he took up the ty academic which involved the “East Van der Westhuizen has become one of handwriting and the signature on the position of Officer Commanding the document are by Lourens Du Plessis. V _ . a Webster’s murder: Confession probed POLICE are investigating an alleged confession by a I former Civil Co-operation Bureau agent, Mr Herat Barnard, that he murdered academic Dr David Web*|“ - Barnard has been long suspected by lawyers to be at at least indirectly involved in the assassination. A Sunday newspaper yesterday reported that Barnard first claimed he murdered Webster to his former CCB handler the day after the murder The handler, codenamed “Yssel , allegedly told advocate Mr Martin Luilingh of the "confession . Luitingh will give evidence in an inquest into Webster's death. A West Rand businessman, who U> d two police officers that Barnard had also confessed to him will also be called on to give evidence Lawyers dealing with Webster's case are. however, not convinced the confession will bnng anything|new. “We are not really learning anything new. Tins stuff has been bandied around for some time said lawyer Mr David Dyson - Soweinn Correspondent. ^ • • • I _____ Officials ‘behind hit squads’ TRANSKEIAN Military recommending that well By IKE MOTSAPI ruler. General Bantu known UDF activist. Mat­ Holomisa has threatened to thew Goniwe and two oth­ release documents impli­ his possession thick files of ers be “permanently re­ cating the Government in secret documents which moved from society.” hit-squad murders. show that political killings Holomisa said: “It is Holomisa, addressing around the country were imperative that Codesa Codesa 2 Plenary Session "sanctioned at the highest considers the advisability last Friday, said he has in level of Government". of calling upon neutral ar­ He said names men­ biters and jurists to look tioned in these files were at into and verify the authen­ the highest level in both ticity of the contents of the Government and security documents that are in my forces. possession like the signal Holomisa gave the Gov­ message linked to the dis­ ernment a taste of things to appearance of Goniwe and come recently by releasing others. a signal form sent by Colo- “A commission of In­ nel Chris van der quiry consisting of interna­ Westhuizen. military com­ tional jurists and credible mander in the Eastern local and legal personnel Cape, to the State Security should be instituted by Council on June 7 1985, Codesa." % Helen Grange session of a hit list All were freed due to lack of evidence F'olice are looking into the The Harms Commission con­ alleged confession by former Police probe Barnard ‘confession’ cluded that there was no evi­ Cjivil Co-operation Bureau dence that the CCB had anything (<PCB) agent Ferdi Barnard to do with the murder claimed he had murdered Dr Webster's case are not entirely ally motivated murders little sceptical of the new Bar­ ski.