De Kock: Apartheid govt sanctioned killing of activist from highest levels of power

Former Vlakplaas operative Eugene De Kock said that the apartheid government sanctioned the killing of activists from the highest levels of power.

Testifying at the reopened inquest into the Cradock Four murders, he said the killings of activists could not have been authorised at a local level.

In 1985 Matthew Goniwe, Sicelo Mhlauli, Fort Calata and Sparrow Mkhonto were abducted while travelling from Gqeberha to their hometown Cradock, they were later killed.

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He's, however, denied direct involvement in the killing.

“My orders came from high and very high and at one stage it was presidential, President P.W. Botha. I cannot speak for the other people.”

De Kock also said he was ordered to kill President Cyril Ramaphosa, along with 32 others but refused.

“The higher ups those that gave the orders they wanted a lot of people shot and killed; my attitude was why don’t you kill them yourself. I had a list of 33 people, amongst those names were that of the current president of the country, they wanted him dead and I said he is not a terrorist.”