Stefaans Brummer
ONE of the men allegedly involved in the 1982 bombing of the ANC offices in London is now an Anglo American security supervisor.
John Adam is one of the seven alleged bombers named by former South African agent Craig Williamson two weeks ago when he confessed to his own role in the London bombing and identified six other security policemen allegedly involved.
An Anglo American liaison officer confirmed this week: “There is a person called John Adam employed in our gold and uranium division security department since August 1988. If there is any substance to the allegations, it will be investigated internally and appropriate action will be taken.”
He said Anglo had not known about allegations against Adam at the time he was recruited. “It is not our policy to employ people who are implicated in this type of thing.”
It is the second embarrassment the corporation has faced in weeks over its security staff. Last month, former security policeman Gary Pollock, facing charges relating to illegal arms possession, told the Durban Supreme Court he had spied on Anglo and bugged the conversations of prominent politicians while in the employ of Anglo’s security department in the late 1980s.
Adam has declined comment on Williamson’s allegations about his involvement in the 1982 bombing, saying he had been advised not to talk to the media.
Police headquarters liaison officer Major Sally de Beer said staff records showed Adam had left the police in 1988 as a major in Roodepoort, but that records did not show to which unit he had been attached.
In 1982, at the time of the bombing, he had been a captain in the security police branch at Jan Smuts
Several policemen at Roodepoort this week denied having known a John Adam to have been stationed there, but former security police sources pointed out that if he had still been with the security police in 1988, he would have worked from separate offices.
Meanwhile Williamson’s revelations about the 1982 London bombing may prove an irritant in the career aspirations of Foreign Affairs acting director-general Rusty Evans.
Williamson said components for the bomb had been transported to London by diplomatic bag and assembled at the embassy. Then-ambassador Marais Steyn immediately denied knowledge his embassy had been used in the sabotage, but only this week did the Weekly Mail & Guardian learn of Evans’ position at the time.
Department of Foreign Affairs media officer Jacques Malan this week confirmed Evans had been “minister” — the highest rank below ambassador — at the South African embassy at the time of the bombing. But he said Evans has “pertinently denied” knowledge the bomb might have been assembled at the embassy.
One of the men named in the bombing said he could not say which of the embassy personnel knew of their doings at the time. “Some knew, and some did not. Some preferred not to know because they thought it could affect their career chances,” he said.
The Weekly Mail & Guardian has no evidence suggesting Evans knew, but Williamson’s revelations have come at a time potentially harmful to his career. A cabinet decision on the permanent appointment of a Foreign Affairs director-general is expected next week and Evans is believed to be a main contender.
Evans was the last director-general under former Foreign Minister Pik Botha and was asked to stay on as acting director general under the new dispensation. He is understood to have been shortlisted for permanent
A liaison officer for President Nelson Mandela said the selection had been on the cabinet’s agenda on Wednesday, but that the decision seemed to have been postponed to next week.