Eddie Koch
A BUSINESS organisation, which this week promised to=20 mobilise more than 100 000 workers of all races to=20 neutralise union mass action against the labour bill,=20 collaborated in dirty tricks operations to undermine=20 the ANC and its trade union wing in 1991 and 1992 –=20 long after Nelson Mandela was released.=20
Top secret documents in the possession of the Mail Guardian show that Cofesa (the Confederation of=20 Employers of Southern Africa) — which claims to have=20 organised 12 000 employers in 34 regions of the=20 country against mass action — played a major role in=20 clandestine schemes run by the security forces’=20 Stratcom units.
Stratcom was the De Klerk government’s main organ for=20 conducting assassinations, bombings and propaganda=20 against the African National Congress (ANC), the=20 Communist Party and the Congress of South African Trade=20 Unions (Cosatu). It operated as late as August 1991=20 even though Mandela had been assured around the time of=20 his release that there would no covert interference in=20 ANC affairs.
A message marked “Uiters Geheim Kriptoberig/Top Secret=20 Crypto Report”, given to the Mail & Guardian by former=20 Stratcom operative Paul Erasmus, shows that a senior=20 Cofesa official agreed to act as the security branch’s=20 “principal agent” to organise members of Cofesa into a=20 campaign run by Stratcom.
Security policemen working under Stratcom set up a=20 front company called Businessmen for South Africa (BSA)=20 in early 1991 to take part in a covert programme,=20 codenamed Project Wigwam: Operation Romulus, designed=20 to discredit and destroy the tripartite alliance. As=20 part of Project Wigwam, a Security Branch team was=20 instructed by Stratcom to stake out and bomb Cosatu=20 House in 1987. The building was destroyed by a massive=20 blast later that year.
The secret document says: “In connection with BSA (the=20 Stratcom front) this office has had talks with Mr Smit=20 of the employers’ organisation Cofesa. He agreed to act=20 as principal for BSA. He will approach selected=20 businessmen who are members of Cofesa to take part in=20 the action. Mr Smit is of the opinion that he will be=20 able to organise members of Cofesa countrywide to take=20 part in action BSA.”
Colonel Johan Putte, a senior Stratcom co-ordinator,=20 obtained clearance for R140 000 from a police “secfin”=20 (secret finance) account to be paid to Cofesa. Stratcom=20 was wound up, however, before this amount could be=20 handed over.
Another top secret document lists the names of=20 businessmen who were described as “contact persons” for=20 the Stratcom front. This list includes Advocate Hein=20 van der Walt, the current director of Cofesa.=20
“As second in charge of Stratcom’s Witwatersrand unit I=20 was deputed, along with other members of the unit, to=20 liaise with Advocate van der Walt and another senior=20 Cofesa official, Mr Smit, to counter a June 1991=20 boycott of white-owned shops and to recruit the support=20 for our businessman’s front,” says Erasmus.
“As the relationhip grew, it was agreed that Cofesa=20 facilities would be used to provide logistical support=20 for an ultra-top-secret Stratcom project to create a=20 political party that would oppose the ANC and would=20 ultimately be controlled by the Nationalist=20 government,” Erasmus said.
A press release issued by Cofesa last week says the=20 organisation now has 34 offices around the country and=20 that this network is “geared to mobilise more than 100=20 000 part-time workers of all races to neutralise the=20 Cosatu Alliance actions planned for June 19”.
Cofesa urges all businessmen to tell their workers that=20 stayaways are illegal and that a policy of no-work-no- pay will be implemented. “In addition the stayaway=20 actions are classified under misconduct and as such=20 management is entitled to take disciplinary action=20 against workers on an individual basis.”
Asked to comment on the evidence, Van Der Walt first=20 denied any history of dealing with Stratcom. He then=20 told the Mail & Guardian that his previous dealings=20 with the security branch were “history” and that the=20 organisation is now independent. He pointed out that it=20 has a senior ANC official Patrick Moseki on its board.=20
Moseki, head of tourism in the Gauteng’s RDP office,=20 denies being on the Cofesa board.=20
“My name is being abused as an ANC official. I’m not a=20 member of Cofesa’s board. On no occassion have I=20 criticised mass action, and I am instructing my lawyers=20 on this matter. “
Says Erasmus: “It was a cardinal principal of all=20 Stratcom operations, fronts and activities that in the=20 interest of the maintenance of security such bodies had=20 to become self-financing and self-sustaining. Since=20 Inkathagate many of these fronts have become self- sustaining — but it is incontestable that many covert=20 operations continued through these companies after=20 Stratcom was formally closed.”