FRIDAY, 5.00PM
FORMER Civil Co-operation Bureau operative Wouter Basson, alias Christo Brits, was questioned by members of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s investigative unit on Friday. He was the third CCB member to be quizzed by the commission this week.
Basson and CCB “managing director” Joe Verster and CCB operative Abraham “Slang” van Zyl were subpoenaed to appear before a behind-closed-doors inquiry in terms of section 29 of the Promotion of National Reconciliation Act which governs the commission.
Basson was expected to be questioned on the 1989 bombing of the Early Learning Centre in Athlone, Cape Town, as well as on the death of CCB recruit Edward “Peaches” Gordon and the assassination of Swapo lawyer Anton Lubowski in 1989.
Basson, not to be confused with chemical warfare expert Dr Wouter Basson, previously testified before the Harms Commission of Inquiry in 1990. Once the co-ordinator of the CCB’s Region 6, Basson gave evidence at the Harms Inquiry in disguise and under the pseudonym Christo Brits. At the time he refused to answer questions on the Early Learning Centre bombing and the attempted murders of Weekly Mail journalist Gavin Evans and then ANC lawyer Dullah Omar, now justice minister. He also denied knowledge of Lubowski’s murder or the CCB’s involvement in the shotgun murder of academic David Webster.
Verster appeared at an in camera hearing on Tuesday, but refused to answer questions on the CCB’s foreign operations. He was followed on Thursday by Van Zyl who, like Verster, was not willing to speak about the CCB’s external operations.