OWN CORRESPONDENT, Pretoria | Thursday 9.30pm.
FORMER chief of police Johann Coetzee on Thursday told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that he found the assasination of former Communist party chief Joe Slovo’s wife, Ruth First, morally repugnant, and again denied having any part in the parcel-bomb murder.
Coetzee told the TRC’s amnesty committee that he was not involved in any of the political assasinations that took place in the period when he headed the police. He said he believed at the time that other organisations, such as the American Central Intelligence Agency, may have been involved.
“It was obvious that assassinations were taking place but I considered an enemy of my enemy as a friend of mine,” he said of reports of the killing of high profile ANC leaders and activists.
When asked by George Bizos, SC, appearing for the Slovo family, whether he would have approved the assassination of an enemy of the government by a parcel bomb he said: “All killings, whether legitimate or illegitimate, are wrong, but I find killing by means of a letter bomb morally repugnant. If anyone had suggested it to me I would have laughed at them.”
Coetzee said that he would not have tolerated political assassinations by his policemen, and would have taken strong action against anyone found to have been involved.
Coetzee has applied for amnesty for the bombing of the ANC offices in London, but has been questioned at length by Bizos about political murders, including that of First.
Meanwhile, a Scotland Yard representative, Detective Inspector Kim Durham, who is observing Coetzee and seven other amnesty hearings into the bombing of the ANC’s London offices may be called to clarify whether anyone was injured.
TRC evidence leader, Ramula Patel, told the hearing she had information from Scotland Yard detectives that a Mr Mbatha was injured in the blast, but Coetzee denied this.
He claimed that according to his information no one was killed or injured, saying the team sent to carry out the attack was instructed not to cause casualties because of the sensitive nature of the operation.
Louis Visser, SC, appearing for Coetzee, said that if Scotland Yard has information about the alleged injury, its representative should be subpoenaed to testify before the committee.