A Pretoria High Court judge on Thursday questioned why ”obviously intelligent” Boeremag trialists had never debated predictions by Boer prophet Siener van Rensburg that there would be a large-scale attack on whites by blacks.
Speaking during the bail application of Mike du Toit, his brother Andre, and Jacobus (Rooikoos) du Plessis, Judge Ronnie Bosielo remarked that historical events in South Africa did not point to the feared large-scale attack.
”I’ve listened to your brother [Mike] and gained the impression that he is extremely intelligent. I get the same impression from you. We’ve had a new black government for at least 10 years.
”There had been incidents in the past of Afrikaans people killing [black] people, such as the Barend Strydom and Chris Hani incidents … Can you name on example of black groups, for example, deciding to go to Loftus to kill whites? Historical events in the country do not point to that. Did you not question it?” he asked Andre.
Andre said while he could not think of any such examples, his fears were confirmed by documentation indicating, for example, that the South African Communist Party was planning to further communist principles in South Africa ”through violence”.
Bosielo said he was concerned that no one had asked where another Boer ”prophet”, Sonja Jordaan — who had also predicted black-on-white violence –”got these things from”.
Anarchy from Zimbabwe
Andre evaded the question, insisting that there had been a fear of anarchy spilling over from Zimbabwe into South Africa.
”If one looks at the present state of farm murders, it feels as if Afrikaans people are being killed on farms and as if it does not have to do with crime. If one looks at the media, it [farm attacks] happens almost daily.
”These fears were discussed at the meetings. Another man, Leon Peacock, said he had information about a large-scale attack from Botswana on South Africa. We talked about a document called Vula II. It was felt that strife between the SACP and the ANC [African National Congress] could result in the attack being speeded up.
”There was also a document titled Red October Campaign on an SACP/Cosatu [Congress of South African Trade Unions] letterhead indicating that the communist part of the alliance wanted to promote communist ideals … through violence.
”These documents … confirmed my fears,” he said.
Bosielo said there was vigorous debate between the SACP, Cosatu and the ANC, but it was in the nature of politics and there had never been a threat of violence between the parties.
”There’s a vigorous debate. It’s what democracy is all about,” he said, to which Andre replied: ”That’s right, but there is growing tension.”
No coup d’état
Du Toit flatly denied ever planning or discussing a coup d’état.
He said the meetings had been intended to organise Afrikaners and especially farmers to defend themselves when an attack came.
He insisted that he had never been a member of an organisation known as the Boeremag and said he knew nothing about ”Document 12”, which the state alleges was the blueprint for the planned coup.
Du Toit said he does not know — and apparently neither does the prosecution — who the author of Document 12 was, which he regards as an absurd daydream that was not possible to carry out.
The bail hearing continues.
The trial of the three applicants and 19 other men — who have denied guilt on charges ranging from high treason to terrorism and murder — is to resume on January 24. — Sapa
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