Breaking news: Johannesburg radio station Talk 702 has reported this morning that two Boeremag escapees have been recaptured by police.
The two armed Boeremag escapees Herman van Rooyen (33) and Rudi Gouws (28) were nabbed in a townhouse complex in Pretoria in the early hours of Saturday morning. It is believed that the men had been hiding on a farm in Limpopo and had moved to the townhouse a few weeks ago.
”Although the two made an attempt to resist, they were quickly overpowered by police,” said national police spokesperson Sally de Beer. ”The fugitives were armed with fully automatic rifles with rounds.”
The two Boeremag members escaped in May last year while awaiting trial on 42 charges involving a right-wing plot to overthrow the South African government. The charges included high treason, terrorism, sabotage, murder, attempted murder, causing explosions and the illegal possession of explosives, firearms and ammunition.
Police said at the time of their escape that a ”massive search” had been launched to find the two escapees.
Van Rooyen was initially caught in Pretoria in December 2002 in a bakkie rigged with 384kg of explosives and two bags of nuts and bolts for shrapnel. At the time it was speculated that the car bomb was meant for a soccer game between Kaizer Chiefs and Sundowns at Loftus Versfeld.
Van Rooyen was believed to have access to a R40-million inheritance and to be bankrolling the Boeremag’s activities. The evening before Van Rooyen’s arrest, Gouws was caught when he was lured into a police trap in Pretoria.
A series of bomb explosions in October 2002 that killed one person formed part of the Boeremag’s bid to create chaos and pave the way for a violent right-wing coup.
More details to follow.