The two Boeremag fugitives who were rearrested in the early hours of Saturday morning have been sent back to Pretoria’s C-Max prison.
Rudi Gouws (29) and Herman van Rooyen (33) appeared briefly in the Pretoria Regional Court on Saturday morning.
They were not officially charged but would face charges of escaping from lawful custody and the illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.
They escaped from the Pretoria High Court on May 3 last year.
The two were under heavy police guard with no less than 10 police vehicles escorting them to court. There were also several police officers armed with automatic rifles inside the courtroom.
Gouws and van Rooyen were dressed in rugby shorts and T-shirts. They looked overwhelmed by the police and media presence. On February 29 the two will appear in the Pretoria High Court along with 20 other co-accused for the resumption of their treason trial.
National Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi also attended the court appearance but did not want to speak about the arrests.
The police’s Special Task Force pounced on the two at 3.20am in a townhouse complex in Lyttleton, Pretoria.
National spokesperson Director Sally De Beer said: ”Although the two made an attempt to resist, they were quickly overpowered by police.”
The pair were armed with fully automatic rifles, with rounds in the breach, she said.
Breakthrough
The case recently had its first significant breakthrough with the arrest of Jacobus and Elizabeth Bogaards, who allegedly aided and abetted the fugitives, De Beer said.
The couple appeared before a magistrate in the Limpopo town of Modimolle on Monday.
De Beer said a tent in which the pair had camped in was found on their property, as well as a motor bike registered in Van Rooyen’s name.
The Bogaards, who face charges relating to the Protection of Democracy Against Terrorism and Related Activities Act, are scheduled to apply for bail on Monday in Modimolle. They remained in custody.
The possibility of further arrests in connection with assistance given to the Van Rooyen and Gouws are possible, De Beer said.
Van Rooyen was 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.
The pair’s trial began in late 2003. Along with them were 20 other men, also charged with plotting a rightwing coup d’etat. They face 42 charges including murder, attempted murder, treason, terrorism, sabotage, and arms and explosives offences.
Last May, Van Rooyen and Gouws were placed on Interpol’s ”red notice” list as well as Interpol’s international data base for wanted fugitives.
Police also installed a hotline for people with information on the whereabouts of the two.
”Months of sleepless nights have paid off for the dedicated team which has been tracking Van Rooyen and Gouws,” said Ray Lalla, the divisional commissioner of the SAPS crime intelligence division.
”Many of our members have worked tirelessly to ensure that the two are re-arrested, sacrificing valuable family time and enduring death-threats which resulted in them fearing for the safety of their families.” – Sapa and Staff reporter