Eugene de Kock recounts thallium poisonings and source of bombing instructions

Former Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock appeared before the Khampepe Commission of Inquiry on Monday, discussing the thallium poisonings and the source of bombing instructions during apartheid-era crimes. Vlakplaas was a notorious counterinsurgency unit that trained captured liberation fighters to carry out attacks on liberation movements. De Kock emphasized that the generals involved in the crimes were not prosecuted, suggesting it was done to protect National Party politicians.

De Kock recounted dealing with former police commissioner General Johan van der Merwe, who had experimented with thallium in prisoners' food. The thallium caused paralysis, and those who died were cremated to avoid an autopsy. De Kock claimed that a young sergeant was scapegoated and relocated when questions arose. The affected prisoners were held under Article 29 of the Geneva Convention, which covers the treatment of prisoners of war.

De Kock further revealed that a Rhodesian Special Branch officer told him that they analyzed enemies' faeces for thallium to determine if the victims were dead or disabled. He added that the thallium dosage had to be doubled for black people due to their faster metabolism. De Kock stated that the orders for the bombings came "from very high," naming former ministers Louis le Grange and Adriaan Vlok.

Le Grange allegedly signed off on the 1988 bombing of the ANC's London offices, and Vlok attended the bombings of Cosatu House in 1987 and Khotso House in 1988.

De Kock mentioned that Brigadier Willem Schoon instructed him to bomb Cosatu House, claiming the orders came directly from President PW Botha. He expressed his willingness to testify about the chain of command if given the opportunity, stating that those who gave the instructions to the generals would have been exposed. De Kock concluded that the answer to why prosecutions did not take place lies with those at the top of the chain of command.