Brereton's colleague tells all

2003-10-23 21:43

Mandy Rossouw

Bloemfontein - Vanessa Brereton, who allegedly acted under the codename RS452 as an apartheid era spy, was a "quiet person who seldom offered her own opinion, but rather listened and observed".

This was the testimony of Advocate Glenn Goosen, a former colleague of Brereton, before the Hefer Commission on Thursday.

The commission is investigating allegations that National Director of Public Prosecutions, Bulelani Ngcuka, and Justice Minister Penuell Maduna were spies for the apartheid regime.

Former minister of transport, Mac Maharaj, and a former African National Congress spy, Mo Shaik, alleged earlier that Ngcuka was agent RS452.

They have since denied these allegations after information of Brereton's confession was published.

Goosen told the commission that he worked under Brereton, a former human rights lawyer, in 1989 and that they were both involved in anti-apartheid activities.

He said Brereton mostly defended people who were detained because of their involvement in riots and that she acted for several leaders of the former United Democratic Front (UDF) when they were detained.

Goosen said Ngcuka's name was never mentioned during their activities in the past.

Marumo Moerane, acting for Ngcuka, told the commission that Brereton met Maduna on a tour of Scandinavia.

Goosen met Shaik during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) hearings where Goosen worked as director of investigations.

Goosen said he and Shaik both had access to TRC files with information on possible spies because of their involvement with the TRC.

"I was under the impression that Mo Shaik was part of the intelligence services."

"My access to these files was always facilitated by the National Intelligence Agency," he said.

- Beeld