State to call third witness
2004-08-02 12:33
Pretoria - The prosecution in the Boeremag treason trial is expected to call a new witness on Tuesday, its third since the hearing started in the Pretoria High Court more than a year ago.
Henk van Zyl is expected to be sworn in as a so-called Section 204 witness, meaning he could face prosecution should his testimony be dishonest.
Van Zyl was initially a suspect in the coup plot, but charges against him were withdrawn.
The trial was postponed on Monday morning for final arrangements to be made with the Legal Aid Board for one of the accused, Lets Pretorius, to obtain legal representation.
Pretorius and 21 other alleged members of the rightwing Boeremag organisation are standing trial for plotting to overthrow the government.
They face 42 charges including murder, attempted murder, treason, terrorism, sabotage, and arms and explosives violations.
Their trial was to have started last May, but testimony by the first witness only got underway in October after numerous delays caused by wrangling with the Legal Aid Board and complaints by the accused of maltreatment in prison.
The previous witnesses were Thabazimbi farmer Lourens du Plessis - a suspected accomplice of the Boeremag accused - and police spy Johannes Coenraad Smit, who infiltrated the group.
Du Plessis was arrested in connection with the planned coup in August 2002, but charges were provisionally withdrawn by the State in exchange for his testimony.
These included a charge of conspiring to murder prominent businessman and former politician Cyril Ramaphosa, the illegal possession of arms, ammunition and explosives, the possession of fake money, corruption, the assault of a Beeld journalist and hiding a fugitive.
Smit, a former Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging member, told the court how he learnt of plans by the Boeremag to "chase" all blacks and Indians out of the country, blow up power stations, take over defence force bases and eliminate "enemies" of the Boers.
Smit gave evidence from last October to May this year, when Du Plessis started testifying.
The trial continues.
- SAPA