Boeremag: 'Hit list not ours'

2003-09-22 12:51

Pretoria - The Boeremag treason accused on Monday distanced themselves from a so-called "new" hit list, which includes the names of the trial judge and prosecutors, describing it as a deliberate attempt to blacken their names.

This follows weekend reports that security measures around former president Nelson Mandela and other prominent people had been increased as a result of a "new list" being distributed among far-rightwingers.

One of the accused, Tom Vorster, meanwhile handed a four-page, hand-written letter to the court in which he complained about their names being "blackened".

The letter blamed the police for waging a "campaign" against them in order to make them appear "dangerous" and to keep them in Pretoria's C-Max maximum-security prison.

Thirteen of the accused, who are being held at C-Max, have asked for a transfer to Zonderwater Prison.

They claimed they were being victimised in C-Max and their rights as awaiting-trial prisoners were being disregarded. No decision has been made about their transfer yet.

Vorster referred to a number of incidents at court, which he said were indicative of a campaign to create a certain atmosphere in the case.

Huge hole in the floor

These included a cellphone being blown up, a "suspicious" car delaying the trial for several hours and the theft of the hard drive of the computer being used in court.

In the latest incident, a police bomb squad on Friday afternoon blew up a coffee flask accidentally left by one of the accused in the dock.

Although C-Max was told of the flask left behind, a huge hole was blasted into the historic wooden floor at the C-Court in the Palace of Justice before the flask could be retrieved.

Harry Prinsloo, appearing for Michael du Toit, referred to a nameless letter doing the rounds that created the impression that there was a revival in the so-called Boeremag.

"The person who wrote that letter should be in Weskoppies (psychiatric) Hospital," he said.

Judge Eben Jordaan on Monday assured the accused that although he had read the weekend reports, he had not drawn any causal connection between the so-called list and the accused.

"I accept 100 percent that you distance yourselves from that list. I have never been informed that my name appears on such a list.

"I would really like to see that list. For all I know, it contains a list of Nobel Prize winners," said the judge.

The hearing continues.

- SAPA