De Kock spooks black workers
Staff demand Vlakplaas death squad commander’s removal from old-age home Veil of secrecy surrounding his stay at the facility questioned
Black workers at a retirement centre this week forced their bosses to rescind the decision to accommodate apartheid death squad commander Eugene de Kock at the institution.
De Kock, notoriously known as “Prime Evil”, had been at the private Ons Tuis retirement home in Pretoria North for about two weeks.
But on Wednesday, black workers allegedly confronted their bosses over the veil of secrecy surrounding his presence at the facility.
Workers who spoke to Sowetan on condition of anonymity for fear of victimisation said De Kock was admitted while the facility’s matron Elize Mans was on leave.
When asked for comment, Mans confirmed she was on holiday when he was admitted.
A worker said yesterday: “Unlike other residents, there was no evaluation done on him or history provided.”
The worker said no person visited De Kock in the two weeks he was at the facility and that if there were any visitors, they had to be escorted by security.
Things allegedly came to a head on Wednesday when about 50 black workers demanded an explanation for the former Vlakplaas commander’s presence at the facility.
“We told them that we would not be able to assist him,” the worked said.
She said at the meeting, one of the social workers at Ons Tuis claimed that they also did not know who De Kock was.
“We felt that our lives were in danger. We were scared. We told them we don’t want to serve him.”
During De Kock’s two weeks’ stay at Ons Tuis, the worker said he only slightly opened the door to his room when being given medication or when they wanted to clean it.
The worker recalled an incident where De Kock walked to the dining hall but made a hasty retreat to his room after realising the hall was packed.
Another worker said: “They think we do not know our history. They think we’re stupid.”
A female employee said: “He killed many people that if there are others who want him dead we would be in the line of fire.”
De Kock apparently left Ons Tuis on Wednesday around 2pm accompanied by six men and three cars, according to workers who were present.
Last year, De Kock was asked to leave a Franschhoek Literary Festival cocktail event in the Cape as some writers and publishers were “visibly upset” by his presence.
His attorney Julian Knight said he last saw him months ago at Kgosi Mampuru II Prison in Pretoria.
De Kock was paroled in February 2015 after spending 20 of his 212-year jail sentence for six counts of murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, assault, kidnapping, illegal possession of firearm and fraud.
Department of Correctional Services’ Singabakho Nxumalo said when the parole decision was taken, De Kock requested that the conditions of his release not be made public.
“De Kock continues to serve the remainder of his life sentence on parole under the supervision of the department and subject to the conditions imposed upon him by the department,” Nxumalo said.