By Angela Quintal
The father of twin boys who were shot in their sleep in the infamous 1993 Mthatha raid ordered by FW de Klerk wants the former president to be prosecuted for their murder and those of three other youngsters.
Nearly 14 years after the South African Defence Force (SADF) killings in his home, Pan Africanist Congress activist and former Robben Islander Sigqibo Mpendulo said in an interview: "I agree with the person who says he must be charged, because he killed my children. They were innocent. They were not Apla forces."
He was speaking a day after De Klerk issued a statement in which he again tried to justify the raid on Mpendulo's home, which the former president said had been confirmed by the SADF and police as a safe house for the PAC's armed wing, Apla.
However, De Klerk acknowledged that the operation was "tragically botched" and that five children were shot dead and that no weapons were found.
In his autobiography, De Klerk claimed he had acted in good faith and wrote: "I deeply regretted the incident and later the government of national unity supported the ample settlement of the ensuing civil damages."
Mpendulo said De Klerk had never personally apologised or called him to express regret, and that he believed he should be prosecuted.
He recalled how, the morning after the raid, when he returned home to find the dead youngsters riddled with bullets, he had heard De Klerk on the radio taking responsibility for the raid.
"He gave the orders that my children should be killed."
Asked about the settlement paid in relation to the civil claim against De Klerk and former cabinet minister Pik Botha and others present at the meeting where the order was given, Mpendulo said the families of the five children had received a total of R80 000. "I don't know what it was for... that was not compensation. It was an insult."
Mpendulo said he had received numerous calls from Hans Louw, a jailed "colleague" of Vlakplaas death squad commander Eugene de Kock, about the raid and that he had approached the National Prosecuting Authority in Mthatha (formerly Umtata) and made a statement about the information received. Louw had said he would testify against De Klerk about the order he gave for Mpendulo's home to be raided.
A week ago, he had received another call from a white man who said he was Louw's friend and that "the National Prosecuting Authority must do something because they are sick and tired of sitting in jail", Mpendulo said.
The NPA had written to him in November or December last year saying they had interviewed Louw and "I should wait for them to get back to me", Mpendulo said. But he had not heard anything from the NPA since.
De Klerk's spokesperson, Dave Steward, was not immediately available for comment.