Pretoria - Eugene de Kock appeared in public for the first time in years when a judge ordered the State to bring him to court on Friday.
The former commander of the Vlakplaas police hit squad, who spent nearly two decades in jail, turned up in the Pretoria High Court in jeans, a checked shirt and his trademark glasses, looking a little older but still recognisable.
De Kock’s lawyers, attorney Julian Knight and advocate Roelof du Plessis SC, had brought an urgent application to the Pretoria High Court, calling for the court to order the State to produce De Kock, as they have been unable to consult with him or clarify his situation of still being in State custody since Minister of Justice and Correctional Services Michael Masutha announced on January 30 that he was being granted parole.
The application was filed on Wednesday against Masutha and the Minister of State Security, David Mahlobo. On Thursday the parties reached an unspecified out-of-court agreement and the matter was to have been withdrawn before being heard, but it’s understood that the judge wanted to clarify De Kock’s situation.
De Kock was brought to the court by a small group of unnamed officials, believed to be from the Department of Correctional Services and the State Security Agency. Some of the officials remained in the courtroom during the hearing.
The application was not heard, but De Kock was called to the front of the bench where Judge Ronél Tolmay asked him if he had free access to his lawyers.
“Since yesterday I have,” replied De Kock, referring to Thursday’s discussions between the parties.
He told the judge that he had been able to telephone his lawyer, but with limitations “because of an unspecified threat situation”.
De Kock didn’t give details of the threats against him beyond saying that these had been on “social media”.
Judge Tolmay questioned De Kock on whether his rights were being violated and whether there was anything he wanted to bring to the court’s attention.
De Kock said his situation had been discussed, his conditions now were more relaxed, and those involved were now satisfied.
“I am also satisfied,” he said, adding that he wasn’t being treated in an oppressive manner. He said he had wanted access to his friends and family, and that this had now also been addressed.
The application had also been a call for Correctional Services to place De Kock on parole, and provide him with his parole conditions.
“He’s been given parole conditions and he signed for them,” advocate Graham Bester, for Correctional Services, told the court and waved a document, saying that a copy could be made for De Kock if he didn’t have one.
It’s understood that a copy had not been provided to De Kock, although this was not specified in the hearing.
A copy of the conditions will now also be provided to De Kock’s lawyers. “We will do it today,” said Bester. De Kock is understood to be in the custody of the State Security Agency, although details of this were not discussed in court.
Judge Tolmay ordered that De Kock be allowed free access to his lawyers at all reasonable times, without third parties being present.
It was agreed that no order regarding his access to his friends and family would be needed, as the State had agreed to regularise this.
De Kock was whisked away by officials immediately after the hearing, and the media was prevented from speaking to him.
De Kock, the former Vlakplaas police hit squad commander, served 18 years for apartheid-era crimes including murder, after being sentenced to two life terms and 212 years.
Saturday Star