This Day in History: 26 August 1996
The Supreme Court convicted former Police Colonel Eugene de Kock (dubbed 'Prime Evil') of six murders of Black anti-apartheid activists during his service as commander of a police unit, C10 based at Vlakplaas, a farm outside Pretoria. He was also convicted of scores of lesser crimes, from conspiracy to murder to fraud. Amongst those that were killed were African National Congress (ANC) lawyer, Bheki Mlangeni, and former Vlakplaas colleague and Askari, Brian Ngqulunga. His trial started in February 1995 and he was sentenced to life imprisonment on 30 October 1996. In his testimony, De Kock admitted to numerous operations by himself and his unit against the ANC and other anti-apartheid activists. He alleged that senior police officials and several National Party (NP) politicians sanctioned and condoned his actions and named several former police generals, cabinet ministers and former Presidents P.W Botha and F. W. de Klerk as either having ordered or having had knowledge about such operations.
References:
Kalley, J. A. et al (1999). Southern African Political History: A Chronology of Key Political Events from Independence to Mid-1997 , Greenwood: London, p. 550.
http://edition.cnn.com/WORLD/9610/30/s.africa/index.html#3