‘Prime Evil’ apartheid-era assassin given parole ‘to help nation-building’

Apartheid death-squad leader Eugene de Kock, dubbed ‘Prime Evil’ for his role in the torture and murder of scores of black South African activists in the 1980s and early 1990s, was granted parole on Friday after more than 20 years in prison. Justice Minister Michael Masutha said de Kock had expressed remorse at his crimes and helped authorities recover the remains of some of his victims. The decision, which had been deferred several times over the last year, remains contentious in a country still dealing with the legacy of repression and brutality meted out by the white-minority regime that prevailed from 1948 to 1994.

In the interest of nation-building and reconciliation I have decided to place Mr De Kock on parole.

Justice Minister Michael Masutha

The Justice Minister stressed that his decision was guided only by the law, an attempt to deflect criticism from the many South Africans - black and white - who regard de Kock’s crimes as so extreme he should die behind bars. The date of the 66-year-old’s release from Pretoria ‘C-Max’ High Security prison would be kept secret, Masutha added. As head of an apartheid counter-insurgency unit at Vlakplaas, a farm 20 km (15 miles) west of Pretoria, de Kock is believed to have been responsible for more atrocities than any other man in the efforts to preserve white rule.

Africa de Kock