Inside BOSS : South Africa's secret police

323 Pages·1981·86.823 MB·English

by  Gordon Winter

Penguin Books
Inside Bo-ss
Gordon ITinterr the son of a Yorkshire pub-
qI"*
keeper, ran awty to London at the age o,f
ana Uicarne a page-boy, wine-waiter, cocktailbar-
man, club-tout, poolroom-hustlerr illegal gaminp
joini front-man and burglar. Irt 1955 he wa-e-
sentenced to twenty-one months' imprisonment for
stealing silver and property valued at dro'ooo from
a milli-onaire's mansion in Sussex. Betrreen 1956
and rs5o he lived in Tangier whert he becafie
involved in arms smuggling. He was married in 1958
to the daushter of a wealthy Frelch Intelligsnce
officer whd ran brothelg in Morocco; h9--was
divorced in 196r. In an attempt to start a new life he
eettled in South Africa in January 196o and became
in
a crime reporter on an anti-aparthcid^new-splqeJ
Jinotheallnisneenscbetu g-.i nH res w6a3s arfetcerru ibteedfr ibeyir dloinugt ht-hAefr ici*arnri
Premiir John Voiitei. In 1966 he was ofrcially de-
po"t"a frlrn South Africa after his eun was used in
i *n"a"" allegedly connected wittr the notorigus
Ri"lt"td.ott gang' The deportation was a cover for
BOSS spviie,activities in Britain between 1966
ana rgz+.-HJwas the first journalist qo-interview
male-model Norman Scott in r97r which led to
BOSS promotion of the now world-famous Jeremy
itrorp" t"*dal. He returned to South Africa in
tg74'and in 1976 was appointeqB9lS- propa-
*"dist on The Citizm, an EngfishJangsage
ii*tp"p.t secretly formed and funded by BOSS'
Gordon l7inter defected from BOSS in May 1979
and is presently living in lreland. He ls rramied to
iorrner'fastrion editor Wendy- Kochmsn and tbey
have two children, GuY and Katie
Gordon Winter
South Africat s Secret PoJ.ice
.'
Penguin Books
To nty son Ctto6 alhose birth opmed W eles,
Pcngda Loo*r $dl rraraoqribwrth' Midallcielr' Edghnd
P.cnaub booftr' oat Medeoa Avcnuc, Nes Yoqt' Nc* Yol* rooaa' U.S..L and
Pcoguir Booei Auitralia Lt4 Ringwood, Victori.tAittcdia
Pcr*uin BooLs C"ans& Lt4 28ot John Stretr,Mrttham, ontario' ern ds L3n rr{ nry wife WmilY, wlu h6 4 tlraorY.
Prnguin soolt (N.Z') Ltd' rSa-r9o pdrru Rord; Aucklaad ror Ner ?.caland St* btli*tt I kept metiaious recor&-
"' ':' ''Fi* Dnbtr*ia4 rgtr dilring my s2litg career
AColl pryigrihgoht r@co aGrocrddon \finter tgtr :because i always had a subconscious desire
.i .. Ma& ead prftttd in G!.l' Bdtain bY for the truth to conrc utt.
.,r, , 'SBR€tu ln&giared yM,c ohSoyuo(ftiyToplttcc CPthsnatui! cLciSrPhttc$)I*4 J wou.td tike to belieue shc is.right.
EGFc h thc UDitcd Stalcl d Amice' thit bool fu rotd rubitct
:' . btat.st ot4€o'hnidreitdio outth, aotr iot ttbhcrrllr ir!cs ,c ibrcyu lwatreyd owf ittrhdocu t cth cothcrwng bc lcatr
publiehcr's prior mscnt in any form of bindnS or covcr other thao
thet itr which it ir publisbcd rnd without e almilcr condition
':. including tr';" cooditioo bciag tnporcd o tlc rubrcqucot purcbercr
t;t, i.'
C0NTENTST
,"-,.
Introduction
9
Part One
I The First Beuayal rg
2 John Vorster 19
J H. J. van den Bergh 34
4 The Black \ffarriors 54
5 Journalists and Jews 8r
6 The Truth About That Bomb %
7 Bram Fischer ror
8 The Prisons Act Trial fi4
9 The Ridrardson Gang r3r
IO Detention Dtary rp
II Deportation r55
T2 A Bad Start r6j
r3 Infiltration .168
r4 Jill Evans r84
r5 Wilfrid Brutus r9o
16 Dennis Brutus 2o3
,7 BOSS Is Formed 2t3
r8 Winnie Mandela zz\
r9 Adelaide and Oliver Tambo 24r
20 Nelson Mandela z1o
2T Robben Island Jail 256
Plot 264
22 The Escape
,. ,i l, li.fifi
23 The Four-million-pound ForgryPlot 284
r'il
24 South African Agents in Britain 2gj d{
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25 BOSS Intriguec' rp1. ,..r,: : : INTRODUCTION
26 The Smearing of Stan Viner 356
S:l': '. , : 27 Seaing Up Peter Hain 37o
,11.r:,:,:,*
r:lt ':i: '1..i 28 Bringing Do ,n ]qremy Thorpe 394 I am sitting at an old kitchen table in the bedroom bf a
29 British Intelligence lVloves In 4tt cottage in Ireland and have just finished this book. V7titing
3o Hong Kong assigment C4zIrA p7 fiitn iwshaesd theaec hm cohsatp ttrearu amqad tiict wexapi ereriaedn cbey omf ym wyif eli,f e\V.'eAnsd yI,
3I , Gatsha Butb€lezi $ld the she said either 'How could you have done such a terible ,
32 False British Passports for BOSS Mz thing?' or ''You must have been insane.'Always condprrinii-
tion - but condemnation I knew was decerved. It reached
such a'point that I pushed the tlpewriter aside arid 'in
Expooed U9
33 the depths of depressiorr spent seven weeks digging ttre
* R€d Henings +6o garden and sawing so many logs that I filled a bam to the
35 The Citizcn 475 roof.
36 How They Banned Tlp Vorld 493 beIint gw aths aat m I ixwtuarnet eodf gihueil tw aonrdl df rutos trkantoiown . tThehe t rfuruthst raabtioonui
3387 M'Dueredpert harooda Mt' ujrtt5i=mitlion Fraud 5oo pBOOssS-iSble .a Ands ath hea rwd hnoelwes S roqu)othrt eArf roicf aninn esteeer-nu py eaasr sq; usitcaknldyi nagp ,
39 Fellow Travdlers 52"6 I was so used to getting my work published within hours.
40 Military Intelligence Secrets S4z -that writing a book for publication a year hence was dis-
couraging. But it's done now, although it took nine fironths'
4pr An Eye for an Eye 5j9 reseaich, six months'writing and afmy wifets patience. '
Bits and Pieces 568 At this point I would like to stress, because the South
43 Tornrre in South Africa JBo Africa4 government and BO S S see a Communist or a CIA
AchildlsBorn agent under every bed, that no political movement helped
M 6o7
me to compile this book in any way whamoever. It wis all
Indqr 64
done from my own files, notebooks and diaries or fi.les from
BOSS headquartersin Pretoria. I am, however, indebted
to the Intemational Defence and Aid Fund in London,
whose publicly iszued fact papers helped refresh my memory
when writing Chapter 43, 'Torture in Sou*r Africa'.-,r\nd
story.
even that tells only half tire
"
Imust also thani Sandy Perceval, asplendici Irishfalms
_
who hid me away deep in the woods of his Counly q|igb
gstate. He kept my secret, and so did sweral other locals
in the town of Ballymote
,Ttranks go also to alittle Irish colleen; B€ffiadetteMahoa,
rxrh.ooucrloN' rr
who tj'ped mcxrt of the manuscript. Enen if she did insiat i'Torhriera tlinsrtt hs uwrfailcl eadlw.lnE rlsrr eo uatt".l'a Astn. dA sth tatrtc yis's aeyx-ainct liyo uwrhnaalti stmttis: ,
mrwelltng,pri€st with a capital P atl the time, she made
book is all about.
up for it by saying a nine-day (Novena) prayer for this
book
Dublin,
Thgy sey that once 1nu have dined with the Devil it is 3o January rgSr
difiA{t to learrc the banquet, My answer to that is that it's
' I *pifiard when the peop-le at the table start tomake you vomit.
i:. Thal is hixr I feel about South Africa. I do not know where
I am going or how I shall make a living. But I knwl one
I
*ring. shall continue disclosing Sorrth Africa's secree.
This brings me to make one requesl,Ifimything umrsual or
rrnhappy happened to snyone after drev met me (durirqg the
seven years I spied for BO S S in Britain), I would appreciate
it if they would write to ne, care of my Publishers.
..- Aplogi*
'
Throughout this book I have constantly put apartheid-type
I
:sracial labels' on people by describing them as Africans/ 1:)
Kafr rsft{gtives/B antu/Coloureds/Bushmen/Blacks[ftrites I ': :t:
Pinks an$ even Reds. But not to hqve done so would trave .
,';
madE"it aimcr.rtt for the uninitiated reader to oomprehend
..
the,thini<ing processes of BOSS/the Afrikaner/Pretoria/ .;
, the Souttr African govenunent and all those ufhite votem
, who keepr that regime io power.
" itnother irpology should perhaps go, to some of tlre
, 'individuals-nanoed in various etrcerpts I have taken from
. .'
BOSS files. \t(/.hile most of them will no doubt feel
,,' bgtroured to be on BOSS's hate list, it is important to
,r :eqdphasize that the BOSS asses$rcnt of a person wa$ @
'.'",t[!says dght. My use of thece BOSS e:(€rpn is' a88b'
',... 'nlaiflly intended to dernoqstrate the often strange thinking
: orodss€s of the men who rule 'u0hite' South Africa- The
iinal and most important apolog must go to all iournallsm
, , d0ywhete in ttre world. I betrayed their profe*siorr an'd'I &
, noi etpect m be forgiven for thbt. To thern t can orllf,ttg
; that, inspiteofmy disgracefutprofessi,onalcqnduc&.,&:real
i,'.,,:fl,',r1:
, ,
One :,
Port
:
I .
TH E FIRST BETRAYAL
'My name is Campbell,' said the man on the phone, spesk-
1ng so quietly it sounded as though he was afraid of being
overheara. 'Vould you like to come and have a cup of tea
with me in the tearoom at the corner of Kruis and Cqmn,
rnissioner Sueets? I've got somettring very important'to,
discuss with you.'
,'All right,' I said. lBut what's the name of the caf6?
There are two on that corner.'
The caller hesitated for a few seconds then stammercd:
'Er - it's, er - it's called Campbell's.'
It was a bad start for a cloak-and-dagger rendezvous. But
'Mr Campbell' recovered quickly.
'I don't have to give you a deociption of myself. I knq$i
what yo-u look like. I'll,stand up when you enter dte tea-
room.t
As I walked into Campbell's, a tough-looking balding
blond rose from behind a rubber plant in the far cornErand
smiled at me. I knew him. It was Colonel Att Spengler' who
had built up a fearsome repirtation as head ofthe Johannes'
burg section of the Sectrrity Police. Rumour had it ttnt he
had been traqsferred to Pietoria after a personality clash
with senior officers and had been pushed down into somc
programme.
boring police training '
I
'Agh, man. That's all rubbieh,' he told me when
raisei the subiect. 'I'm working with H. J.:van dee
Bergh in sening up a completely new secret service. HI's
asked'me to find out if you would be interested in ioining
us.t
I was filted with orciternent and pride at thethought of'k;
Ihad come:to Sorrth Africa frcm Britain in 196o - not ss 8s:
ordir1ary immigrant but ae a burglar with ttuee corruictlone
and anrenty-one-month iail sentence behind me iu Lonfu:-
My intention had been to start a new life, and the country Thc young mur q636 rrrimal^ On 6c coTgrertilF ry a
hd been good to me. roohirti*t.j and handsorne )'drng tournalbt Hb _TiFe
1r, ' r'nr iAdsd lletr-tig* ewdo uwlodm haavne w ith, oI hhaadd bpeocrovmerefu ili vcoohn'needc twioinths ain r icthhsr oHi*s tnUa"rtr etr .q UflsusA tas Beh'Icjlku ewk inH aen dw tahse -gninrle hrer ylo{oire{d awn1ds wwour1*tee,r r' '
South Af,rican publishing world. Knowing my background us r*po"ret on Sou* Africa's famans'Black netffiPapsfi
''" , awnodq kminyg awsi sah c troim geo rsctpraoirgtehrt ! fosrh ea nheawd sspuagpgeers. teTdh rIo,suhgohu ald t otrpy- Fi;oi;"r,r ;: ttteo fgtrittlo w aucn ir"rt'cu reoitriy:t n:s "b, rdnciaoet tefremn* yae rn-oid$d.PlFacnh@s*
:; latvpearl tlirnetirdo druecwtisopnarp feror,m tt rhee jro, UI hnande lsain"dnegd Sa ri;o"dbo yo ng twhe aa:nti' JeAnnryi smfrm;faancme islYcro.'s s dre col'orrr line is ilry* in,Sq*
Afri;r the laod of :r,mial ptrity'; so Jog sod Pamelahsl
: tainly no shortage of crime to reporr. South Africa is ar l*oGat*,"ry otarL vi*":ilibt park wereott of't&F: ,
incredibly violent society. There is an assault rcported b the ,qt*tio". For-dreor to be.s€€q.in publig ia asn$y'w$a .V n'lq; ,
pevoelircye heovrerrr,y atw roob mbeinryu twese, ray rtahpree ewheorry:r sh aalrfr-dh oa udri;u rad beur rqgrlearryy fief$id." - tbe\yi wde;re;otnf tetq ua*lt"etrkm gdw To u+ld" -'trrs"\'rTc toqqthienr8, 1Iaoge1"
ninety minutes. ' l ,f.,il*J-":ai"creet nro pas behind psmelal.with a largp
In three short years I had becomc a ivell-known iournalist ;il;; i" his.trands: This g:dne tbe imprtssiur he was ths
, So hsd theMinister of Justice as a personal coniact; Now lM-'aidila;m6ts;t" is;€rv ant. d'
r: ' La iyopb abne ma gse ocfrfeetr eadg ecnrte.am on top of the cake in the form of h;d"';VgitHi"' eii**"d ",.t*'rvn mit etu s*ec-r"e tlivo oa ta \aEnrgioeruostr sh mbceccat sL
It had all really srarted in 196r, when I had betrayed two **lo visitor to any mlect Whirc srea soo{r beco$es
young lovers to the Johannesburg police. "k ro;vn" Then they found a perfect meetinglplace' ll.*T ,.:. :'-l:.;:.;
:The @cere had ilieir revolvers drawn as they burst into the ionn-live na ttraattr yJ,o otrnaenrnoeosrbnuerdg , flbaut ti nt oa nth oeldm, ra€nyt--c*ff-r"g ogllef-c l bcolomcxe
tiay one-rmmed flat that sunny Noverrber aiternoon. Theh U"*Aiog had iiany tenans' so Black deli*cr5r P
raid was a mrplete success. In ftont of them, sitting on a "*"*t*". tlitt.u * A out -all Oay aeUvering groceries and ttre rrSn*'
single be4 were a yonng couple errbracing. They were fully fnit *otnn th€re wer; no raised-eyebrours wlrenever'fop:
dr€ssed, yet'one ofttre policernen spat on ttre floor and w" anea in carrYing a Parcel. ' :
drnrted'You disgr:sting little bitch! How could you debase Til"**1 i*itt Lr *," flat was a'pr€tty.little. bboqs'
y:o uTr.sleelrfe b wy aksis snirorg m aon raen tiamlkail nligk.e Ttthrea pt?ol'i ce grabb,ed the mtreord 6el,& Jaoyo due sK opcl*e"a sSutrree wtoas l ea tg Jreoset' ennmda Prfraicm rP{ad u fsie r hyer
courrterpane off the bed along with the sheets and:tlren il;; -*$- ;"d";"*-gut iov made sc cristake of
nrshed the youn6ters downsairs to a squad car par*ed on ;.lit"" mc auout thelovcrs b*-ina &e lcase for tbc dct':
thcr p$/erncnt outside the front door. The car sped them ;;'ii ili ttalrre *a trt" * nrv grrl-ftiend I- had'giveo
round to the Disuict Surgeonls office where they were zub- il rh" flL. when I mord to a:bfuger one a few moo6q'
iected to what ttre potce rnockingly call the 'racial purlty eirdili-eie;r.f,. k . ' '. i ,''..,.-
Fstf. They wete undressed and srnears were taken fi.dn ob inr-orrntion' $ry.,*.11|lTjl pm6'
tbem" ,Tlreir rmderrgear: was oramined and so werc dlc ,ef ;'." t"high-renkiug'olD officer''I'trad noqhi4€;
$bee$ and. the countcrpane. , ' '1r. ,', ; ': :'.:' -*rI ei&,"r of'*Jbvem;'It wasp* 4F f rylnr"I
"g"tttc
'i, : ::.r l
r,tr8 r tn$.f,trxn*aff 4L' :!7
.l
"i .ialf e'',Ie1 odwee adas.nt'sgl o mPinafgrk ig:tlosa o smnuececv eeheri gdsh tso-lso€v dea l ae rccihmaanent cafeec. epT ihnoe tryht ewe,eprro.el i caet ffeo: lscde s;;-8st;sr.; ;i;sfHe ot#t fufr;fs- fafinff ef'fxicf;[i*s.i*t e.H- T..h"et* asPnto*oretytr -ct urdrrnncse Lnd i sfdleerndt o tfoyro ,bmt$ef {rbsbeoe{tt'ttnweltvrr
' .eaa charged with cortraveering the infamous knmorality -iiO"."r"tt hmity in Chicago' Arrrerican
I Agrcctt"rp ws.h BiJehc afuosreb itdhse ys wexe rbee atr rgeoeond -ploeorskoinngs yoofu dnisf fecoreunptle r athcee *ffiai;n;li"fnii ;r'tfio"o.hw ad eAcofrnicfuac ws titaoht uHeiargn'h nterdnu noitvh€resri try{'aarnvdad
-1. ,: @b esPfeoa rrmee cethelaeil eBtdrei aiwrla.i d Jieuo enc wpweeardsa fg6oeau niiln da tnghdeu iflpteryed sa snf.rdo mse nSteonuctehd-A.,ftroi-c*ak s;*;i;..Fr;a";e.ihtt;et;t rt; .;doo;en-;t # aLr io;ssii*sxr o-thrtvnroa oytn tt*rhe *i rst o tunaodt"tty'r t iy*d " njaoipnoaargtth eieqni tde-- brtehuset t hemdesi nmrv ea*ns@t' ohlde
$Jeooleln thnhaesd .w nHaoen i tneaipdep nwetiaaolsne d to imaf nwed a twiotian psg l arfeonler ahtshisee d e acopcnpa ep{aleol tfqoro cbnoarm iSle.'o Buuuqt]t.t lr' 'gt;tu-"rkitl tiin" tB lacWk ttotwi*n slihviepsd.. BHye dboroinkge tahwisa yh ea n1d'a sli rbreydr ywnitgh
' Africa. And,. paradoxically, I was to asgist hifii in thia ifrf fi*,-f, ""t", " efa& are; a V,hite must first obtain.a
Bv an astonishing coincidence, Sue Deas, a young s"o"e;c;;ia;l; ape;ram it. Peter did not bother'
lib,raririiai*n aatt tthhee Rani DDaaiilby MMaaiill ooffffiicceess iin Johannesburg u u"a" union meeting io Natal an4-eeve 1
approached me dnd asked if I would be willing to help Iqe m-io-Cttief Albert Luthuli, the l9d9r 9f the banned
tflmIeor iayie rvasane edpd l taf,sh tfpe'Jrlryo oec myabod ued sniaeunt sr fgyaKph lisocieleicloe lkinrglu,t aomwwl lhayoces.eu nlrVen btJhohroteaae tnit en a J vnIJoi odtyaee gPd'hsra aedbmdeee decbp,l aeaaSut rrwttsarueeeyr ,ree ientd. ov aM tirthperyeerd omsg tteri eartcdloe-t eitfliiif;fl;itit tii*i"-li"a;,;";*i k-lNt r":"*rit"lu;ot canldeu.itm f rP Ca"vrloii*ieenz wngiirr nt eoocs fars aeit t e(brBAgiosloa'N ryctyCoki e ua)mn,n gadws n oVho' uornTtdhhiheta qerAdev fdA rbp ircehalealiemennr id. glswt aoehna oil repwuda'i{iltvdnvne
tttfrreIio ppeoa Ll"ictoyeu. wifnf e goa ravdeiea rr n nteoo atg sbeuet sahpree-rhcsute gflfo eorm ffo-b narea d cmreu owgmsh eecnnhta Irt ghaear. rti- vI q.h{: a.ad1 .t*lhi'eib 'ic;ioi*-u;S "n*kotr-uY$*, fp*wi-u"eit"'vhrit niin"*"e n,s etvtehedna t d tJahoyisse,' Lanodu,r rw.wheans h pe thaenanrdil gth Pro uqglh*
Alheeertei ," eN*biotr oonibel eo ff othre hmis waarrse sa tm. Terhnebreer woef raen yte pno o-ltihtiecar-lp peaoprtlye' ;il*i*t *" "*"*p*v i"ath onudgph Jt o{et dwuoruinlgd hbi9g wesecatipce ' iuWsthicgel t{hoer
Aubrey, a well-known comrnercial photographer, tre$: his il;;;"tedfreedom dev senlqe a photograph show-
wcaho s boe-tchaamt eJ oae l ecdoiunldg bBela dcrki vioeunr noeultis ot fhtihmes eclof usnevtreyr.a lS ytqeavres iiu;;it; ;a- *fe*wa fei"egt o utstiodge "Stho.ut tah i Athferi cLmob atetsrir itboorryd.e Ir upsoesdt l|fIup8
.lAatferlria, 'sa-gbroeredde tro w dirtihv eB eJcoheu atona laa nrde m(nootew s Bpootts wneaanaf )S. oTBbtetr il;I;o;e; ;L ouiwrr "w*e.rn"t omnv tost gbrevc oamboeu at tshuecicr edsrsafuml aiotiuc rneascliaspt ei'n*
others clubbed together to provide Joe !n& eneoeqg d;;. H" fame when he took the photographs
rnoney once he had left South Africa. I paid {lo towards his #fi;[" L-";"iGtti. uKeian s's bodv lving on a Memphis motel
.ovaeAntr soa lsa l aiieondud r anfloseooli sdtto c,wowsortristke idn ugs r giontnog r aytnh a eab noftiuvi-tea p!'hoaoert'ushr e diiodrau mrnneaewtyigs.p easpeorp eI i:tJSo"t"#""tudW."* -";*nJ-d*;s*;" angfit eipirt tti"i r eMs aaosrucstaehst isnAinoLa rtidicooans n i nSh ea1an9dt6ol8isn'' ede raf4 .q: *ial
ro frecilom. Thie suited me perfirtly. By helpiagihim I of the Mozambique freedom movenrent l'' r€rimoi'i''
wouldbe gbining arqrutatrion 8s a'liberal', end qe;aboils I 'T"ili** ijaJ""oiroa"s jbtme sndivExdeis,'rs'Aprili9d'*'';''rj'i"' ' :'; I
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