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Craig Williamson Ends Testimony, Denies Role in Cradock Four Killings

The court revisits unanswered questions about the 1985 murders within the apartheid state’s covert apparatus.

Overview

  • Testifying in the Gqeberha High Court, Williamson rejected claims that he planned or executed the murders of Matthew Goniwe, Fort Calata, Sparrow Mkhonto and Sicelo Mhlauli.
  • He dismissed as absurd the allegation that he ordered junior officer Jaap van Jaarsveld to orchestrate Goniwe’s killing, saying the claim was inconceivable given Van Jaarsveld’s experience.
  • He described his apartheid-era brief as infiltrating organisations such as the ANC and Nusas to gather intelligence under directives to 'neutralise' perceived enemies of the state.
  • He stated that the TRC granted him amnesty for three operations, including the 1982 ANC London office bombing, the 1982 assassination of Ruth First and the 1984 letter-bomb murders of Jeanette Schoon and her daughter.
  • Human rights advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi challenged his credibility in cross-examination, as the inquest prepares to hear from former Security Branch figures Gerrit Erasmus and Izak 'Krappies' Engelbrecht as persons of interest.