Vlakplaas: Apartheid Death Squads

1979–1994

Nonfiction, History, Africa, Modern, 20th Century, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science
Cover of the book Vlakplaas: Apartheid Death Squads by Robin Binckes, Pen and Sword
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Robin Binckes ISBN: 9781526729224
Publisher: Pen and Sword Publication: July 30, 2018
Imprint: Pen and Sword Military Language: English
Author: Robin Binckes
ISBN: 9781526729224
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Publication: July 30, 2018
Imprint: Pen and Sword Military
Language: English

Faced with the ‘total onslaught’ by its enemies, in 1979, Apartheid South Africa established Vlakplaas – lit. ‘shallow farm’, a 100-hectare farm nestling in the hills outside Pretoria on the Hennops River – as a secret operation under the arm of C1, a counter-terrorism division of the South African Police headed by Brigadier Schoon.

The first phase of Vlakplaas operations, up until 1989, was aimed at fighting the enemy: the armed wings of the liberation movements, the African National Congress’s Umkhonto we Sizwe (or ‘MK’), the Pan Africanist Congress’s Azanian People’s Liberation Army (or APLA) and the South African Communist Party. The second phase was ‘fighting organized crime’ in which Vlakplaas itself seamlessly adopted the mantle of organized crime in the notorious downtown area of Johannesburg’s Hillbrow. The final phase, the most destructive, was as the murky ‘Third Force’ that destabilized the country in an orgy of violence in the run-up to its first democratic elections, in 1994.

Operating within South Africa as well as beyond the country’s borders, it will never been known how many victims can be attributed to the Vlakplaas agenda – with much of the execution taking place on the farm itself – but a conservative figure of 1,000 murders and assassinations has been mooted.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Faced with the ‘total onslaught’ by its enemies, in 1979, Apartheid South Africa established Vlakplaas – lit. ‘shallow farm’, a 100-hectare farm nestling in the hills outside Pretoria on the Hennops River – as a secret operation under the arm of C1, a counter-terrorism division of the South African Police headed by Brigadier Schoon.

The first phase of Vlakplaas operations, up until 1989, was aimed at fighting the enemy: the armed wings of the liberation movements, the African National Congress’s Umkhonto we Sizwe (or ‘MK’), the Pan Africanist Congress’s Azanian People’s Liberation Army (or APLA) and the South African Communist Party. The second phase was ‘fighting organized crime’ in which Vlakplaas itself seamlessly adopted the mantle of organized crime in the notorious downtown area of Johannesburg’s Hillbrow. The final phase, the most destructive, was as the murky ‘Third Force’ that destabilized the country in an orgy of violence in the run-up to its first democratic elections, in 1994.

Operating within South Africa as well as beyond the country’s borders, it will never been known how many victims can be attributed to the Vlakplaas agenda – with much of the execution taking place on the farm itself – but a conservative figure of 1,000 murders and assassinations has been mooted.

More books from Pen and Sword

Cover of the book Underground Warfare 1914-1918 by Robin Binckes
Cover of the book Flying the Buccaneer by Robin Binckes
Cover of the book Special Forces Pilot by Robin Binckes
Cover of the book Bomber Command Reflections of War by Robin Binckes
Cover of the book Glider Pilots in Sicily by Robin Binckes
Cover of the book Countdown to Cassino by Robin Binckes
Cover of the book Visiting the Somme & Ypres Battlefields Made Easy by Robin Binckes
Cover of the book The Fall of Malaya and Singapore by Robin Binckes
Cover of the book The Battle of the Bulge by Robin Binckes
Cover of the book World War Two at Sea by Robin Binckes
Cover of the book Britain and Victory in the Great War by Robin Binckes
Cover of the book Life of General George Monck by Robin Binckes
Cover of the book Tracing Your Labour Movement Ancestors by Robin Binckes
Cover of the book Investigating Organised Crime and War Crimes by Robin Binckes
Cover of the book Best of Breed by Robin Binckes
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy