TRUTH COMMISSION: re: Questioning of General Meiring [Chief SANDF] cont. Major General B Mortimer reads submission i.r.o former SADF

Record ID: 893649

  • Title: TRUTH COMMISSION: re: Questioning of General Meiring [Chief SANDF] cont. Major General B Mortimer reads submission i.r.o former SADF
  • Date: 21st October 1996
  • Summary: TRUTH COMMISSION: re: Questioning of General Meiring [Chief SANDF] cont. Major General B Mortimer reads submission i.r.o former SADF
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  • City: CAPE TOWN
  • Country: South Africa
  • Reuters ID: 96OCT21R07
  • Story Text:TRUTH COMMISSION HEARING IN CAPE TOWN re: Questioning of General GL Meiring [Chief of SANDF] cont. & Major General B Mortimer reads submission in respect of the former SADF

    00.35.57 DR ALEX BORAINE RE: DESTRUCTION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS FOR PROTECTION OF IDENTITY OF PEOPLE - WHAT CONCERNS US - ANY DECISION TAKEN PRIOR ELECTIONS / DURING NEGIOTIATIONS WHICH MAY HAVE HAD A POLITICAL MOTIVATION - WERE YOU / ANY OF COLLEGUES ORDERED BY ANY MEMBER OF ANY POLITICAL PARTY TO DESTROY CERTAIN DOCUMENTS & IF SO BY WHOM AND DID YOU ACTUALLY CARRY THAT OUT?
    00.37.10 MEIRING: No Sir we were never instructed by any political entity...
    00.38.11 ...we were never given an instruction nor would we have done it if we were asked by any political entity...
    00.38.34 COMMISSIONER POTGIETER QUESTIONING MEIRING
    00.50.25 MEIRING: ...we are putting at the disposal of the Commission the spesific ability to find out more about the past and to let people, individuals, specifically after the facilitated presentation after mine, have the freedom of action to come forth to give their support to the Commission...
    00.51.36 BORAINE THANKING GENERAL MEIRING FOR HIS PRESENTATION
    00.52.57 MEIRING LISTENING
    00.54.12 MEIRING GETTING UP
    00.54.50 MAJOR GENERAL B MORTIMER GETTING PAPERS OUT OF BRIEFCASE
    00.55.09 RONNIE KASTRILS CHATTING TO PEOPLE

    00.55.59 2SHOT OF GENERALS KLOPPER & MORTIMER SEATED AT TABLE
    00.56.49 MORTIMER READS SUBMISSION: ...by way of introduction, it is important to state that the role of the SANDF in today's submission...is and has been purely that of a facilitator...cannot give any testimony on what took place during the previous era...
    00.57.51 ...to assist TRC...SANDF decided to establish a Nodal Point to facilitate access to information needed for this purpose...
    00.59.11 ...the scope of this presentation will based on the strategic planning in the SADF...
    01.00.06 ...summary of the RSA national security strategy [1960 - 1989]...difficult to describe a strategy over such a lengthy period...
    01.02.13 ...Mr PW Botha became Minister of Dfence on 5 April 1966...Botha's speeches were characterised by a broader vision of security encompassing the East-West global ideological conflict & SA's role in it...3 themes predominated his speeches..
    01.02.40 ...that the West was threatened by Soviet expansionism, secondly that SA was part of the West and lastly, that SA played a central part in the Soviet strategy of cutting Europe off from SA's essential raw materials...
    01.03.25 ...the Minister of Defence defended his idea of an indirect war QUOTES FROM VARIOUS SPEECHES OF BOTHA
    01.04.12 ...The Prime Minister, Mr Voster added that the ultimate aim of the communist & leftist powerrs was not Rhodesia & Mozambique but what can be taken from South African soil...
    01.05.49 ...on 28 September 1978 Mr PW Botha was elected as the RSA's 8th Prime Minister & elaborated the concept of the total onslaught with greater clarity... QUOTES FROM SPEECHES
    01.07.13 QUOTES BOTHA SPEAKING IN PARLIAMENT REGARDING TOTAL ONSLAUGHT
    01.08.50 ...the ANC was singled out as the main internal revolutionary threat...AS AN ORGANISATION USED BY THE SOVIET UNION TO IMPLEMENT ITS VISION OF WORLD DOMINATION - AS PERCEIVED BY THE SA GOVERNMENT
    01.09.57 ...the RSA government believed that it was confronted by a"total onslaught" and in order to counter it they had to develop their own total strategy...identified in the White Paper for Defence...
    01.10.39 ...in Parliament it was stressed that the only counter-strategy against a total onslaught with any hope of success is also a total strategy, total resistance must be offered...
    01.11.25 ...this plan which had the approval of the highest authority was based on the fundamental analysis of the enemy's strategy and tried to draw all believers across the colour lines into a united anti-Marxist alliance...
    01.11.45 RE: THE NATIONAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM TO IMPLEMENT THIS PLAN
    01.12.29 RE: THE STATE SECURITY COUNCIL...was established as a statutory Cabinet Committe with the function of advising the government...
    01.12.56 ...the SSC would consist of the Prime Minister as chairman, the senior Cabinet Minister and the ministers of Foreign Affairs, Defence, Justice, Law & Order, Chief of the SADF, Commissionmer of Police & director0generals of National Intelligence, Foreign Affairs & Justice...
    01.13.28 CONTINUESTO EXPLAIN HOW THE SSC OPERATED
    01.15.06 ...it is however important to note that the State Security Council Act only provided the SSC with an advisory function. All recommendations and advice by the SSC were referred to the Cabinet for further action. The SSC had no decision-making powers in its own right...means the ultimate responsibility was vested in the Cabinet.
    01.15.39 Any recommendations made by the SSC were subject to final approval by the Cabinet while the execution of policy was the responsibility of the various government departments as part of their normal line functions...
    01.15.59 RE: NATIONAL SECURITY POLICY DEFINED AIMS & OBJECTIVES
    01.17.18 ...this strategy...included the concept of pro-active or forward defence. For this purpose Africa south of the equator was sub-divided into 3 areas...the vital area [RSA], the tactical area [neighbouring states] & the strategic area [countries north of the neigbouring states].
    01.17.40 The National Security policy made explicit provision for pro-active actions beyond the borders of the RSA if necessary for self-defence or pre-emptive purposes...
    01.17.56 ...in 1980 the SSC laid down the procedure for the planning & approval of national interdepartmental & departmental strategies...
    01.19.00 RE: MANIFESTATION OF THE RSA NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGY: GUIDELINES & DIRECTIVES
    01.19.25 ...the strategy against the ANC included the following tasks for the SADF...
    01.20.20 ...in the later counter-revolutionary strategy [1986-88] the following 3 objectives formed the basis of the strategy...
    01.20.49 OBJECTIVE 3: The population had to be influenced to accept & support the national aim of peaceful & revolutionary political change & to combat revolutionary organisations that sought change through violence...
    01.21.03 RE: TYPES OF GUIDELINES, DIRECTIVES & STRATEGIES FORMULATED BY THE SSC & SUBMITTED TO THE CABINET FOR APPROVAL
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