Vlakplaas

Section C1 of the Security Branch
Section C1 of the Security Branch
"Vlakplaas"
Active	1979–1993
Country	South Africa
Type	Counterinsurgency unit, paramilitary death squad
Part of	Security Branch of the South African Police
Headquarters	Vlakplaas, Gauteng; 25°49′01.3″S 28°01′39.6″E / 25.817028°S 28.027667°E
Commanders
Notable; commanders	Dirk Coetzee (1980–1981); Eugene de Kock (1985–1993);

Vlakplaas
Vlakplaas
Province	Gauteng
Country	South Africa
Coordinates	25°49′01.3″S 28°01′39.6″E / 25.817028°S 28.027667°E
Area	100 hectares

Vlakplaas (trans. "shallow farm") is a farm 20 km west of Pretoria that served as the headquarters of counterinsurgency unit C1 (later called C10)^[1]^[2]^[3] of the Security Branch of the apartheid-era South African Police. Though officially called Section C1, the unit itself also became known as Vlakplaas. Established in 1979, by 1990 it had grown from a small unit of five policemen and about fifteen askaris to a unit of nine squads.^[1]

The unit functioned as a paramilitary hit squad,^[4] capturing political opponents of the apartheid government and either "turning" (converting) or executing them. Vlakplaas farm was the site of multiple executions of political opponents of the apartheid government.^[5] The unit is known to have carried out the murders of Griffiths Mxenge in 1981 and the so-called "Chesterville Four" in 1986, among many others.^[6] C1 officers were also notorious for allegedly routinely defrauding the state, siphoning off government funds to pay agents or for their personal use.^[1]

The existence of the unit was revealed after a former member, Butana Almond Nofomela, confessed to his involvement hours before he was scheduled to be executed for an unrelated non-political murder. Nofomela was given a last minute reprieve so he could give up more information.^[7]^[8]

^ ^a ^b ^c O'Brien, Kevin (1 September 2001). "Counter-Intelligence for counter-revolutionary warfare: The South African police security branch 1979–1990". Intelligence and National Security. 16 (3): 27–59. doi:10.1080/02684520412331306200. ISSN 0268-4527. S2CID 153561623.
^ Gump, James Oliver (2016). The Dust Rose Like Smoke: The Subjugation of the Zulu and the Sioux. U of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-0-8032-8453-1.
^ Scholtz-Hofmeyr, Renzske (2011). "The farm" (PDF) (MA thesis). Cape Town: University of Cape Town.
^ The Role of Political Violence in South Africa's Democratisation
^ Truth and Reconciliation - The Voice of 'Prime Evil' - BBC News
^ Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa (PDF). Vol. 2. Cape Town: The Commission. 1998.
^ "Vlakplaas Commander testifies before Harms Commission about secret police killings in 1981 | South African History Online". www.sahistory.org.za. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
^ Schiffrin, Anya. "Exposing apartheid death squads – A trail of murder and terror". City Press. Retrieved 14 July 2023.

[:0-1] O'Brien, Kevin (1 September 2001). "Counter-Intelligence for counter-revolutionary warfare: The South African police security branch 1979–1990". Intelligence and National Security. 16 (3): 27–59. doi:10.1080/02684520412331306200. ISSN 0268-4527. S2CID 153561623.

[2] Gump, James Oliver (2016). The Dust Rose Like Smoke: The Subjugation of the Zulu and the Sioux. U of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-0-8032-8453-1.

[3] Scholtz-Hofmeyr, Renzske (2011). "The farm" (PDF) (MA thesis). Cape Town: University of Cape Town.

[pdfreport-4] The Role of Political Violence in South Africa's Democratisation

[5] Truth and Reconciliation - The Voice of 'Prime Evil' - BBC News

[:44-6] Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa (PDF). Vol. 2. Cape Town: The Commission. 1998.

[7] "Vlakplaas Commander testifies before Harms Commission about secret police killings in 1981 | South African History Online". www.sahistory.org.za. Retrieved 14 July 2023.

[8] Schiffrin, Anya. "Exposing apartheid death squads – A trail of murder and terror". City Press. Retrieved 14 July 2023.

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