HAPPENING TODAY 🚨
‘Prime Evil’ Eugene de Kock expected to testify before TRC Cases Inquiry
Former apartheid-era police commander Eugene de Kock, widely known as “Prime Evil”, is expected to testify before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Cases Inquiry today, Monday, 26 October 2026, at 10:00.
De Kock commanded the notorious Vlakplaas police unit near Pretoria, which was used by the apartheid security establishment to target anti-apartheid activists. The unit was implicated in the abduction, torture and murder of political opponents.
In 1996, De Kock was sentenced to two life terms and an additional 212 years in prison after being convicted of multiple crimes, including six murders committed during the apartheid era.
He subsequently applied for amnesty through the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 1997. While some of his applications were granted, others were rejected.
De Kock was released on parole in 2015 after spending approximately 19 years behind bars.
His expected testimony forms part of the inquiry’s examination of delays and alleged political interference in the investigation and prosecution of apartheid-era crimes referred by the TRC.
The inquiry, chaired by retired Constitutional Court Justice Sisi Khampepe, is investigating allegations that political interference and deliberate delays prevented apartheid-era perpetrators from being brought to justice. Former president Thabo Mbeki and several former Cabinet ministers have also appeared before the commission.