Former South African Police colonel Eugene de Kock said that there are still hoards of Apartheid-era weapons stockpiled across South Africa.

This included 10,000 detonators and practice landmines, which could be turned into Claymore-type explosives, but no one knows where these stocks are located.

De Kock made the claims while giving his testimony at the Khampepe Commission of Inquiry into delayed post-TRC prosecutions on 26 October 2026.

Dubbed “Prime Evil” by local media, De Kock became one of the most notorious perpetrators of Apartheid-era atrocities, including organised killings, torture, kidnappings and bombings.

He served as the commander of C10, a covert counter-insurgency unit based at the Vlakplaas farm near Pretoria during Apartheid.

The unit at Vlakplaas functioned as a government death squad, targeting anti-Apartheid activists and dissidents, and was involved in cross-border operations in Namibia and Angola.

De Kock was arrested and put on trial for his actions at Vlakplaas following South Africa’s transition to democracy in 1994.

In October 1996, he was convicted on 89 charges and sentenced to two life terms plus 212 years in prison. He was released in January 2015, granted parole by then-justice minister Michael Masutha.

Masutha said that the decision to parole De Kock was based on the former operative expressing remorse for his actions and his cooperation with authorities in recovering the remains of victims.

De Kock will remain on parole for the rest of his life. In his affidavit, which he read as part of his testimony, De Kock said he was the only person involved in atrocities who served time in prison.

He said he was willing to identify others involved in crimes at Vlakplaas, including high-ranking officials who gave orders. Until now, these men have got off scot-free.

“I am also able to provide information and evidence about who was involved in the chain of command,” De Kock said.

“In this affidavit, I have mentioned the names of a number of people who were involved in South African police death squads, bombings and related activities and who gave instructions.”

Explosive detonators “buried somewhere” in South Africa

Soviet-era weapons employed by Namibian soldiers during the South African Border War.
De Kock said he had previously raised the issue of buried weapon stockpiles in South Africa, including 10,000 explosive detonators and practice landmines with NPA advocate Chris McAdam.

At different times, McAdam had brought De Kock to his offices under the premise of tracking down unrecovered firearms. He said these firearms were associated with the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP).

“There were times I didn’t want to see [McAdam]. He fetched me from jail every time, ostensibly about tracking down firearms of the IFP,” said the former operative.

He said these were caches of arms for the IFP that he couldn’t provide McAdam with information about, because he didn’t have it.

In efforts to destabilise the ANC during Apartheid and capitalise on the political conflict between the ANC and the IFP, the government covertly supplied the IFP with arms and training.

Vlakplaas operated as the operational centre of efforts to secretly arm the IFP with Soviet-era weapons, including AK-47s, landmines, and ammunition.

Following the transition to democracy, the locations of many of these weapons and explosive caches were revealed. Authorities still believe substantial amounts have yet to be recovered.

“There’s still a lot of stuff buried. There’s about 10,000 detonators still buried somewhere,” De Kock said in response to questions. “There were practice landmines which were made specially for UNITA.”

UNITA was the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola, which was an ally of South Africa during the Angolan Border War.

De Kock said that these practice landmines still presented a danger if they were to be found, as they could easily be made lethal.

“They can easily be converted into a proper landmine. If you have the course and the creativity, you can use it for anything. You can build a Claymore from it or whatever.”

Source: https://mybroadband.co.za/news/government/674456-10000-detonators-and-landmines-from-the-apartheid-era-buried-in-south-africa.html