Pretoria – Four Boeremag treason trialists accused of being behind a series of bomb explosions in 2002 have applied for bail for the first time.

Makopane medical doctor Johan Pretorius jun and farmers Herman van Rooyen, Gerhardus “Vis” Visagie and Rudi Gouws launched their first bail bid before the Pretoria High Court on Monday.

Eight of the 22 treason accused, including Pretorius’s father Lets, are out on bail.

The men’s trial on 43 charges ranging from treason and terrorism to murder and attempted murder is to resume on July 26.

Practice ruined

The 32-year-old Pretorius jun, who was on the run from police for more than two months before being arrested in December 2002, testified that his incarceration had ruined the once thriving medical practice in Makopane ran by him and his father.

He had lost his house, his wife had to move to another town and get a job to survive and his two young daughters had developed emotional problems because of their changing situation and absence of their father.

Pretorius said he felt depressed and anxious because he could no longer provide for his family and feared that his marriage might collapse.

One of his brothers, who is also in jail, is presently going through a divorce.

He insisted that his only wish was to be with his family again and said he definitely intended to stand his trial, as he believed his innocence would be proven.

Document 12

Pretorius said he did not know where the police got their facts from, as he was just a “normal person who provided a service to the community”, had never planned or executed any terrorist acts and was definitely not a danger to state security or the public.

He said he had never laid eyes on the so-called Document 12 (a detailed coup plan) until after his arrest, had never discussed such a plan with anyone and in fact found the document’s plans to chase Blacks into the sea and take over the government “absolutely outrageous”.

Although Pretorius, who refused to testify under oath, identified with the “Boer nation” and believed in self-determination, he claimed not to believe in achieving his aims through violence.

He denied being a racist, saying that he had treated patients of all colours equally.

Truck

He admitted that a three-ton medically equipped truck found by police had belonged to him, but said he had it equipped for his work as industrial practitioner at mines and not to treat Boeremag warriors during the planned coup.

He said he knew nothing about the ammunition and petrol bombs found in the truck.

“I have no military training. I am a trained medical doctor who provides a professional service to the community. I am not a bomb manufacturer or bomb planter. The closest I came to chemistry during my training was to mix pills,” he said.

Edited by Elmarie Jack

Source: News24.Com
URL: http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/New…/p>