GEN VAN DER MERWE
Mr Chair you have not had theopportunity to hear Brigadier Victor's point of view.  I havehad conversations with Brigadier Victor who has a different version. I must say to you that as I know these two persons or insofaras I know them both of these were people who through the courseof their career were exposed to every manner of violence, whohad served in Zimbabwe and Namibia over an extended period oftime working under very difficult circumstances, who really caredabout their work, this is Brigadier Cronje and Victor, both ofwhom were persons willing to put their lives at risk to carryout their tasks.   These two people's whole world existed outof their work.  Their work encompassed their entire lives.  Ican understand that if Brigadier Victor and Brigadier Cronje weregiven instructions to stabilise and secure their areas regardlessof the particular wording of the instruction one might expectthat it might have meant that one has to pay back the enemy intheir own coinage then indeed that would have been the way inwhich they would have acted, and that there would have been noquestions asked.  In view of the circumstances they would nothave asked questions.  These people know each other well, werethey to phone one another and say that things are falling apartyou have to really act now, then he would not have said that Iget this instruction who was second in command of counter insurgence,should or should I not carry out, this is not the kind of personthat Brigadier Cronje was.  He would simply have acted what he
4A thought/...
95 GNL VAN DER MERWE
thought was required of him when such instructions were given.