PRETORIA, South Africa (PANA)—Apartheid-era security policeman Eugene de Kock has labeled senior government officials, including former President F.W. de Klerk, as cowards.

Mr. De Kock, who is applying for amnesty from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for a number of gross human rights violations, said he was repulsed that they denied knowing about the existence of the Vlakplaas unit which was used as a base to eliminate enemies of the apartheid regime.

"I don’t think God would punish former National Party leaders because he would not want to see them. If de Klerk’s actions took place about 100 years ago, he would have been executed for treason,’’ he told the commission’s Amnesty Committee May 25.

Mr. De Kock, who is serving a 260-year prison term for human rights violations at Pretoria’s maximum security C-Max prison, is seeking amnesty for more than 100 crimes including murder and torture.

In his opening testimony, Mr. De Kock described covert operations in Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland which he said were approved by his superiors and senior politicians.

He said he was prepared to take full responsibility for his actions and the actions of his colleagues at Vlakplaas.

"We have wasted the lives of many people. We wasted the lives of young men in the army and destroyed those of the same age in the ANC. We destroyed their families and wasted the most precious item—which is life. We gained nothing. There is no value that one can attach to the killing of a person," Mr. De Kock said bitterly.