According to a statement from his family spokesperson, former South African apartheid Law and Order, Minister Adriaan Vlok died on Sunday at the Unitas Hospital in Centurion near Pretoria at the age of 85, after a short illness.
Adriaan Vlok (1986-1991) is known for overseeing the brutal police crackdown on opponents of white rule and the bombing of churches and trade unions to inspire fear in people.
In 2007, Adriaan Vlok was given a ten-year suspended sentence for the attempted murder of a known opponent, for example, he had tried to poison Reverend Frank Chikane, the head of a leading anti-apartheid organisation.
Adriaan Vlok had previously expressed to the media that he regretted the abuses he had committed in the belief that apartheid was the right thing to do. He has publicly apologised to his victims.
Nelson Mandela’s government established a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), guaranteeing amnesty for those responsible for political violence in exchange for a full confession.