Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1993 - 1994 (Accumulation)
- 1980 - 2010 (Accumulation)
Level of description
Fonds
Extent and medium
1.0 linear metre (10 archival boxes); 6 videos; photographs
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
The De Wet Potgieter collection is the product of the donor's career in the South African news and media over the course of 31 years.
Spanning the late apartheid and transitional periods, into the early 1990s, this collection is a reflection of De Wet's journalistic career, during which he carefully collected all the materials relating to his investigations and ultimate exposure of media disinformation, far right-wing activities and government malpractice. It further includes material relating to the many covert operations and front organisation of the South African Defence Force (SADF) and the undercover operations of the Security Branch of the South African Police (SAP). In his narrative to the collection he explains:
"As a result of my work as court reporter I came into contact with a lot of security policemen and intelligence operatives who made a point of talking to members of the Afrikaans language newspapers and passing on bits and pieces of information that the "lefties" did not get. Little did I realise at that stage that this was part of a very deliberate well orchestrated campaign in sowing dissent and disinformation to the media."
All through the years he was to keep "each and every document, top secret information and other material leaked" to him carefully collected in boxes. All these materials are now contained in the document series of the De Wet Potgieter collection. This series also includes materials relating to PW Botha and the Mandela tapes, PW Botha's last cabinet meeting, threats against the De Klerk regime, and the assassinations of Chris Hani and former Swedish prime minister Olof Palme.
The other series in this collection comprises the oral history interviews with individuals involved in military intelligence operations during the apartheid era, conducted by De Wet Potgieter on behalf of SAHA from 2009 to 2010 as a contracted employee . Materials in this series include the audio recordings, transcriptions, and English translations of Afrikaans transcriptions. SAHA is the copyright holder for these materials.The third and last series in this collection contain the Doug Lee photographic material.
Starting his career as a court reporter at the Afrikaans newspaper "Oggendblad" in 1974, he continued to work as municipal reporter, military correspondent and general reporter at some of the most significant Afrikaans newspapers in the country before he became news editor of "Die Vaderland". After a short stint as news editor of Afrikaans magazine "Rooi Rose" in 1986, he returned to the demanding realm of newspapers when he could no longer resist the call of the news desk. From 1986 to 1993 he was first bureau chief and then investigative journalist at the "Sunday Times". He next moved to the Afrikaans Sunday newspaper "Rapport" as investigative journalist until 2004.
It was at "Rapport" that he joined forces with his old friend and photographer Doug Lee, and together the two covered many groundbreaking stories, forming a formidable team as investigative journalist and news photographer. Doug Lee's photographs, many of which are a result of his teamwork with De Wet Potgieter, are now part of the De Wet Potgieter collection. Complementing De Wet's collection, many of Doug Lee's images document historic events leading up to the first post-apartheid democratic elections in South Africa in 1994. His lens also captures, in particular, many right-wing activities, including numerous Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB) marches with leader Eugene Terreblanche almost always in attendance.
De Wet Potgieter is the author of "Contraband, South Africa and the International Trade in Ivory and Rhino Horn", published by Quellerie Publishers in 1995, and "Total Onslaught", published by Zebra Publishers in 2007.
ANC - African National Congress
APLA - Azanian People's Liberation Army
AWB - Afrikanerweerstandsbeweging
BBB - Blanke Bevrydingsbeweging van Suid-Afrika
BSP - Boerestaat Party
CCB - Civil Cooperation Bureau
DCC - Directorate for Covert Collection
IFP - Inkatha Freedom Party
ITU - Investigation Task Unit
KVS - Kerk van die Skepper (Church of the Creator)
MK - Umkhonto we Sizwe
PAICC - Pan Afrik Industrial Investment Consultants
PAC - Pan Africanist Congress
SACP - South African Communist Party
SADF - South African Defence Force
SAIMR/SAIMAR - South African Institute of Maritime Research
SAP - South African Police
SDU - Self Defence Units
TREWITS - Teen-rewolusionere Inligtingtaakspan (Counter Revolutionary Intelligence Task Force)
VRMB - Verenigde Regse Massa Beweging
WAM - World Apartheid Movement
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Repository
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
The De Wet Potgieter collection consists of three series:
The oral history interviews with individuals in military intelligence include the audio interviews (MP3), transcripts and translated transcripts (Afrikaans and English) of interviews, and interviewee release forms. De Wet Potgieter conducted these interviews on behalf of SAHA in 2009-2010 as a contracted employee. SAHA is the copyright holder for these materials.
The document collection, relating to the activities of Military Intelligence and the Security Branch of the SAP during the apartheid era and extremist right wing organisations in South Africa (1980s-1990s), contains top secret and confidential documents, booklets, pamphlets, information sheets, correspondence, notes, including explanatory notes/narratives by the donor for each of the sub-series. Faxed items in the collection have been photocopied and/or scanned due to the fading nature of this format. Photographs contained in an Appeal document and 6 videos form part of this series.
The Doug Lee photographic material constitutes a selection of digitised images of negatives from the photographer's collection that is most pertinent to the De Wet Potgieter collection as a whole.
Due to the nature of this collection a substantial portion of the material is in Afrikaans. These are indicated in the inventory.
The first series of oral history interviews has been arranged chronologically.
The second series of documents came to SAHA already sorted by the donor, and this greatly assisted with the final arrangement of the materials as the order defined by the donor was mostly retained. In 2014 De Wet Potgieter added documents relating to the assassination of former Swedish prime minister Olof Palme to his collection and these documents are archived as sub series B1.5.6.
The Doug Lee photographic material consists of negatives stored in 6 files, 1 box and 1 envelope. Although the photographer filed these negatives according to the dates on which the photographs were taken, the dates of events overlap in some of the files, e.g. File 1 (1993-1994), File 2 (1994-2003), File 3 (1997), and File 4 (1996-1999), File 5 (2000-2003), File 6 (2002-2003). Only those negatives containing images relevant to the De Wet Potgieter collection as a whole were selected for digitisation, and only those are described in the inventory. However, the numbering of the selected images indicates that these images form part of a larger collection of Doug Lee materials.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
This collection is open for research
Conditions governing reproduction
Language of material
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Uploaded finding aid
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Alternative identifier(s)
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
Genre access points
Description control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation revision deletion
20101014