CONFESSIONS OF A STRATCOM HITMAN

272pp., b/w & colour illus., paperback, Johannesburg, 2021

Paul Erasmus was a Security Police and Stratcom (Strategic Communications) operative during the apartheid era. He testified at the reopened inquest into the death of trade unionist and physician Neil Aggett and at the inquest into the death of South African Communist Party member Ahmed Timol.

"My experiences with Paul were confined to testimony and evidence at the Timol and Aggett Inquiries, where he made a significant contribution. He opened up the window on the culture of the Security Branch and enlightened two courts as to how the State operated ... During his Timol testimony, together with his statement, his significant contribution makes him one of the very few honest Security Branch policemen not to perpetuate the cover up." Advocate Howard Varney