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Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Vol. 35. No. 13. 14 June 1972

They'll get same again, says brigadier — The man in the grey suit... — ... who gave the order to charge

page break

They'll get same again, says brigadier

The man in the grey suit...

... who gave the order to charge

The Man in Command: These pictures show the man who gave the order for the charge. He is Brigadier M. C. Lamprecht — the [unclear: man] in the grey suit. One of the pictures, taken by a freelance photographer, shows him taking part in the action himself.

Photo of a police officer hitting a student with a baton

[unclear: Rig]. Martinus Christof- [unclear: El] Lamprecht. Divisional [unclear: criminal] Investigation Officer for [unclear: he] Western Cape, was [unclear: directly] [unclear: responsible] for the police action [unclear: gainst] students and members of [unclear: he] public at St. George's [unclear: Cathedral]. Cape Town on Friday aftertoon.

Immediately after the main stack, having recognized [unclear: Brigaer] Lamprecht in civilian dress, approached him at the foot of he Cathedral steps.

I told him I had been deeply hocked by what I had just seen, [unclear: nd] asked him for an [unclear: explanation] of the police action I [unclear: also] asked him what sort of [unclear: impression] he thought this would [unclear: make] in the outside world.

He replied: "I couldn't care [unclear: about] that!"

Shaken

Brigadier Lamprecht was [unclear: obiously] badly shaken. He was [unclear: rembling], and almost stuttered [unclear: but] his explanation of what had [unclear: happened].

Pointing to the Cathedral steps he said: "This was an [unclear: unawful] public gathering, or meeting. When these people refused to move off when they were warned to do so, I gave the order to disperse them."

When I pointed out that all the students had been standing on private church property, and had been standing peacefully there for some time. Brigadier Lamprecht replied: "Yes, but all those people over there (members of the public on the opposite side of Wale Street) could see and hear what was going on, so it was a public meeting.

"You've got to get permission from the municipality to hold such a meeting — and in this case no permission had been given."

From my vantage point on the centre island in Wale Street, directly opposite the Cathedral steps, I watched as Brigadier Lamprecht moved about the scene of action, looking at the constables under his command as they lashed out with their batons.

Pictures taken by Cape Times, Argus and freelance photographers bear this out.

One photograph, taken by a freelance, shows Brigadier Lamprecht taking part in the action himself.

At no stage was he seen restraining any of his men.

During the melee I did not at any stage see any student or member of the public assault a policeman.

No Attack

It has been stated that the baton charge was ordered after. Col. P. A. Crous, District Commandant of Cape Town, was attacked by a student or students from behind. I was watching him closely when the action started' and I can say categorically that this is not so.

Brigadier M. C. Lamprecht, Divisional Criminal Investigation Officer for the Western Cape.

Brigadier M. C. Lamprecht, Divisional Criminal Investigation Officer for the Western Cape.

"We're not fighting. Father— we're playing cops and priests."

"We're not fighting. Father— we're playing cops and priests."

A consecutive series of close-up pictures of the incident [unclear: reveals] no evidence that Colonel Crous was assaulted before the baton charge was ordered. If he was in fact assaulted at any stage, it must have been alter the action had begun.

At most, the colonel may have been jostled, or bumped by someone before the order was given — but he was certainly not attacked in the full sense of the the word.

This, as I saw it, was how the action started: About 4 p.m., after the students had been standing peacefully and in orderly fashion on the Cathedral steps for some two hours, one of the students, Mr. Dirk Kemp, began addressing [unclear: onliiker] through a portable loud-hailer.

[unclear: Colonel] Crous went up to him, on the steps, and said something that I was unable to hear. Kemp then used the loud-hailer again briefly to say he had been told he would not be allowed to continue using it. He then appeared to be handing the microphone to Colonel Crous and, in doing so, he said: "Perhaps the colonel would like to explain to you why, this is so."

This was the moment of action. As Kemp handed down the microphone to Colonel Crous, saw the colonel reaching up and taking Kemp by the arm, and pulling him down. But Colonel Crous certainly did not give the order for the baton charge. He was in no position at that stage to do so. The police posse was fairly far from him, on the Parliament side of the Cathedral—and anyway he was concerning himself with Kemp in particular and not with the students generally.

Had no Option

Reports that Colonel Crous gave the order for action are therefore false — and if he himself has told anyone that he gave the order, he was clearly trying to protect his superior officer. Brigadier Lamprecht, who was with the main body of police on the pavement.

Colonel Crous was merely caught up in the events that followed, and had no option but to join in, which he, did possibly with reluctance.

Footnote: A question being passed in Cape Town yesterday was: Where was Brig. M. P. Loubser, Divisional Commissioner of Police for the Western Cape ?

Most of the police used in the baton charge at the Cathedral of Friday were from the uniformed branch — and these men fall directly under the command of the Divisional Commissioner, who is himself a uniformed member of the force.

It has been confirmed that Brigadier Loubser was in his office on Friday afternoon.

Photo of two police officers standing over a man. One officer is about to strike him with a baton