Exposing a Nuclear Conspiracy

Rapport 30.11.1975 / Translated
Headline (front-page) - THE EMBASSY THIEF
Subtitle - Schuitema is his name
Author - Chris Vermaak

The man who stole documents on nuclear secrets from the South African Embassy in Bonn is Barend Schuitema (alias Nico Waterbalk, alias Jan), a former resident of Klerksdorp who managed to escape a police dragnet just on time.

This fact can be made known after revelations in the trial of Breyten Breytenbach had been made by Mrs. Durten Rohm, the attractive blond wife of Dr. H.F. Rohm, a former scientist at the Atomic Energy Commission.

The theft of the documents led to a political storm in West Germany, and the resignation of General Gunther Rall after his secret visit to South West Africa became known.

Schuitema, who fled South Africa in the late 1960's for the first time after being charged under the Immorality Act, was also a founder member of the organization Okhela/Atlas, a militant white wing of the ANC, to which
Breyten also belonged.

Out of information that is now in the hands of Rapport, it appears that Schuitema and his cohorts bugged the telephone of the Bonn and shortly after that organized the break in and theft of the documents.

In the Breytenbach trial Mrs. Rohm testified that she had a conversation with Breyten at the station of Pretoria, and surmised that she should attempt to fill in and with more information she could get from her husband.

Extracts

Breyten then told her that a member of his organization broke into the South African embassy in Bonn that had reference to South Africa's atomic program.

Later it was established that Breyten was not involved in this, but only later came to hear of it.

The stolen documents had apparently not yet been fully exposed.  Some extracts from these documents - apparently about sensational revelations about South African / German nuclear collaboration - are being prepared for publication.

The first revelations made in the German newspaper Der Spiegel will be followed up by more in a next edition.

Theft

According to information the documents will be published and made public by one Wolf Geisler, a frontline member of the German anti apartheid movement that has close connections with the ANC. The documents will at the same time be made available to the UN as the biggest example of German hypocrisy.

It must be assumed that Dr. Geisler had contact with Schuitema and his cohorts.

Donald Moerdyk, another founder member of the white wing, was also an accomplice in the theft of the documents. So too was the Methodist preacher, Rev. Don Morton, alias James Moeler, alias Ted. He is also mentioned as a co-conspirator in the charge sheet against Breyten as a founder member of Atlas/Okhela.
Morton fled South Africa some four years ago after he revealed torture methods used by the Security Police.

Escape

Morton filled in for Moerdyk after differences between Moerdyk, Breyten and Schuitema. Moerdyk or Jack felt that nothing was coming of their revolutionary ideas and plans.

Schuitema - his father lives in Klerksdorp and his mother in Johannesburg - left Amsterdam shortly after Breyten's arrest and is believed to be with Morton in New York. They are planning a new offensive against South Africa after the Breytenbach fiasco.

He was in South Africa this year at the same time as Breyten - also incognito and with a false passport - but succeeded to escape by the skin of his teeth.

Information accessed by Rapport, reveals that Schuitema and Moerdyk, with Morton in the know, all exile members of the black ANC and members of the powerful German anti apartheid movement, used bugs to listen in to conversations in the Bonn embassy.

Eavesdropping

In this way they got to know about general Rall's visit to South Africa, and of letters exchanged between our ambassador Mr. Donald Sole and the West German government, about the uranium enrichment unit which is to be built in the Republic next year.

With this information the help of the German anti apartheid movement was enlisted to break into the Bonn Embassy. This mission was done by Schuitema himself.
Donald Moerdyk told Mrs. Rohm during his secret visit to South Africa in August 1974 that the organization was now much better equipped. He added "abroad we have even started using bugging equipment on telephones".
After the theft of the documents, with the aid of another co-conspirator, Johnny Makatini, alias Eric, a black exile who formerly used to live in Johannesburg, these were made available to the press.

Suspicion

Oliver Tambo, formerly a Johannesburg attorney and secretary general of the ANC, also helped with the distribution of the information.

Another high ranking member of the German anti apartheid movement, Frederick Geisler was said to be part of the burglary according to the German police. In a newspaper article he strongly denied this.

The German chauffeur at the Bonn embassy, Colonel P.E.K. Bosman, is also under suspicion. A spokesman of the embassy conformed that he was suspected of the theft.

Was afraid

Mrs. Rohm, who was recruited into Okhela/Atlas by her brother Jobst Grapow, now living in the Netherlands, met Breyten at the Pretoria Station while he was secretly in South Africa, incognito and under the name Christian Galaska. She initially thought he was a Frenchman who could not understand Afrikaans, but recognized him when he turned his face towards her.

When Breyten told her of the theft of the documents out of the embassy - he did not say out of which - she became "very afraid". "I was extremely afraid that my husband would get dragged into my activities of which he knew nothing.

This conversation between Breyten and Mrs. Rohm was held after the documents were already stolen, but before they were published.