Apartheid policeman beaten in S. African reconciliation visit

The Associated Press

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- Footage of a former apartheid policeman being beaten after he apologized to the family of a slain activist has made its way to the Internet.

But an attorney for apartheid-era policeman Gideon Nieuwoudt on Sunday criticized the filmmaker who shot the video and said the meeting between Nieuwoudt and the family of Sipho Mtimkulu was intended to be "private." Attorney Francois van der Merwe said Nieuwoudt was visiting the family more than a year ago when Mtimkulu's 15-year-old son threw a ceramic vase and fractured Nieuwoudt's skull. Filmmaker Mark Kaplan had arranged the meeting with the family of the late activist, but Nieuwoudt didn't know the visit was going to be videotaped until after he had arrived, the attorney said. "This was exploited for the purpose of sensationalism. It should have been a private moment," the attorney told the Associated Press, adding that no legal action would be taken to prevent its airing. The footage was shot by Kaplan for a documentary to be released on South African television in June, the Sunday Times of Johannesburg reported. Kaplan couldn't be reached for immediate comment. Van der Merwe said the interview took place more than a year ago, although he didn't know the exact date. Nieuwoudt needed surgery to remove vase fragments that had penetrated his skull. Earlier this year, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission denied Nieuwoudt's application for amnesty in the 1977 killing of black consciousness leader Steve Biko. Nieuwoudt and three other police colleagues are seeking amnesty from the panel after admitting they killed Mtimkulu, who disappeared in 1982.

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