Prime Evil Inc

Eugene ''Prime Evil" de Kock was setting up businesses from his cell in a maximum security prison.

The former apartheid police colonel is the listed director of six companies - two of which were established while he was serving a 212-year prison sentence.

De Kock, who was granted parole on Friday, headed a death squad that killed and tortured political activists.

The Times can today reveal that in 2000 and 2003, De Kock, who at the time was imprisoned in Pretoria's C-Max, was registered as a director of both Commerce Sans Frontieres Afrique CC and Africa Renovators International CC.

De Kock was apartheid's most successful assassin, commanding the apartheid government's covert Vlakplaas police unit, which was responsible for the death of hundreds of anti-apartheid activists.

The discovery of his business interests has prompted the Justice Ministry, which last week announced De Kock's parole after 19 years in jail, to investigate his involvement in the businesses.

If he is found to have contravened the Close Corporations Act or the Correctional Services Act he could have his parole revoked.

The two businesses are registered with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission.

His other business interests include:

• Afro International Technology - started in 1993;
• Fleet-Pro Carriers - 1992;
• Intaf CC - 1992; and
• Honeybadger Arms and Ammunition - 1991.

The records were updated in November and then showed that De Kock was still an active director of five of the six businesses. He has resigned from Africa Renovators International CC.

For De Kock to have registered a company he would have had to have signed documents, and specify his residential address and occupation, all while in jail.

He would have had to provide a certified copy of his identity document, which would be sent to the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission of SA for the businesses' registration.

Multiple sources, including his former business partner, Sarel Kruger, said they had opened Africa Renovators International CC in 2003.

Kruger said that, although Africa Renovators International was 100% legal, he could not remember why it had been established.

"It was many years ago. It was opened but we never traded. It just lay there. We closed it soon after opening it," he said.

Kruger was also unable to recall how the required documents, including those that De Kock would have had to sign and submit, were delivered to the registrar of companies.

"Maybe it was through his lawyers. I don't know."

Fredrick Holtzhausen, De Kock's partner in Pro-Fleet and Intaf, refused to comment.

"I am busy. I don't want to get involved in this or anything else."

Piet Croucamp, De Kock's spokesman, said in SMSes that De Kock was not allowed to speak to the media "at all".

In terms of the Close Corporation Act, people are disqualified from managing a corporation if, among other things, they are found guilty of fraud.

De Kock was convicted on 66 counts of fraud related to insurance, false claims for costs related to informants and fake arms caches used to generate funds - in addition to murder, conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, culpable homicide, being an accessory to culpable homicide, attempting to defeat the ends of justice, assault, kidnapping, and the illegal possession of weapons and explosives.

Correctional Services spokesman Manelisi Wolela declined to comment, referring The Times to the Justice Ministry and the Correctional Services Act.

Justice Ministry spokesman Mthunzi Mhaga said: "The information is news to us. The department will investigate."

James Selfe, the DA's prisons spokesman, said: "There is a disconnect between the registrar of close corporations and the criminal records office. Checks should be run to see if people applying [to register] close corporations have criminal convictions.

"You are not allowed to conduct any form of remunerated activity while serving a prison sentence. You cannot go into business.

"If the company didn't trade and the person didn't earn any income, the National Prosecuting Authority probably wouldn't pursue the case. But if it did, the consequences would be severe.

"The Waterkloof Four are a perfect example - when it is discovered that you broke the law while imprisoned, your parole is revoked."

In granting De Kock parole on Friday, Justice Minister Michael Masutha said that one of the reasons for his decision was the help De Kock had given the National Prosecuting Authority's missing person's team.

De Kock will be assisting the team in locating the burial sites of dozens of the apartheid security forces' victims, some of the cases dating as far back as the 1970s.

De Kock is being kept in a safe house.