JACQUES PAUW

A government agent photographed  weapons he claims alleged far right militants wanted to use to in a plot assassinate President Jacob Zuma and other top ANC leaders.

The far-right alleged conspirators, who were arrested by the police this week and who have been charged with terrorism and treason, also allegedlt boasted in cell phone text messages that they already had 54 assault rifles.

Media24 Investigations exclusively obtained the photographs and text messages from a source close to the investigation into the alleged right-wing plot.

The alleged plot, revealed this week, led to unprecedented security measures being taken at the ANC conference in Mangaung this week.

The four far righwingers, Mark Trollip, Johan Prinsloo, Hein Boonzaaier and Martin Keevy, who allegedly wanted to blow up the ANC conference with mortars, have appeared in a Bloemfontein court this week.

The state alleges that there had been a second plan to shoot Zuma, ministers and other high-ranking ANC members at close range.

Their application to be released on bail has been postponed to January 8.

Meanwhile, it appears that far-rightists had already planned in January already in January to launch a mortar assault on the ANC during its centenary celebration in the Bloemfontein stadium in Mangaung.

They, however, could not obtain the mortars and moved their planned attack to the ANC conference, which was held this week, the source claimed.

The right-wing plans were recently also discussed on rightwing websites after an internal dispute between the militants who accused each other of being government agents.

The investigation into the group’s activities has been conducted by a police task team, the State Security Agency (SSA) and army intelligence.

They used an agent who infiltrated the ranks of the right wing group.

Over a period of many months the investigators intercepted sms messages between which will now form the nucleus of the case against the four suspects.

One of the right wingers texted shortly before the start of the conference: “Jis, jy maak my jaloers, wat skiet julle als? (Gee, you are making me jealous, what are you shooting?)”

“LMG, AK, R4, Uzzi, Russian PMK… Daai pel het LMG (ligte masjiengeweer) ens, hy het 54 volle outomatiese gewere (LMG, AK, R4, Uzzi, Russian PKM… our friend has a LMG (light machine gun) etc, he has 54 fully automatic guns),” a right-winger sent back.

Media24 Investigations has also seen one of the reports which the agent sent to his handlers in the investigative task team.

He said that “bombs have been made as if it was nothing” and that the right-wingers were on the verge of obtaining 120mm mortars and 155mm ammunition.

Shortly before the Mangaung conference Johan Lubbe, who is also a well known right winger and arch enemy of Prinsloo, claimed on a right-wing website that Prinsloo and others had been planning “attacks on the imperial regime (the ANC)” in Bloemfontein.

Prinsloo is a funeral undertaker in Springs, while Boonzaaier is apparently an accountant in Centurion.

Prinsloo claims to be a former policeman attached to the vehicle theft unit.

The state prosecutor, Shaun Abrahams, said during the four suspects’ court appearance that there was substantial evidence that they had communicated with each other and planned the terror attacks in Bloemfontein.

The police did not respond to requests for comment.