Pretoria , South Africa ( CNN ) Eugene de Kock was the most notorious assassin of South Africa 's apartheid era , commanding a death squad that kidnapped , tortured and killed black activists . His nickname : Prime Evil . After apartheid fell , he was put on trial and sentenced in 1996 to two life sentences plus 212 years in prison . But de Kock showed remorse , meeting with victims ' families , some of whom publicly forgave him , and helping the Missing Persons Task Force locate bodies , a fact noted by South African Justice and Correctional Services Minister Michael Masutha . `` In the interests of nation building and reconciliation , '' Masutha said Friday , he was granting parole to de Kock . De Kock was a police officer who ran the C10 counterinsurgency unit , designed to battle the foes of apartheid , including members of the African National Congress . He operated from Vlakplaas , a farm outside Pretoria . When apartheid fell and the ANC gained control of the government , de Kock cooperated with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission , established in 1994 to achieve full disclosure of apartheid-era misdeeds . De Kock was convicted of murders , such as the deaths of five unarmed people in a van in 1992 , and many other crimes . He was sentenced in 1996 after an 18-month trial . South Africa does n't have the death penalty . In asking for a mitigated sentence , de Kock said the unit he commanded `` was established with the full knowledge and approval of senior government officials and police generals , '' according to the ANC 's webpage . Masutha granted de Kock 's request that the date and conditions of his parole not be made public .
Eugene de Kock had been sentenced to two life sentences , plus 212 years . Official granted parole , noting he cooperated with Truth and Reconciliation Commission .