Dieter Gerhardt

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Dieter Gerhardt was a Commodore in the South African Navy, and commander of the Simonstown naval base. He was convicted as a Soviet spy together with his wife Ruth. He was released in 1994 after the historic first democratic elections held in South Africa, and emigrated to Switzerland.

In February, 1994, he informed the Johannesburg City Press that the Vela Incident was the result of a joint Israeli-South African nuclear test, code-named Operation Phenix (sp); however, most reports on this incident, from a variety of sources, are somewhat mutually contradictory.

While the wife of Dieter Gerhardt was released earlier, the South African spy Odile Harington remained in custody in Harare, Zimbabwe serving a 27-year sentence.