TUESDAY, 4.00PM
AFRIKANER Weerstandsbeweging leader Eugene Terre’Blanche was on Tuesday sentenced in the Potchefstroom Regional Court to an effective six years in jail for attempted murder and assault.
Terre’Blanche was last month found guilty of attempted murder after he knocked down an employee, Paul Motsibi, and beat him with a pipe in March 1996, apparently for eating on the job. Motsibi suffered brain damage in the assault. Terre’Blanche was also found guilty of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm after setting his dog on petrol station attendant John Ndzima twoo weeks before the Motsabi assault. He was sentenced to six years’ jail for attempted murder and one year for the assault, both sentences to run concurrently.
Terre’Blanche indicated his intention to appeal the conviction and sentence, but magistrate Chris Eksteen rejected an extension of his current R5 000 bail, saying it is too low. The court set bail at R20 000, which AWB members then attempted to pay in coinage.
Terre’Blanche showed no emotion when the sentence was handed down by Eksteen, who said the AWB leader’s behaviour suggests he is not remorseful.