Eugene Terre’Blanche has been advised not to pursue legal action against prison officials who incorrectly arrested him for violating his parole conditions, his lawyer said on Tuesday.
Terre’Blanche, who is on parole after serving three of a five year sentence for the attempted murder of security guard Paul Motshabi, was arrested on Sunday for going to the Pretoria High Court to get permission to travel out of his magisterial district.
Terre’Blanche earns a living from giving motivational talks and had travelled to the court on Saturday to successfully overturn an earlier refusal by prison officials to let him attend two engagements out of his parole area.
He was released from Potchefstroom Prison on Monday night after an urgent court application proved that he had been granted verbal permission to make the journey to the court.
Basson said he and Terre’Blanche had discussed the possibility of legal action against prison officials but did not want to destabilise the relationship.
”We run the risk of infuriating them and making the balance of his parole — until December 2005 uncomfortable. There is merit in such a claim but I have not received instructions to pursue it,” Basson said.
Terre’Blanche also had the option of holding the matter in abeyance as the law provided three years after an event for legal action to be launched.
An ”obviously elated and jubilant” Terre’Blanche was collected from the prison by his wife and daughter and returned to his home in Ventersdorp.
”He obviously feels an injury was done, but he doesn’t carry a grudge anymore. He is a changed person. You can see he doesn’t walk alone.”
His next step would be to secure permission for a speaking engagement outside his parole area on September 1.
”People phone him all the time and say ‘please, come and motivate us to be a Christian’,” said Basson.
Terre’Blanche turned to public speaking after a sales and auction job with a farming company fell through and his wife lost a job that had been given to her while her husband was in prison.
He is also trying to raise money to buy his farm back after mounting legal fees forced him to sell. – Sapa