Eugene Terre’blanche, leader of the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging, was attacked and killed at his farm 10km outside Ventersdorp on Saturday, North West police said.
Captain Adele Myburgh said Terre’blanche (69) had been attacked by a man and teenager who worked for him after they had allegedly argued over unpaid wages at about 6pm.
“Mr Terre’blanche’s body was found on the bed with facial and head injuries. There was a panga on him and knobkerrie next to the bed.
“A 21-year-old man and 15-year-old boy were arrested and charged for his murder. The two told the police that the argument ensued because they were not paid for the work they did on the farm,” she said.
Myburgh said Terre’blanche was alone with the two workers at the time of the attack.
Racial tension
The Democratic Alliance in the North West expressed its “outrage and concern” at Terre’blanche’s murder.
“This happened in a province where racial tension in the rural farming community is increasingly being fuelled by irresponsible racist utterances by the leader of the ANCYL Leader Julius Malema and the North West Cosatu secretary Solly Pheto,” said Democratic Alliance member of Parliament Juanita Terblanche.
She said the DA did not share Terre’blanche’s political conviction, but an attack of this nature could be regarded as an attack on the diverse components of the South African democracy.
Terblanche sent her condolences to the family and called for calm.
North West minister for Public Safety Howard Yawa condemned the “callous murder in the strongest terms possible” and said the law should be allowed to take its course. – Sapa