/ 15 July 2010

Anger at Terre’Blanche murder bail ruling

It was a crying shame that bail of just R5 000 had been granted to one the men accused of murdering Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB) leader Eugene Terre’Blanche, the Afrikanerfront said on Wednesday.

“Seen against the exceedingly high bail amounts recently granted to whites charged with violence against blacks, the decision demonstrates the fallacy of the ANC’s constitutionally guaranteed equal treatment of all citizens before the law,” said Afrikanerfront chairperson Andries Breytenbach.

Murder accused Chris Mahlangu was granted bail by the Ventersdorp Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, on condition that he report to the Mabopane police station, in North West, twice a day, said the National Prosecuting Authority.

Mahlangu and a 15-year-old youth are accused of fatally striking Terre’Blanche 28 times with a panga and iron rod while he was asleep on his farm outside Ventersdorp, in North West, on April 3.

Their trial is expected to start on November 22.

People saw the granting of such a “trifling” amount of bail as the intentional provocation of Afrikaners, said Breytenbach.

Their leaders had so far been able to convince their followers to show self-control.

However, their outrage and anger were at the point where it could no longer be guaranteed that they would not “answer the provocation”, so they could at least feel avenged for the injustice they were going through.

Breytenbach said people were learning that unequal treatment and calculated contempt for Afrikaners’ sentiments were a trademark of the ANC administration, and he called on them to strive for their freedom by voting the party out of power.

Terre’Blanche’s successor as AWB leader, Steyn van Ronge, described the ruling as “disgusting” and “unbelievable”, according to a Star report. — Sapa