Eugene Terre’blanche was murdered as he slept on Saturday night. Now ET was as controversial as they come in South Africa. To some he was a brave charismatic leader who went all out for his cause. To others he was an anachronism and a living embodiment of the darkness South Africa emerged from almost two decades ago. But the fact is, he wasn’t killed for what he stood for politically. Police, at this stage, this being Sunday morning, say the men had a dispute with ET over unpaid wages.
Now how often does this scenario play itself out in SA?
Fact is, all that is irrelevant when it comes to his murder. ET’s murder was just symbolic of the age old farm murder phenomena. By farm murder I mean farmers butchering their own staff as much as the other way. Farm life is in some instances a microcosm of the economic and social challenges facing South Africa. Criminal murders on farms have been blight on our new democracy as much as mistreatment and deprivation were and still are a reality in the old South Africa.
What the ET murder must wake us up to is the need to address a few key issues in our nation. Land reform is one of these. The working and living conditions of the downtrodden are another. Most importantly is the need to depoliticise crime in our nation and deal with it for what it is. Crime, I believe is largely a consequence of our social realities. Poverty, illiteracy, unskilled labour and now HIV/Aids. That is what we must fight to fight crime.
Making fool of ourselves blaming Julius, JZ, Zille and racist whites for what happened will not help any but those who hope to see SA remain divided. It is encouraging to hear that two suspects have already been held for ET’s murder. I hope justice makes it course swiftly and fully. A message needs to be sent out to criminals and society in general.
But let’s not make martyrs where none exist. Terre’Blanche is no more a martyr than the thousand of South Africans unjustly murdered each year.
”By farm murder I mean farmers butchering their own staff as much as the other way.”
I’m not too sure about that after reading this piece in last week’s London Sunday Times. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article7078730.ece
Well said,
We need for everyone to view this in such a light.
The problem is the timing… With the ‘Shoot the Boer’ issue still in residue amongst many, this was the ingredient our current political maelstrom did not need right now.
“By farm murder I mean farmers butchering their own staff as much as the other way.”
Plesae provide me with some verifiable statistics as to this, as well as a few salient examples. Preferably more than 2.
Otherwise, shut up.
ET was no stranger to violence and to murder himself and one can imagine the few chosen words he might have used in this money dispute.
Were these farm hands white . Why would a segregationalist like ET have black farm workers.
Thanks for pointing out the number of black farm workers killed by their bosses Siyabonga. Looks like its “The killing fields” out there
“ET’s murder was just symbolic of the age old farm murder phenomena.”
Really?
It was much more directly symbolic of what Malema has been singing about. And of the ANC’s appeal, through the courts, to restore his right to keep singing it. “Kill the boer.” No ambiguity there, is there?
Maybe it does just boil down to who has the best killing songs and the most guns and machetes, hmm?
So the “men” that killed Terreblanche went to merely argue over a wage dispute armed with a panga and knobkierrie …? How odd. Not a racial murder, when ET was who he was, and they were black? Good grief …
How many farm murderers walks to the neighboring farm to phone the police themselves.
In fact, I cannot fathom a recent memory of any farm murderers being arrested.
It smells.
So, in your opinion its OK to brutally murder someone over a few bucks?
I wouldn’t be surprised if this murder was a political set-up. Apparently the murderers had been working for Terre’Blanche for only three weeks and they surrendered themselves to the police before the murder had even been discovered. This act seems calculated to establish the perception that farm murders are a consequence of racism and mistreatment of workers. I guess we will be hearing a lot about farm murders against workers once again, even though the former minister of agriculture couldn’t substantiate her allegations previously when challenged on it.
3000 white farmers murdered at the hands of blacks. Not even a tenth of that number of workers killed by farmers. And, on every farm, there are far more farm workers than farmers, extending even further the gross disproportionality. So, what’s one more farmer? you ask. And you expect your readers to shed tears for the handful of workers instead? A bit rich, Siyabonga. A bit very rich on your part.
If a group of white men barged into a black man’s house and killed him it would instantly be labelled a race crime, but that doesn’t very often happen. Black men barge into white people’s houses every single day to kill, rape and plunder, but that’s never classified as a racial issue. Go figure.
“By farm murder I mean farmers butchering their own staff as much as the other way.” Bah, humbug!
How many white farmers murder their black workers every year?
We have plenty of sources confirming the near daily murders of farmers and farm workers by intruders.
Do you have ANY evidence to back up your outrageous statement ”By farm murder I mean farmers butchering their own staff as much as the other way.” on the same scale?
Please provide me with verifiable statistics regarding farmers butchering their own staff, together with a few pertinent examples – names, dates, places, circumstances, etc. Preferably more than 2, if you please?
Martyr??
EOD: “noun 1 a person who is killed because of their religious or other beliefs. 2 a person who exaggerates their difficulties in order to obtain sympathy or admiration.”
ET was killed by savages who settle wage disputes with a panga. Only in Africa.
. . . and the word “martyr” simply does not apply.
We’re dealing with really primitive people here, folks.
For instance, a government that encourages ‘political’ breeding – and thereby forces 14 year-olds into prostitution so that they can be assured on a constant supply of voting fodder – is as evil as the Nazi regime. And all this for a R250/month so-called ‘child grant.’
How stupid can you be?
Makes me wonder if Zuluboy also qualifies for child grants!
haiwa tigere, nowhere does syabonga mention the ‘number’ of farmworkers being butchered.
We know of a game ranch worker killed by a security guard, following which his body was thrown to lions (Scott Crossley case)
And we know of a young boy poacher being shot by a farmer supposedly mistaking him for a baboon.
And we know of a farmworker being dragged to death brutally behind a bakkie.
There may be a dozen more that we don’t know about.
We also have documented cases of 3000 plus farmers butchered to death.
There … now you have some numbers!
.. latest news is that the killing was not over a wage dispute, but over a demand by one of the workers for an Easter Bonus … a bonus demanded after by a worker 1 month into his employment at the farm.
Terreblanche’s death does not move me … but this murder is not what it seems.
I wouldn’t label this post particularly productive.
Anyone who can’t work out that he’s not likely to get their money any sooner by breaking, entering and murdering, is not really the type of person I’d like to see benfit from land reform, especially if it’s my land up for reform!
Frankly, I think you are mixed up. Murder is what this is all about and murder is wrong.
Ah yes, more inflammatory lies about farmers. A little Julius Malema clone. Guaranteed you will not get a statistic back from the writer (this comment will probably be censored) about how many farmers have “butchered” their workers. It’s just emotive drivel. A “lackadaisical” way through the education system is right. More like lazy, “pass one, pass all”.
ET’s murder should be treated like Chris Hani’s. Remain calm, jail the perpetrators for life.
The real question you have ignored is: why was an alleged “white supremacist employing [so-called] black labour?… Why was he not employing some of the half million unemployed [so-called ] disempowered white citizens. Were his motivations that he could abuse that labour in which case his death was as inevitable as that of the other 4000 odd murdered farmers. Time to change and for black farmers to employ blacks and white farmers to employ whites… would that not solve the problem? If black people were no longer working for white farmers then there would be no need to murder them.
Siyabonga! i would have thought that as a journo you would firstly research the meaning or connotations surrounding certain words and phrases? Yes, not every miserable, murderous, “rapist” (as per the ANC song) farmer or boer becomes a martyr when killed merely over a wage dispute, but when you are the white supremacist icon of a specific group, and have been killed after the government “vowed to challenge” hate songs which targeted you, they tacitly assisted in making you a martyr!
issue to be addressed, land reform and upliftment the downtrodden? Land reform is only a political ballgame, black people need to be educated as to how to be caretakers of the land, not nomadic. you cannot just crap on the soil and move on. The downtrodden need to be given respect, not money. And every human should be able to go to school and university if he shows the ability. ET is a symbolical sacrifice for the white people to the black people as a race if you need one.
And guess who will turn ET into a martyr? Your own Julius dude, get him to shut up and this will fade away
I agree with you 100%. Thank heavens (and let’s just hope it’s true and nobody was paid to do this) this appears to be an ‘ordinary’ murder not a political assassination. Every murder in SA is a tragedy and must be dealt with swiftly. Most people in SA, black and white, are not extremists and support neither Terreblanche nor Malema. However there is a need for a clearer message from our political ‘leaders’ that this kind of savage crime will be dealt with severely.
Siyabonga,
Everything you say is absolute fact.
Sadly – the only way things will change is if we have an efficient, effective, and moral Government. We don’t.
For example: Land re-allocation. There’s plenty of land to reallocate – but total lack of commitment on the part of Government.
Crime: if Gov cracked down on criminal elements in their own ranks, we get a lot further in this society. Instead, there’s a gravy-train for all in Gov with tenders to mates…
ET and Malema are symptoms of a far greater malaise.
Well said Ntshings. The times reported that “he walked around with a sjambok and demanded to be called KING”. The youths that killed him, probably shouldnt have, not a solution to a wage dispute, but probably their understanding and knowledge of their employer led them to make such a decision.
Uvuna okutshalile…
You response to this, especially the comparisons you are trying to draw about farm murders and the numbers game, is typical of the ignorance and understanding of Peace, harmony and promomotion of reconcilliation in this country. It is pointless to argue with you as you thought processes is the same as that of the ANC in general.Words have meaning and lead to action, “Kill the Boer” is hate speech whichever way you try and sugar-coat it. This Killing is a direct consequence of that. The worse thing about it is that the goverment publicly backs this with idiotic claims of “Cultural Ditty’s”.The Rwanda genocide started like this and the Terrorism that we see lately all over the world. Intelligent people recognise this, the fact that the goverment doesn’t, is either proof of the lack of Intelligence or it’s a call to WAR. Now which is it! If the perpertrators of this crime think that they have removed their enemies leader then they are sadly mistaken. The ball is now firmly in the goverments court. Their actions against MR. Malema and the daily slaughter of the innocent in this country by so called criminals will determine the future of this place. My feeling is that they are instigating this and cant wait for some form of retaliation,but then that’s just me !!
I think his death was long overdue.We have bent backwards all in the name of reconciliation and what did we get in return?The right to vote for a constitution that guarantees continuous White economic domination.Irrigable land is still held in the main, by Whites.The land owned by Blacks is in the majority situated in the former homelands and is not entirely irrigable.
Terreblanche should have known better, given he was a leader of a verkrampte organisation, that you do not mess with hungry,angry farmworkers.
what was the relationship between ET and the young men who killed him? Why was ET alone at the time? How come the dogs did not bark and alert him? How come the young men were in his bedroom? Were they invited in? Was ET awake and expecting them? Were his trousers pulled down before he was kileld or after he was killed? Who pulled his trousers down? What was the nature of the pay dispute? What was the money owed for?
I have no idea of the stats relating to farm workers killed by farmers but what I do know is that the man probably had it coming to him. The old saying “if you live by the sword you die by the sword” comes to mind. As has been said, no murder can ever be justified – not ever. However if you keep provoking people and being confrontational round every corner, someone is finally going to tire of it and take action – which will in a way end their lives too as they rot away in prison. Eventually the whole truth will out – were they paid for this sensational murder just to make a point that “the song” was the cause? Possible!
Imagine a white person running around singing a song “Kill the Nigger,Kill the Pig”.He/She would be locked up tomorrow.
S.A.Wake up.Its only a matter of time.
There was no machetes or pangas or knobkerries used in the commissioning of this crime. Just a crow-bar…not that makes it any more dramatic.
@ Steve I like your thinking ROTFLMFBAO!!!
Mandrake, how do you know this? And why did initial reports saw that a machette and knobkerrie were used? Or was the machette only found on the scene but not actually used to kill?