Killing case: White supremacists rally at South Africa court

Special to USAfricaonline.com

Hundreds of white supremacists rallied Tuesday outside a South African courtroom ahead of an appearance by two men accused of killing a far-right leader.

Tension mounted as more than 300 members of the Afrikaner Resistance Movement (AWB), clad in khaki uniforms bearing swastika-like symbols, faced off against hundreds of black people outside the courtroom where two men charged with the murder of white supremacist Eugene Terre’Blanche were scheduled to appear.

Security was tight with police out in force and a barbed-wire fence erected around the courtroom prior to the appearance of the two men originally due at 9:00 am (0700 GMT).

White supremacists waving AWB separatist flags and wearing T-shirts bearing the slogan “100 percent Boer” were seen arguing and shouting at local blacks outside the magistrates court in Ventersdorp about 100 kilometres (60 miles) west of Johannesburg over the killing of Terre’Blanche, whose body was found Saturday.

The white supremacist leader who founded the AWB fought against the abolition of apartheid during the 1990s.

He suffered facial and head injuries, and a machete was found still embedded in his flesh while a knob-headed stick was discovered nearby.

Two workers on Terre’Blanche’s farm in Ventersdorp, aged 15 and 28, immediately surrendered to police, saying they had had a dispute with their employer over pay.

The killing of Terre’Blanche revived fears of racial trouble in South Africa ahead of the start of the football World Cup in June.

President Jacob Zuma issued an appeal for calm following the killing and urged political leaders to promote national unity. ref: AFP