Malema: I'm ready to die
by Staff Reporters
06/04/2010 00:00:00
ANC Youth League firebrand Julius Malema said he was “ready to die” as the South African government moved to calm tensions following the weekend murder of white supremacist leader Eugene Terreblanche.
Anger over the death of the fiery founder of Afrikaner Resistance Movement (AWB) has shifted to the singing of aan anti-apartheid song, "kill the boer", which is being blamed for triggering Terreblanche’s death. The struggle song has been recently revived by Malema, who has sung it at public gatherings.
But the ANC brushed off accusations of fuelling racial tension amid fears of a bloody backlash.
"Any claim that blacks intend to harm other race groups — (in) particular our white compatriots — is baseless and devoid of all truth," the African National Congress (ANC) said in a statement.
Two of Terreblanche’s former farm workers, including a 15-year-old, were due before the Ventersdorp Magistrate's Court in South Africa’s North West Province early Tuesday charged with last Saturday’s murder.
Police say they have so far failed to link Terreblanche’s murder to politics. Terreblanche was killed in a pay dispute with his two workers, say detectives.
About 50 AWB supporters in khakhis and army fatigues turned up at the Magistrate’s Court holding old South African flags. A number of young children were seen with "100% Boere Seun" and "100% Boere Meisie" from a yellow crate on the pavement.
Pieter Steyn, a commander of the AWB, barred journalists from speaking to individual AWB members and requested that all questions be directed to him.
Speaking to journalists outside the court where two suspects are due to make their first appearance on murder charges, he said: "We are here as a sign of solidarity with Terre'Blanche.
"Our members are heartbroken and angry but we have told them not to take the law into their own hands. We've also instructed them not to make any inflammatory statements.”
However, Steyn and other AWB members were adamant that the murder of Terre'Blanche was political. He said since 1994, some 3,100 farmers were killed in well-planned attacks.
Steyn made a plea to President Jacob Zuma to stop ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema from making “racist and inflammatory statements like Shoot The Boer".
"The murder of Terre'Blanche is another method of land-grabbing. It is different from Zimbabwe but it's close to coming to South Africa," said Steyn.
Defence lawyers for the two murder accused say their trial will hear of the “horrific” mistreatment of farm workers by large scale white land-owners, including Terreblanche who was jailed in 2004 for attempting to kill one of his black workers.
And returning from a four-day visit to Zimbabwe on Monday, Malema said he would not be intimidated by “right wingers”.
Stop Malema ... Terreblanche's fanatics blame Malema for his death
Malema said: "We are unshaken. Nobody, including the right-wingers, can intimidate us in that country. We have more important issues to concentrate on than killing an individual.
"Terreblanche was just an individual and had no influence. When he died he had no influence, including in Afrikaner politics.
"So it is irresponsible of those who want to link the song to the death of Terre'Blanche,
"The song has been sung (since) before I was born. I started singing it when I was nine years old. I don't know why Terreblanche was not killed at that time.
"Today, he is killed and people can't see a reason why Terre'Blanche was killed and they want to associate that with a song.
"It has nothing to do with the song ... we know who Terreblanche was; we know how he related to his workers, so police must investigate and look for the person who killed him.
“People are just mobilising and trying to intimidate us in our own country. If there is anybody who wants to assassinate me, they will find me ready for them.
"I'm not going to be scared of Boers - I've fought them many times before. If they want to fight me they are welcome.
"Before Terreblanche was killed, there was a price tag on my head, but unfortunately (for them) I am alive and somebody else is no more.
"It cannot be that Julius Malema's life is cheaper than the life of somebody else. In their minds, they think they have already killed me. When they practise shooting, they put up my picture and shoot my head.”
British newspapers have warned football fans to prepare for a “blood-bath” during the June 11-July 11 FIFA World Cup being held in South Africa.
But police minister Nathi Mthethwa said: “We do not see any linkage between our hosting of World Cup and the death of Mr Terreblanche.”
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