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South Africa: Trial of alleged murderers of Eugene Terre'Blanche

AFP - The two black farm workers charged with the murder of white extremist leader Eugene Terre'Blanche in April 2010 pleaded not guilty Monday, the first day of their trial in central South Africa.

Chris Mahlangu, 29, and his alleged accomplice, 15 years old at the time, are accused of having bludgeoned to death the farmer of 68 years, staunch supporter of the "white supremacy" in his farm in the small town Rural Ventersdorp, April 3, 2010.

After the discovery of the body, two employees of Terre'Blanche surrendered voluntarily to the police and identified themselves as his murderers, claiming to have played with their boss for a pay problem.

According to sources there, at the time they earned 300 rand per month or 30 euros, well below the minimum wage.

Counsel for the minor defendant, Norman Arendse said devangt the court that his client suffered Ventersdorp regularly attacks the landowner, verbal, physical and even sexual.

"Most of the witnesses refuse to confirm these accusations," said the lawyer in court, "the main reason seems to be fear and intimidation.Fear of losing what little they earn, the fear of losing the roof over their head, and the food they are given to work on farms. "

About twenty members of the Afrikaner Resistance Movement (AWB), the splinter group founded by racist Terre'Blanche, had gathered Monday in the court waving the flag of the apartheid era. Very few blacks had made the trip.

This relative calm contrasts sharply with the tension that had presided over the first court hearing shortly after the murder.

Hundreds of supporters of the AWB were then converged to Ventersdorp, wearing khaki uniforms and flags struck a symbol inspired by the Nazi swastika.They had faced court on a host of Black also came to trial.

A few months before the World Cup soccer, the whole country had feared a return of racial violence, sixteen years after the fall of apartheid and the establishment of multi-racial democracy.

Present at the trial, the brother of Eugene Terre'Blanche declined to comment, but spokesman Johan Potgieter AWB told reporters he hoped the maximum sentence for the accused.

"We want a sentence of life imprisonment, without parole," he said, "we do not they kill our leader or are we chasing" the country.

The AWB accused local politicians of having ordered the murder of their leader."They want to hire our firm, we take our work," fumed Potgieter. "That's what they call + work with the Boers (farmers africaners)? I do not believe."

The small group, today virtually no popular support or influence, opposed by the violence with the advent of democracy in South Africa.

He was particularly guilty of bombing before the 1994 elections, which had brought him to power Nelson Mandela, first black president of the country.

The trial of two farm workers, postponed several times for reasons of procedure, should last 10 days.

Working conditions and accommodation for agricultural workers are poor in South Africa, according to a recent report by Human Rights Watch made in the Cape region.