Eugène Terre'Blanche

Eugène Terre'Blanche (1944-2010) was a policeman, poet, playwright and later political leader.

Biography

Born Eugène Ney Terre'Blanche on a farm in the Transvaal town of Ventersdorp on 31 January 1941, Terre'Blanche attended Laerskool Ventersdorp and Hoër Volkskool in Potchefstroom, matriculating in 1962.

While in school, he gave early expression to his political leanings by founding the cultural organisation Jong Afrikanerharte ("Young Afrikaner Hearts"). He joined the South African police force in 1962, and while a policeman he founded a theatre company called Die Suid-Afrikaanse Polisie Toneelgeselskap ("The South African Police Theatre Company"), for which he also wrote some short plays. They include Twee Osse (a one act play, of which two performance texts were published between 1961 and 1968) and Sybrand (of which 3 editions of the performance text were published by DALRO in 1969). The latter play was later renamed Sybrand die Watermaker and published in a collection called Iewers Langs die Pad ("Somewhere along the road") by J.L. van Schaik. The collection was prescribed for Cape Schools in 1982 and 1983.

When he became a politician and leader of the AWB in the 1970s, he mimicked Hitler and employed an actor to train him in public speaking, becoming a charismatic and emotive orator, his choreographed political rallies virtually constituting vast theatrical events.

He was attacked at his home and killed in 2010.