A grisly picture of the killing of right-wing leader Eugene Terre'Blanche was painted in court at a bail hearing on Monday.The Ventersdorp Magistrate's Court heard he was hacked and beaten with a panga and iron rod 28 times while sleeping - and nearly dismembered.
Chris Mahlangu, 27, a slender man, listened impassively as investigating officer Tsietsi Mano testified how the brutality of the Easter Weekend murder had disturbed him.
"He (Terre'Blanche) was sleeping, so he never saw it coming," said Mano, to murmurs of agreement from the late AWB leader's elderly brother, Andries, who sat with hunched shoulders in the front row of the public gallery.
"The brutality was a bitter pill to swallow - he was totally unrecognisable."
Bragged about killing
The court heard how Mahlangu, who shielded his face from photographers with his black Nike tracksuit top, bragged about the killing afterwards. The court outlined how Mahlangu and his co-accused, a 15-year-old youth, broke into Terre'Blanche’s farm house outside Ventersdorp, hacked him to death, pulled his pants down and stole his cellphone.
"They struck him several times in his face, head and body with the iron rod and a panga."
After the murder, "they met three people and accused number one (Mahlangu) told them that he is now their boss because they have killed Mr Terre'Blanche",
Confessed several times
The court was told that Mahlangu confessed to the murder several times and that "the evidence against the accused is overwhelming."
Not only did Mahlangu allegedly brag about killing Terre'Blanche to several farm workers, but he also pointed out the murder scene to police and the blood on his clothes matched that of Terre’Blanche.
Mahlangu also told Mano he would confess.
This led Mano to take him to a magistrate in Klerksdorp where he started making a confession, but was interrupted by his lawyer, Puna Moroko, who burst into the magistrate's office.
Mano read out the report written by the magistrate, Sophia le Roux, who noted that Mahlangu seemed "calm and very at ease with himself".
Also, the report said he did not have any obvious injuries to the body, despite claiming through his Defence Council that he killed Terre'Blanche in self defence.
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From Dina and Jennifer
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