Ventersdorp, North West
Encyclopedia
Ventersdorp is a town
situated in North West Province of South Africa
.
The town's population is just 2,000 while the nearby township of Tshing has a population of around 15,000.
that was established in 1866.
The town was named after Johannes Venter who owned the land the church was built on.
was born in Ventersdrop. The town is the base of the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging
(AWB), a far right
secessionist
political organisation
and former paramilitary
group, which Terre'Blanche founded. Many of the AWB's major figures live in Ventersdorp, including Terre'Blanche's former driver JP Meyer. Eugene Terre'Blanche's security firm was rented out to the town council for a long time as an almost private police force. In 2000 the new black Mayor of Ventersdorp terminated this contract. Shortly thereafter he disappeared, never to be seen again and his car was found in a nearby field. The Mayor's cousin was found guilty of his murder, but some people, particularly black people, believed that Terre'Blanche had ordered the murder and that the AWB influenced the outcome of the trial.
However, separately, Terre'Blanche was sentenced to six years in prison
on June 17, 2001, of which he served three years, for assaulting a petrol station worker and the attempted murder
of a security guard in 1996. One of only three whites in the Rooigrond prison near Mafikeng
, during his time in prison he became a born-again Christian and later claimed to have moderated many of his more racist
views. Terre'Blanche was released on June 11, 2004 and the AWB website claims these court cases and other scandals involving him were fabricated by the 'Black Government and the left wing media'.
Terre'Blanche, who had lived in relative obscurity since his release from prison, was murdered in his sleep on his farm Villana just outside of Ventersdorp on April 3, 2010. He was reportedly beaten to death with pipes and panga
s by two black men, one of them a minor, allegedly over "a wage dispute". Terre'Blanche's body was found on the bed with facial and head injuries. Ventersdorp police said two suspects were taken into custody over his killing.
The Ventersdorp High School has changed quite dramatically, with non-white students attending since 1995. These students are mostly Afrikaans speaking coloured residents of the smaller township Toevlug.
The Tshing township has a diamond mine nearby: a town councillor owned it in the early 1990s.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
situated in North West Province of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
The town's population is just 2,000 while the nearby township of Tshing has a population of around 15,000.
History
The town grew around a Dutch Reformed ChurchDutch Reformed Church
The Dutch Reformed Church was a Reformed Christian denomination in the Netherlands. It existed from the 1570s to 2004, the year it merged with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands to form the Protestant Church in the...
that was established in 1866.
The town was named after Johannes Venter who owned the land the church was built on.
AWB legacy
Afrikaner nationalist Eugène Terre'BlancheEugène Terre'Blanche
Eugène Ney Terre'Blanche was a former member of South Africa's Herstigte Nasionale Party who founded the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging during the apartheid era...
was born in Ventersdrop. The town is the base of the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging
Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging
The Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging is a South African far right separatist political and former paramilitary organization, since its creation dedicated to secessionist Afrikaner nationalism and the creation of an independent Boer-Afrikaner republic or "" in part of South Africa...
(AWB), a far right
Far right
Far-right, extreme right, hard right, radical right, and ultra-right are terms used to discuss the qualitative or quantitative position a group or person occupies within right-wing politics. Far-right politics may involve anti-immigration and anti-integration stances towards groups that are...
secessionist
White separatism
White separatism is a separatist political movement that seeks separate economic and cultural development for white people. White separatists generally claim genetic affiliation with Anglo-Saxon cultures, Nordic cultures, or other white European cultures...
political organisation
Political organisation
A political organization is an organization that involves itself in the political process. In a broader sense, a political organization can also be viewed as a political system, as long as it includes the entire system and body of government...
and former paramilitary
Paramilitary
A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....
group, which Terre'Blanche founded. Many of the AWB's major figures live in Ventersdorp, including Terre'Blanche's former driver JP Meyer. Eugene Terre'Blanche's security firm was rented out to the town council for a long time as an almost private police force. In 2000 the new black Mayor of Ventersdorp terminated this contract. Shortly thereafter he disappeared, never to be seen again and his car was found in a nearby field. The Mayor's cousin was found guilty of his murder, but some people, particularly black people, believed that Terre'Blanche had ordered the murder and that the AWB influenced the outcome of the trial.
However, separately, Terre'Blanche was sentenced to six years in prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
on June 17, 2001, of which he served three years, for assaulting a petrol station worker and the attempted murder
Attempted murder
Attempted murder is a crime in England and Wales and Northern Ireland.-Today:In English criminal law, attempted murder is the crime of more than merely preparing to commit unlawful killing and at the same time having a specific intention to cause the death of human being under the Queen's Peace...
of a security guard in 1996. One of only three whites in the Rooigrond prison near Mafikeng
Mafikeng
Mahikeng – formerly legally, but still commonly known as Mafikeng – is the capital city of the North-West Province of South Africa. It is best known internationally for the Siege of Mafeking, the most famous engagement of the Second Boer War.Located on South Africa's border with Botswana, it is ...
, during his time in prison he became a born-again Christian and later claimed to have moderated many of his more racist
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
views. Terre'Blanche was released on June 11, 2004 and the AWB website claims these court cases and other scandals involving him were fabricated by the 'Black Government and the left wing media'.
Terre'Blanche, who had lived in relative obscurity since his release from prison, was murdered in his sleep on his farm Villana just outside of Ventersdorp on April 3, 2010. He was reportedly beaten to death with pipes and panga
Machete
The machete is a large cleaver-like cutting tool. The blade is typically long and usually under thick. In the English language, an equivalent term is matchet, though it is less commonly known...
s by two black men, one of them a minor, allegedly over "a wage dispute". Terre'Blanche's body was found on the bed with facial and head injuries. Ventersdorp police said two suspects were taken into custody over his killing.
Racial segregation
The township of Tshing houses most of the town's blacks and coloureds. The township's secondary school of 1,000 pupils is still 100% black without a single white teacher.The Ventersdorp High School has changed quite dramatically, with non-white students attending since 1995. These students are mostly Afrikaans speaking coloured residents of the smaller township Toevlug.
The Tshing township has a diamond mine nearby: a town councillor owned it in the early 1990s.
External sources
- The Leader, His Driver and the Driver's Wife, a Nick BroomfieldNick BroomfieldNicholas "Nick" Broomfield is an English documentary film-maker. He is the son of Maurice Broomfield, a photographer.Broomfield works with a minimal crew, recording sound himself and using one or two camera operators...
film (1991) - His Big White Self, a Nick Broomfield film (2006)