Oom Eugene, 1941-2010
Slain AWB leader Eugene Terreblanche, whose life-long cause was the return of the South African provinces Orange Free State and Transvaal to the Boere, was also in favor of an independent homeland for the Zulu people.
During the “free and fair” South African elections of 1994 which saw the ANC come to power, Terreblanche made a speech in Durban where he said, “We do NOT want a SINGLE INCH of Zulu territory. For we recognize the Zulus as a sovereign nation…,” according to an attendant of the rally.
South African president Jacob Zuma in traditional Zulu garb
At the time, the AWB held several meetings with the Inkatha Freedom Party, which represents the political interests of the Zulu in South Africa.
When it seemed that civil war between the Zulu and Xhosa tribes was a strong possibility in the lead-up to the elections, AWB members, and other whites, were told to wear red wristbands. This was to designate the wrist-band wearers as friends who would be unharmed in the battle from moderates and radicals.
Tribal rivalries have shaped South African politics since the turn-over of 1994, and were made visible when president Thabo Mbeki was ousted in 2008 and replaced with Jacob Zuma. Mbeki is from the Xhosa tribe, and Zuma is a Zulu.
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