Terreblanche's murder may turn out to be his greatest political achievement

Terreblanche's conviction and jail sentence for assault provide the proof that he was a man capable of considerable cruelty.

SHOOT: It's ironic that Terreblanche was convicted of a crime - of violent assault - which ultimately claimed his life. That said, the timing and context of his murder is likely to rally Afrikaners. Could this be part of the agenda of Julius Malema - to foment conflict between 'the poor African victims' vs. 'the racist rich whites'? This base mentality matine may prove to be more effective than most educated South Africans are prepared to acknowledge.

clipped from news.bbc.co.uk The very name of South African paramilitary leader Eugene Terreblanche highlighted the white supremacist's roots. Terreblanche means "white earth" in French, the language of the politician's Huguenot ancestors. His murder - reportedly being hacked to death with a panga on his farm - brings a gory end to a singularly ineffectual political career. At the time, the government of PW Botha was considering a constitutional plan allowing South Africa's Asian and coloured (mixed-race) minorities to vote for racially-segregated parliamentary chambers. For the likes of Terreblanche, this was the start of the slippery slope towards democracy, communism, black rule and the destruction of the Afrikaner nation. Yet as the 1994 elections approached, fears of a white right-wing militant backlash seemed more and more real. The image of three khaki-clad AWB fighters shot dead by Bophuthatswana's soldiers seemed to spell the end of any hopes the AWB may have had of seizing power by force.