Averting a Disaster?

[Alison]

Johann Nel in police cells after being sentenced to four life sentences and 62 years for murdering people at the Skierlik informal settlement.

Johan Nel has been sentenced to four terms of life imprisonment. Judge Ronald Hendricks handed down sentencing in the Mmabatho High Court in Mafikeng shortly after noon.

He sentenced Nel to life for each of the four murders he committed - a sentence Hendricks was earlier warned would cost him his life when he received death threats.
Superintendent Lesego Metsi, police spokesperson, confirmed to The Times that Hendricks received 50 threatening calls on his private cellphone on Wednesday.
Metsi said, the callers, all whites, told Hendricks he would be killed if he handed down a life sentence.

Police then stepped up security around Hendricks and the judge only minutes ago also handed down sentences of seven years for each of the eight attempted murder charges where Nel wounded his victims.

Nel was also sentenced to four years behind bars for each for the three of the attempted murder charges where Nel shot at but missed his victims.

He was also sentenced to five years for the illegal possession of a firearm, and three years for the illegal possession of ammunition.

Nel was also found to be unfit to own a firearm.

Nel showed no emotion as Hendricks handed down sentence on him. Hordes of photographers surrounded Nel as he stood in the dock, but he only kept his gaze fixed, staring ahead.

Hendricks said in his judgment racism could not be tolerated, adding it was the court’s responsibility to protect communities from people like Nel.

[Vulpix]

BBC: SA racist killer gets life term


A judge has sentenced a 19-year-old white South African to four life terms in jail for killing four black people in a shooting spree in January.

Those shot dead by Johan Nel included a three-month-old baby and a boy of 10. Witnesses told the court he shouted racist abuse while shooting.

The killings led to angry protests by thousands of people.
Correspondents say Nel showed no emotion as he was sentenced. The judge said racism could not be tolerated.

Police spokesman Lesego Metsi said Judge Ronald Hendricks and the prosecuting lawyer were under police protection after receiving 50 death threats on their mobile phones, the South Africa Press Association reports.

Superintendent Metsi told South Africa's Times newspaper that all the callers were white, who said Judge Hendricks would be killed if he handed down a life sentence.

Earlier psychologist Kobus Truter had rejected claims that Nel was mentally unfit to stand trial and had said he should be sentenced to between 20 and 25 years in prison.

Mr Truter said Nel, who was 18 at the time of the shooting, believed white people were under attack after his family and friends became the victims of several violent crimes.

The BBC's Mpho Lakaje in Johannesburg says that most people seem pleased that Nel was given life, as the shooting spree in the Skierlik settlement in a farming area of North West province really shook the nation.

In the last year there have been calls to reintroduce the death penalty, he says.

The Young Communist League welcomed the sentence. 2
"This sends a strong message that perpetrators of heinous and racist murders will be brought to book and rot in jail," the league said in a statement.

Nel was also sentenced to 68 years on 11 counts of attempted murder, five years for holding a firearm and three years for possession of ammunition.

Our reporter says Nel was told he would have to wait 25 years to negotiate parole.

His lawyers say they will appeal against the sentence.

[Alison]

Thanks for posting the BBC article. What is your opinion? do you think he pleaded guilty to avoid a backlash of black on white violence? I mean, more than we already have?

[Loki]

I think the point here is that black racist killers don't make the news headlines. And there are plenty of them.

[Alison]

Yes, that is my point exactly! Nel was probably pressured into pleading guilty to avoid a nationwide carnage of whites, more so than is already happening with brutal rapes and murders. Most of those go largely unreported. Have you noticed?

[Vulpix]

This will sound horribly racist (the horror! ), but here it is: I simply don't value a black life as much as a white life.

I'm not sure about his motivations on pleading guilty. I doubt though he pleaded guilty to avoid a backlash of black on white violence. It's not going to get any better, is it ?

Thanks for posting the BBC article. What is your opinion? do you think he pleaded guilty to avoid a backlash of black on white violence? I mean, more than we already have?

[Alison]

No, it isn't going to get better. At the moment, we are suffering from cash in transit heists, armed robberies at malls etc. as we do every year. At this time, my stress levels are sky high.

[Revenant]

Made the news here, read about it in the paper. Got a big 'evil SA whitey' write up.

[Alison]

Well, yes, of course. He is a bad person though, but he got a lot more coverage than the others who commit rape and murder as part of their daily routing.

[Gundwane]

Well, yes, of course. He is a bad person though, but he got a lot more coverage than the others who commit rape and murder as part of their daily routing.

I agree he is a bad person - but as far as the coverage goes, it is not PC to make such an issue of black on white crime; not "racist" when blacks attack whites, because the belief is that blacks cannot be racist - that dubious "honour" only belongs to whitey.

However, somthing else comes to mind - a few years ago a 16-year old white boy killed a black intruder with a cricket bat to protect his mother from being raped. If I remember correctly, the family lived somewhere in a caravan park when the intruder smashed his way into the family "home" and the son grabbed his bat and "battered" the would-be rapist. The boy was then charged with murder, (shame, poor black rapist - he was unarmed - very unfairly and violently attacked!!!!!) but I don't recall reading any follow-up on this case...

Tell you something - if any "unwanted" visitor sets foot here on our property, armed or unarmed - I don't give a damn - he'll get a bellyfull of lead for sure...