Difference between revisions of "Barend Strydom"

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Barend 'Hendrik' Strydom (Born 1965) is a South African policeman, and right-wing mass murderer, convicted of killing 7 Blacks in a racially motivated killing spree in Pretoria in 1988.

Early life

Strydom was raised in a right-wing family, his father, Nic Strydom, was AWB regional leader for Heidelberg, Transvaal, and was an elder in the NGK Dutch Reformed Church. At Barend's trial his father proudly announced that he had "planted the seeds of his son's views".

Strydom, by the age of 16, was very active in right-wing politics, he was utterly dedicated to the Conservative Party, HNP and AWB, and his schoolwork was neglected as such. After taking his final exams in 1984 he left school and joined the police, whilst stationed in South West Africa (now Namibia) he saw the corpose of a White nurse killed by Black rioters, this convinced him even more that Blacks were the enemy of Whites.

ANC Beware

Whilst a police officer he attended a car crash, in which a Black motorist had been decapitated. Strydom persuaded a friend to photograph him holding the decapitated Black man's head and then Strydom asked the official magazine of the South African Police to publish the photo along with the words "ANC Beware".

As a result of discrimination against his right-wing views the South African Police expelled him in 1988, he was approached by the Security Branch of the police 30 times in connection with his beliefs.

DeDeur Shooting

One week before commiting the Strijdom Square massacre Barend went to Wheeler's Farm squatter camp in DeDeur, near the town of Vereeniging. Here he shot one Black woman, killing her.

He later said that this excursion was to see if he was psychologically capable of murder.

He then meditated for several days, Strydom was a devout Christian and followed the Christian Identity belief system (which maintains that Whites are the true Israelites and non-Whites are not human).

The night prior to the massacre he went to the Voortrekker monument and prayed to God that he was not hindered in his deeds.

Strijdom Square

On November 15th 1988 Strydom parked his car in central Pretoria and walked to a monument, located in central Pretoria, to ex-South African Prime Minister JG Strijdom. Here he started shooting at the Blacks who were sitting around, he shot some 23 before entering an Indian-owned shop.

Whilst at the shop he shot the shopkeeper who had come outside to investigate the gunshots.

A Black civilian, named Simon Mukondeleli (aged 32 at the time) approached Strydom from behind as he was reloading his gun in the shop. Mukondeleli said, "Baas (Afrikaans for boss, the way Blacks, under Apartheid, were expected to address Whites) the other baas wants you".

Mukondeleli then wrestled the gun from Strydom.

The police arrived and Strydom refused to attack them, saying that he "Could not shoot White men".

Trial

He was convicted of 8 counts of murder, 16 of attempted murder and one of pointing a firearm on May 17 1989 at the Pretoria High Court. He was sentenced to death 8 times over.

Life sentence

In 1990 the South African government imposed a law ending the use of capital punishment, accordingly Strydom's sentence was commuted to life imprisonment at that stage.

Release

In 1994 he was released along with 150 other political prisoners.

He was scheduled to launch an application for amnesty to the Truth and Reconcilliation Commision, but withdrew it.

He currently lives with his wife, whom he married whilst imprisoned, in Gauteng province.

Sources

• Victory or Violence:Story of the AWB of South Africa by Arthur Kemp (2nd edition. March 2008)
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