This past weekend the Franschhoek Literary Festival just happened to go down, and apartheid assassin Eugene de Kock just happened to be there.
Okay, not really, he was in attendance at the shortlist announcement for the Sunday Times’ Alan Paton Award.
The book‚ “Eugene de Kock: Assassin for the State”‚ a biography by Anemari Jansen and written with the full co-operation and consent of the former Vlakplaas commander, was long-listed for the award in April.
Eugene was once known as “Prime Evil”, and was released on parole last year after serving 20 of his 212 years for crimes on 89 charges committed during the last decade of apartheid.
Sure, his release coincided with ample amounts of grief shown for the crimes he committed, but just like those by Hitler and Chris Hani’s assassin, those crimes committed still cause pain for those they effected.
So, when Eugene was seen at the festival sitting in on the short-list announcement, Lauren Beukes, renowned South African author, went over and kindly asked him to leave. This is her story:
On Saturday night‚ I politely asked Vlakplaas commander and apartheid assassin Eugene de Kock‚ known as “Prime Evil”‚ to leave the invite-only Sunday Times Prize Shortlist party because there were black writers and publishers shaken and in tears by him being there. He graciously and quietly did.
[source: timeslive]
