Two critical Afrikaners commit suicide in Magalies

Liberal journalist Chris Louw shot himself with a mystery-AK47; Environmentalist Andrie Loubser had two gunshot wounds to the head

JOHANNESBURG (Sapa) – Liberal journalist Chris”Boetman” Louw, 57 who was found shot in the head with an AK-47 military attack carbine on Tuesday, committed suicide, North West police said."He told his wife to stay indoors, then went outside. There's a place he planted some flowers, its a special place to him we understand. And in that place is where he shot himself with an AK-47 rifle," said Superintendent Lesego Metsi.

Left: picture of Chris Louw, who according to the North West police, committed suicide with an AK47 nobody knew he even owned. Right: Environmental activist Andrie Loubser, who died Nov 15 2009 with two gunshot wounds to the head.

This is the second mysterious suicide within a month of an Afrikaner who was openly critical of the ANC-regime. On November 15 2009, the Brits environmental activist Andrie Loubser, right, was found with two gunshot wounds to the head on his farm Geluk near Brits. The Madibeng Pulse reported that North West police ruled this a suicide, despite the two gunshot wounds and other important inconsistencies: “They tried to make it look like suicide – unaware that Loubser was left-handed….’ said his friend Piet Geyer, who spent a day and night guarding his friend’s body while waiting for the police to show up --  a day later. read entire story: http://www.madibengpulse.co.za/?Task=system&CategoryID=29609&HeadingText=News+261109+andrie+loubser#andrie

Picture right: The mystery-death of local environmental activist-firebrand Andrie Loubser shook the rural communities in the Magalies region. His body was found at 7:30 Sunday-morning November 15 2009 on his farm. He had two gunshot wounds:  to the right temple and above the left-ear. The report of his death was published by longtime regional journalist Cynthia Dreyer, co-editor of the Madibeng Pulse newspaper.

Louw feared regime planned ethnic cleansing of Afrikaners from Free State University:

Louw, a liberal Afrikaner journalist who was amongst the first group of Afrikaners who started negotiating with the exiled ANC in 1987 in Senegal,had become increasingly critical of the present ANC-regime --  also because of his work as freelance agricultural journalist and the growing number of farm attacks and some 40 burglaries on his own smallholding at Silkaatsnek in the Magalies region. His latest criticism targetted the regime’s appointment of Prof Jonathan Jansen, new rector of the Free State University – who was accused by Louw of being ‘a wolf in sheep’s clothing’ who was planning to systematically anglicise the Afrikaans university and ethnically-cleanse the Afrikaners from their traditional place of learning – similar to the ethnic cleansing of the former Rand Afrikaans University in Johannesburg.  http://www.praag.co.za/nuus-magazine-402/afrikaanse-nuus-magazine-401/6625-chris-boetman-louw-skiet-homself-met-ak-47.html

Critical of F W de Klerk and his brother:

Louw was known for his controversial open letter to the late Willem de Klerk entitled, "Boetman is die bliksem in [Boetman is angry]". This was followed by a book, "Boetman en die swanesang van die verligtes [Boetman and the swansong of the liberals]". It became known as the "Boetman debate". The letter to Reverend Wimpie De Klerk, a National Party opinion-maker and the influential brother of former president FW de Klerk, accused that older generation of Afrikaner leaders of political cowardice and deceit by sending the young to the border wars to defend apartheid.

• Louw was also part of a group of 61 South Africans who held meetings with the then-banned African National Congress in Senegal in 1987, the so-called Senegal-gangers. He was a journalist for several publications, including the Mail & Guardian, Farmers' Weekly, Vaderland and Oggendblad and wrote many articles for Beeld newspaper. Louw is survived by his wife, son and daughter.

Louw died while his wife was home with their two children. Police said they had found suicide notes saved on Louw's computer. The first was dated for November 29. "He wrote a suicide note on the 29th. He changed the date to the 30th and he couldn't take his life then," said Metsi. Police have also found a hard copy of a suicide note, dated the 30th.

Metsi said police were investigating where Louw found the military attack carbine – which is usually found among the criminal fraternity. "We're investigating where he found this gun because the wife confirmed he did not own it. It had some rust so it looks like it was hidden somewhere before he committed suicide."

Family and friends earlier gathered at his farm near Hartbeespoort Dam in the North West to offer their condolences. "It's always a shock and of course he was an old colleague and friend," said Foeta Krige, who found Louw's body. Krige said Louw went missing on Monday afternoon shortly after 2pm. The local neighbourhood watch had searched for him but couldn't find him.

Worried about Magalies / Brits crime wave

Krige, a former colleague of Louw, drove over to provide support to the family. He found Louw's body near the house on Tuesday morning. He had a shot to the head. Krige said his former boss at Radio Sonder Grense had just secured a contract to write a book. He had however, been concentrating on a crime wave in the area in his most recent writings for Beeld newspaper and was very worried about the subject. His own smallholding had been burgled at least 40 times in the past year.

• Disillusioned with South African regime:
• Louw transformed the face of Afrikaans current affairs debates when he became executive producer at RSG and was a "very liberal Afrikaner", said Krige, who is now the producer of Monitor. Earlier, the Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Mulder said: "The outspoken way in which Chris Louw had struggled with the problems of South Africa, resulted in nobody being indifferent to him. "In his last news articles he had, as a former member of the Dakar group, expressed the disillusionment of many South Africans whose high expectations of the new South Africa did not realise."

Mulder continued: "I had great appreciation for the honest way in which he criticised others, but also himself. The fearless way in which he stormed at everything and everyone which he regarded as being dishonest, remains his big contribution to the South African debate."

• chrislouw2009, 02 December 2009 Ek is net gatvol. Daar’s nie sin in om voort te ploeter nie; eerder vroeër dood as later.”Chris Louw email to Tim du Plessis, November 30 2009 02 December 2009
• http://www.politicsweb.co.za/politicsweb/view/politicsweb/en/page72308?oid=153154