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Haniff Hoosen, the ID Secretary-General has called for ‘level-headed, mature leadership' in the wake of the killing of AWB leader Eugene Terreblanche.

‘The Independent Democrats sees his murder as a continuation of the cycle of violence and inequalities that is tearing our nation apart,' Mr Hoosen says.

‘The fact that the views of this white supremacist have always been extremely unpalatable for the vast majority of South Africans, black and white, does not condone the actions of those who killed him, although the courts will decide whether they indeed acted in self-defence.

‘What our country needs now is leaders that can bring an end to the cycle of violence, rather than inflaming it. As political leaders we now need to show calm and ensure that our public utterances do not feed this violence,' says Hoosen.

‘From the information available to us it seems highly unlikely that there is a link between the singing of the ANC song ‘Ayesaba Amagwala' and Terreblanche's killing.

‘However, perhaps this is an opportune time to launch a debate around the promotion of racial tolerance and national unity in our country. The ID also reiterates its call from a week ago for the ANC to desist from appealing the court's decision to ban it from singing ‘Ayesaba Amagwala',' Hoosen says.

‘The ID is also not surprised by the AWB's vow to avenge his death - this is an organisation that has a long history of violent racism and the police must be deployed urgently to prevent its last few remnants from organising themselves.'

Hoosen also conveyed his condolences to the Terreblanche family.