Verwoed’s assassin went to MPS
Dimitri Tsafendas - the man who assassinated the so -called "Architect of Apartheid", South African Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd on 6 September 1966, was a former learner at Middelburg Primary School where he attended school between 1928 and 1930.
Tsafendas, working as a parliamentary messenger, stabbed Verwoerd with a dagger during a parliamentary session.
Tsafendas was born in Lourenço Marques (today’s Maputo) to Michaelis Tsafendas (also spelled Miguel Tsafandakis), a Greek seaman, and Amelia Williams, a Mozambican of mixed race. He was sent to Egypt after his first year to live with his grandmother and returned to Mozambique five years later, then, at the age of ten, moved to Transvaal, where he attended Middelburg Primary School from 1928–1930.
He then returned to Mozambique and attended a church school for the next two years.
Shortly before the assassination, Tsafendas applied for reclassification from “white” to “coloured” so that he could legally live with his mixed-race girlfriend, but his application was turned down.
In 1966, Tsafendas obtained a temporary position as a parliamentary messenger.
A month later on 6 September, Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd entered the House of Assembly and made his way to his seat.
Tsafendas approached him, drew a concealed knife, and stabbed Dr. Verwoerd multiple times in the chest before he could be pulled away by other members of parliament.
At his trial, Judge Andries Beyers declared Tsafendas not guilty of murder by reason of insanity.
He had been diagnosed as being schizophrenic and it was claimed by police and his defence that he had said that he had a giant tapeworm inside him, which spoke to him.
• Brian Mitchell, another famous South African, also spent some time during his young years in Middelburg. Mitchell is a former professional boxer who turned pro in 1981 and captured the WBA Super Featherweight Title in 1986 with a TKO over Alfredo Layne.
He defended the title a record 11 times, and never lost a title fight. In 1991 he also captured the IBF Super Featherweight Title with a decision win over Tony Lopez (who he’d previously fought to a draw). He retired after the fight, and came back briefly in 1994 for two local bouts, retiring completely in 1995 with a professional record of 45-1-3.
Quite possibly the best South African boxer of all time, due to South Africa’s apartheid policy during those times, Mitchell became a true “road warrior”, defending his title almost exclusively abroad.
Source Wikipedia
