VOA标准英语2010-South African President Urges Calm Follow

South African President Jacob Zuma, 25 Mar¹ 2010 (file photo)

South African leaders are trying to appease² tensions caused by the murder of white supremacist leader Eugene Terre'Blanche.  He was killed Saturday by two black workers in an apparent dispute over pay.

 

South African President Jacob Zuma issued his second appeal for calm since the murder of the head of the Afrikaaner Resistance Movement, Eugene Terre'Blanche.

In a nationally televised message, Mr. Zuma called for tranquility to allow a full investigation³ into the incident.

"So that the perpetrators of this act will be taken to court and that the process of the law must take its place and those who have committed this terrible act must face the law and face the punishment that they deserve," said President Zuma.

Several senior government delegations⁴ in the past two days have visited Terre'Blanche's family in Northwest Province to offer condolences.  They include the Minister of Police, national police chief and the head of the provincial⁵ government.  All vowed⁶ that justice will be rendered.

Police say Terre'Blanche was bludgeoned to death Saturday by two black workers with whom he had a pay dispute.

The two were arrested and are due to appear in court Tuesday.

The the Afrikaaner Resistance Movement (AWB), which the 69-year-old farmer helped found in 1973, vowed revenge, but says it will not react violently.

The group said there was a direct link between the murder and the anti-apartheid song called "Shoot the Boer," or white farmer.

The leader of the youth wing of the ruling African National Congress (ANC), Julius Malema, recently began singing the song at rallies, causing a public outcry.  A court recently banned the song, calling it a form of hate speech.

The ANC says it will appeal the ruling.  The party says there is no direct link between the song and the Terre'Blanche murder.

Mr. Zuma urged politicians to be responsible in their speeches as the country tries to recover from decades of racial discrimination and violence.

"We need to think before we make statements in public that might be misunderstood to be encouraging the opposite of what we are trying to do to build our new nation," added President Zuma.

Opposition⁷ parties have called for Malema to stop using the song at rallies.  Parties across the political spectrum⁸ have condemned⁹ the killing¹⁰, despite what they called their significant political differences with Terre'Blanche and his Movement.

The Afrikaaner Resistance Movement sought to maintain white dominance in apartheid South Africa and staged bomb attacks as the country prepared for its first democratic elections in 1994.

Terre'Blanche served three years in prison after being convicted in 2001 of assaulting a gas station worker and a security guard, both of whom were black.

 

1 mar   

vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟

参考例句：

• It was not the custom for elderly people to mar the picnics with their presence.大人们照例不参加这样的野餐以免扫兴。
• Such a marriage might mar your career.这样的婚姻说不定会毁了你的一生。

2 appease   

v.安抚，缓和，平息，满足

参考例句：

• He tried to appease the crying child by giving him candy.他试图给那个啼哭的孩子糖果使他不哭。
• The government tried to appease discontented workers.政府试图安抚不满的工人们。

3 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

4 delegations   

n.代表团( delegation的名词复数 )；委托，委派

参考例句：

• In the past 15 years, China has sent 280 women delegations abroad. 十五年来，中国共派280批妇女代表团出访。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• The Sun Ray decision follows the federal pattern of tolerating broad delegations but insisting on safeguards. “阳光”案的判决仿效联邦容许广泛授权的做法，但又坚持保护措施。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法

5 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

6 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

7 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

8 spectrum   

n.谱，光谱，频谱；范围，幅度，系列

参考例句：

• This is a kind of atomic spectrum.这是一种原子光谱。
• We have known much of the constitution of the solar spectrum.关于太阳光谱的构成，我们已了解不少。

9 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

10 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。