BBC - Infamous Assassinations (2007) Part 12 Dr Hendrik Verwoerd

Get ready to witness the 20th Century's most damaging and outrageous assassination attempts, first-hand. From the assassination of John F Kennedy to the gunning down of Mahatma Gandhi, the tragic shooting of John Lennon to the brutal bombing of one of Hitler's henchmen, the BBC series Infamous Assassinations brings you as close to the killers as the cameramen themselves - which sometimes means just a few feet.

Using rare archive footage and reconstructions, each episode of this BBC documentary series focuses on a different story, from attacks on royalty, politicians and guerrilla leaders to media personalities who all, for one reason or another, stepped in the way of an assassin determined to bring their life to an end. Many of their motives have remained shrouded in mystery. Until now…

Part 12: Assassination of Dr Hendrik Verwoerd

Cape Town, 1966

On 6 September 1966, seven minutes after taking his seat in the House of Assembly, South African Prime Minister Dr Hendrik Verwoerd was assassinated by Demetrio Tsafendas, a Bible-quoting parliamentary messenger. Verwoerd had played a key role in constructing South Africa's Apartheid laws, but ironically the assassin claimed he was not doing enough for whites. It was the second attempt on Verwoerd's life.