In September 1966, the South African Prime Minister who was assassinated in the House of Assembly by a Mozambican messenger was Hendrik Verwoerd.

Verwoerd was stabbed to death by Dimitri Tatenda, a Mozambican man who had been working as a messenger in the Parliament building. Tsafendas had a history of mental illness and had become increasingly agitated and paranoid in the weeks leading up to the assassination. Verwoerd was a controversial figure in South Africa and was widely reviled by opponents of the country's system of racial segregation, known as apartheid. He was a strong advocate for the policy and implemented a number of measures to reinforce it during his time in office. His assassination was widely condemned and sparked a period of political instability in the country.