176 DEAD, 1,139 INJURED
HOW IT HAPPENED Wednesday 16 June (approximate times) 8-9 a.m. School student demonstrators estimated to number 30,000, many of them under 14 years old, marched from school to school in Soweto protesting at the use of Afrikaans. 9.30 a.m. Crowd of about 10,000 school students gathered outside Orlando West Junior Secondary School, singing "morena boloka sechaba". Police contingent arrived and threw tear gas canisters into the crowd. This failed to disperse the children who retaliated with stones. Police opened fire without warning; several children shot dead, others injured. The crowd then stoned and charged the police, forcing them to retreat to Orlando police station. 10 a.m. Crowd, re-inforced by students marching in from other parts of Soweto, began to set up roadblocks, attack police vehicles and white-driven cars. Several whites injured, one West Rand Administration Board (WRAB) official killed. 10.30-12.30. Police in defensive position in Orlando called for reinforcements. Students erected barricade across road facing police station but beyond bullet-range, and roadblocks in other areas. Police unable to patrol township in normal vehicles. 1.30-2p.m. Army helicopters dropped tear gas over Orlando West. Several vehicles burnt. Police riot squad arrived from Johannesburg. 2.30 p.m. Police convoy moved off from Orlando police station towards high school only to find crowd already dispersed and moving about Soweto, stoning and burning vehicles. Police still unable to patrol streets. Helicopters went to rescue two white WRAB officials trapped in youth centre, one of whom was dead on arrival at hospital. 3 p.m. Police anti-terrorist force in camouflage uniform and armed with sub-machine guns arrived in Soweto. WRAB buildings at Dube and Jabulani set on fire. 3-4 p.m. More police reinforcements arrived. Tear gas used against crowds in Dube and Jabulani. 4-5 p.m. Fires reported in White City and several other areas. 5-8 p.m. About 20 buildings, mainly WRAB offices and including the Urban Council building, set on fire. More police arrived. As dark fell looting and general disorder became more widespread; police admitted not knowing what was going on. 9.30 p.m. 14 'Hippo' armoured personnel carriers arrived; police at last able to move around. Some arrests made.
Thursday 17 June 8 a.m. Reconnaissance flights by helicopters. School children reported to be threatening schools in Diepkloof, Jabulani and Orlando. 8.30 a.m. Police armed with rifles and sub-machine guns deployed in various areas. 8.45 a.m. WRAB offices at Zola threatened; police sent in in 'Hippo'. 8.50 a.m. WRAB offices at Klipspruit attacked. Clinic and offices at Orlando and Mapeta threatened. 9.15 a.m. SABC-TV crew's car attacked and set on fire; all equipment burnt. Crew rescued by passing carload of Africans. 9.22 a.m. Shooting heard in Orlando. 9.30 a.m. Baragwanath Hospital attacked. 10 a.m. Cars on Potchefstroom road attacked; those belonging to whites or companies burnt. 10.45 a.m. African policeman found dead by his van. 11 a.m. Police open fire on children in Rockville; girl aged five and boy aged 14 killed. 11-12. WRAB offices at Meadowlands and Diepkloof set on fire. 11.50 a.m. Three boys hit by police gunfire at primary school in Meadowlands 12.30. Boy shot and injured in Orlando East. 2.00 p.m. Putco bus set on fire. 3.00 p.m. Shooting in Diepkloof; at least one dead. More tear gas dropped from helicopters. Police deployed in 'Hippos'. 5.00 p.m. Police reinforcements from training centre arrived. 5.15 p.m. Barclays Bank in Dube reported under attack. Three more people reported killed.
During these first two days' disturbances, the chief targets were police vehicles, WRAB township offices and other buildings, bottle stores (also under WRAB jurisdiction) and cars driven or owned by whites. Over 20 WRAB offices were burnt out and 10 more wrecked. In the process records relating to Soweto residents such as rent payments and residence permits were lost, indicative, as was pointed out by the president of the Black Sash, of "Black rejection of the whole pass law system." Altogether eight WRAB vehicles were burnt as well as over 20 police vehicles.
Township buses owned by Putco were also attacked and burnt, reflecting black resentment at the cost and conditions of enforced journeys between Soweto and places of work. Fare increases were recently announced by Putco.
In the first two days 23 people (2 white) were reported to have died, and 220 to have been injured (60 by bullets) but since many areas of Soweto could not be reached by reporters and all normal communications were broken this may have been an underestimate.
TROUBLE SPREADS Immediately in the wake of the Soweto disturbances of 16 and 17 June, trouble spread to several black townships and educational establishments in both the urban areas and the Bantustans. These events occurred just as FOCUS was going to press, and a full report will be included in the next issue. A provisional list of areas affected is as follows: Wednesday 16: Soweto Thursday 17: Soweto, Kagiso (Krugersdorp), Tembisa Friday 18: Alexandra, Tembisa, Vosloorsrus, Natalspruit, Munsieville, Mohlakeng, Boksburg, Reef, University of the North (Pietersburg), University of Zululand (Empangeni), Nyanga (Cape Town) Sunday 20: Hebron (BophuthaTswana), Evaton Monday 21: Mabopane, Mamelodi, Atteridgeville, Duduza, Kwa Thema, Wattsville, Pretoria, East Rand, Witsieshoek (Basotho Qua Qua) Elim (Lebowa), Sibasa (Venda) Tuesday 22: Ga Rankuwa (BophuthaTswana) By 26 June the estimated total of those killed was 176, with 1,139 injured and at least 1,298 arrested.
