The police continued to ban and attack virtually all political meetings and demonstrations in South Africa. Their actions became increasingly aggressive as the anniversary of the 16 June shootings approached. Other developments such as the banishing of Winnie Mandela to Brandfort and the detention of student leaders were associated with the attempt to curb commemorative gatherings. In a display of strength police toured the townships in convoys, shooting teargas canisters. They made repeated announcements that they were ready for trouble, and were also equipped with new weapons, rubber bullets, protective helmets and shields, and two types of adapted vehicles, one of which sprays tear gas at ground level and one nicknamed the 'sneeze machine' that sprays a sticky teargas and powder mixture which adheres to clothes. Several people, including one policeman operating a sneeze vehicle, were taken to hospital suffering from teargas poisoning. A number of other policemen were reported to have been shot or injured 'by accident'.
A selected list of meetings and demonstrations banned or broken up by the police is as follows:
28 March Soweto: "Heroes Week" march stopped by police. 37 people arrested and charged with public violence and illegal gatherings.
31 March Lenasia: A large meeting called by Indian school students in Lenasia was addressed by representatives from the Soweto Students Representative Council. A month later an Indian student was arrested while carrying membership forms for the (Indian) Students' Movement. From 18 May, each day students from a group of about 20 were ordered to report to the police, when they were fiercely interrogated about the 31 March meeting and the connections with the SSRC, in a clear attempt to intimidate them.
14 April Umtata: Students from the Jongilizwe College for chiefs' sons protested against the presence of student spies. 71 were arrested and charged; 40 were sentenced to cuts and the rest remanded.
27 April Soweto: A protest march against increased rents was broken up by the police. 47 people were arrested and on 28 April 45 were charged with public violence and released on bail.
22 May Soweto: Police cancelled an open air meeting at Jabulani Stadium called to protest against the proposed 'independence' for Bophuthatswana bantustan, to be addressed by a Tswana opposition leader.
24/25 May Soweto: A pupils' school strike called to commemorate the 1976 boycott of Afrikaans ended in violence, with the police dispersing students.
12 June Soweto: Police swooped on student leaders, arresting 20. A few days earlier the SSRC had issued pamphlets calling for a day of mourning on 16 June, with people to stay at home or go to church.
13 June East London: A demonstration against a 'homeland election' being held in the township was broken up by police who shot seven people and injured others.
14 June Soweto: Riot police arrested eight students during a meeting outside Orlando High School, and used teargas. The same day an ANC pamphlet was distributed throughout Soweto schools.
16 June Soweto: The commemorative church service was broken up towards the end as police fired teargas on the departing congregation. Later nine people were shot and wounded by police.
16 June Johannesburg: A memorial meeting to be held at Witwatersrand University was banned under the Riotous Assemblies Act. Brought forward to escape the ban, it was addressed by Helen Joseph, Helen Suzman and Desmond Tutu. A 24 hour vigil in St. Mary's Cathedral was obliged to be in silence apart from hymns following the Minister of Police's order that no lay people speak.
16 June Cape Town: Residents of Nyanga and Guguletu commemorated 1976 by staying away from work and school.
17 June Mamelodi, Pretoria: A students' peace march through the township was broken up by police using the sneeze machine.
16/17 June Uitenhage: Police shot dead seven people during demonstrations in KwaNobuhle township, and arrested 278 in a swoop. In two days of disturbance, when schools and offices were burnt, ten people were killed and 32 injured.
21 June Atteridgeville Pretoria: A memorial meeting and march against Bantu education and police brutality was dispersed by the police.
23 June Soweto and Johannesburg: Students from Soweto marched into John Vorster Square, where detainees are held at police H.Q., and knelt down singing. They were dispersed by police using batons and dogs, and 146 were arrested and charged. In Soweto two people were killed and 23 wounded by police attacking students in various parts of the township.
