Four people were killed by gunshots in the Eastern Cape during July. Police admit to killing three of them though they deny they were responsible for the death of the fourth person.
At the end of June police killed a 17-year-old youth in Uitenhage when they fired birdshot into a crowd of 300 people in Kwanobuhle township. They claimed that the crowd was intimidating workers and that they shot when the crowd advanced towards them.
In Grahamstown police baton-charged pupils at six schools and used teargas at others. 27 pupils were arrested on charges of public violence. By this time at least 40 Eastern Cape schools were affected by the boycott. While the boycott in the Western Cape by Coloured school students was suspended on 17 July, the Eastern Cape boycott by African students continued, and pupils made it clear that they would stay out till September and the expiry of the ban on gatherings.
There were more general protests and demonstrations in the area, and people's anger was especially expressed at funerals. After police had dispersed one gathering a woman, Violet TSILI (57), was found shot dead on the ground. Police denied they were responsible. Over 2,000 people attended her funeral, during which police used teargas and birdshot to break up the crowd. In doing so they killed a youth Boyson NOBIBA (16). After Nobiba's funeral police fired again at the crowd of mourners who they said were attacking a police 'Hippo' machine. The shots killed two men, Tuunu NXAWE (28), and Freddie TSILI (33), Violet Tsili's son.