List_of_massacres_in_South_Africa

List of massacres in South Africa

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The following is a list of massacres that have occurred in South Africa (numbers may be approximate):

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Name	Date	Location	Casualties	Notes
Battle of Salt River	1 March 1510	Cape of Good Hope	64 Portuguese seamen
The Mfecane / Difaqane	1818–1828	Highveld and Natal south of the Tugela	1,000,000–2,500,000 black Africans	The mfecane / difaqane was a period of mass migration and warfare caused by the political changes that occurred during the reign of King Shaka.^[1]
The Janse van Rensburg Trek massacre	1836	Inhambane (Djinjispruit, Limpoporiver, Mozambique)^[2]	49 Voortrekkers	Ordered by Manukosi, a chieftain. Johannes Jacobus Janse (Lang Hans) van Rensburg, leader of one of the early Voortrekker treks and his entire trek, except two children saved by a Zulu warrior, were killed by an impi of Manukosi.^[3] Included in the party was Nicholaas Balthasar Prinsloo, who was a Slagtersnek rebel, his wife, Petronella Maria Krugel/Kruger and their family.^[4]^[2]
Piet Retief Delegation massacre	1838-02-06	Hloma mabuto, uMgungundlovu, Natal also known as kwaMatiwane Hill	100 Boers and servants	Ordered by Dingane, a Zulu chieftain. The place, at kwaMatiwane Hill, was a site where Dingane had thousands of other enemies executed. Voortrekker leader Piet Retief was killed last. The treaty handing over a tract of land to the Voortrekkers signed between Dingane and Piet Retief two days before the massacre was later found on Retief's remains. A copy of the original still exists. The treaty led to the establishment of the Natalia Republic in 1838 which stretched from the Tugela River to present day Port St. Johns.
Weenen massacre	1838-02-17	Doringkop, Bloukrans River, Moordspruit, Rensburgspruit and other sites around present day Weenen, KwaZulu-Natal	532 (282 Boer men, women and children, and 250 Khoikhoi and Basuto)^[5]^[6]^[7]	Amongst those killed were Joachim Johannes Prinsloo, (Acquitted Slagtersnek rebel)^[8] and his wife Martha Louisa Prinsloo.^[8] The Piet Retief Massacre and the Weenen Massacre was the motivation for the Voortrekkers to confront the Zulus in battle on 16 December 1838 when 470 Voortrekkers fought against an estimated 15,000 to 21,000 Zulus; which the Voortrekkers won. The battle is known as the Battle of Blood River.
Derdepoort massacre^[9]	1899-11-25^[10]	Derdepoort, North-West, Transvaal^[10]	2 Boer women were killed, and 17 women and children taken captive^[10]	On 25 November 1899 some of the Bechuanaland Kgatla, under Lentshwe and in alliance with the British under Colonel G. L. Holdsworth, attacked a Boer laager on the Bechuanaland border of the Transvaal. Two women were killed, and 17 women and children taken captive.^[10]
Leliefontein massacre	1902-01-31	Northern Cape, South Africa	35	35 Khoikhoi executed by Boer forces under Manie Maritz as reprisal for an attack on his troops by pro-British locals.
Bulhoek massacre	1921-05-24	Ntabelanga, Queenstown, Eastern Cape	163	Enoch Mgijima led the gathering to defend their land against a Union of South Africa police force led by Colonel Johan Davey and General Koos van der Venter.
Rand Rebellion	1922-03-08 to 1922-03-18	Johannesburg, Transvaal	153	The rebellion started as a strike by white mineworkers on 28 December 1921 and shortly thereafter, it became an open rebellion against the state. Subsequently, the workers, who had armed themselves, took over the cities of Benoni and Brakpan, and the Johannesburg suburbs of Fordsburg and Jeppe. Several communists and syndicalists, the latter including the strike leaders Percy Fisher and Harry Spendiff, were killed as the rebellion was quelled by state forces.^[11] The rebellion was eventually crushed by "considerable military firepower and at the cost of over 200 lives".^[12]
Durban Riot	1949-01-13 to 1949-01-14	Durban	142	The Durban riot was an anti-Indian riot predominantly by Zulus targeting Indians in Durban, South Africa in January 1949. The riot resulted in the massacre of mostly poor Indians. In total 142 people died in the riot and another 1,087 people were injured. It also led to the destruction of 58 shops, 247 dwellings and one factory.^[13]
Mayibuye Uprising	1952-11-08	Galeshewe, Kimberley	13	78 wounded. The Mayibuye Uprising was a sequence of protests and demonstrations, led by the ANC, South African Indian Congress and the African People's Organisation that took place around No.2 Location Galeshewe, in Kimberley, on 7–8 November 1952.
Sharpeville massacre	1960-03-21	Sharpeville	69	South African police shot down black protesters. 180 wounded^[14]
Soweto uprising	1976-06-16	Soweto	176-700+	The South African Police shoot a group of young black protesters who were protesting
Church Street bombing	1983-05-20	Outside Nedbank Plein, Church Street West, Pretoria, Transvaal at 16:28	19	217 wounded. The attack was carried out by a special task force of the ANC's Umkhonto we Sizwe led by Aboobaker Ismail. These units were approved by Oliver Tambo, ANC president, in 1979. At the time of the attack they reported to Joe Slovo, head of personnel. Tambo approved and gave permission for the operation.^[15]
Durban car bomb	1984-04-03	Durban. Close to the offices of the South African Indian Council.	5	27 wounded.^[16]
Landmines planted on farm roads	1985 to 1987	On farm roads across South Africa.	23–25^[17]	At least 150 landmines were planted by Umkhonto we Sizwe.
Trojan Horse Incident	1985-10-15	Belgravia Road, Athlone, Cape Town	3 killed
Langa massacre	1985-03-21	Uitenhage, Eastern Cape	35 killed	The South African Police shot at a crowd of funeral-goers stopped by them on Maduna Road in Uitenhage, on the anniversary of the Sharpeville Massacre. The first shot was at a 15-year-old boy on a bicycle who joined the crowd from a side street and lifted his hand in a Black Power salute
Duncan Village Massacre	1985-08-11	Duncan Village, East London, Eastern Cape	19 killed	138 wounded
Queenstown Massacre	1985-11-17	Queenstown, Eastern Cape	14 killed	22 wounded
Amanzimtoti bombing	1985-12-23	Amanzimtoti	5 civilians,^[18] including 3 children	Forty were injured when MK cadre Andrew Sibusiso Zondo detonated an explosive in a rubbish bin at a shopping centre. In a submission to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), the ANC stated that Zondo's act, though "understandable" as a response to a recent South African Defence Force raid in Lesotho, was not in line with ANC policy. Zondo was subsequently executed.
Lowveld massacre	1986-03-11	Kabokweni	4 killed and a few disappeared never to be found.	The Lowveld massacre was an incident that occurred on 11 March 1986 at Kabokweni, in the then KaNgwane bantustan (now part of Mpumalanga province) when security forces opened fire on thousands of young people who had gathered outside the magistrate's court to protest during the trial of their fellow students.
Magoo's Bar bomb. Durban beach-front bombing	1986-06-14	Durban	3 killed	69 wounded. An uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) cell, led by Robert McBride, planted a bomb in a car outside the popular "Why Not Magoo's Bar", with the belief that the place was frequented by security branch police.^[19]
1986 massacre	1986-08-26	White City	20-25 killed, over 60 injured	The South African Information Bureau claimed that police opened fire on two occasions, one after a grenade had been tossed at police and wounded four policemen. Residents said that the fighting started when local officials sought to evict tenants who had been refusing to pay their rents for two months as part of a mass boycott.
Johannesburg Magistrate's Court bombing	1987-05-20	Johannesburg, Transvaal	3 killed, 4 injured	Limpet mine attack, then car bomb attack half an hour later.
Oshakati bomb blast	1988-02-19	Oshakati, Ovamboland, South West Africa (now Oshana Region, Namibia)	27	Car bombing of the Barclays bank. SWAPO, the main Namibian liberation organization, and the South African police were both blamed by each other, 70 wounded
Strijdom Square massacre	1988-11-5	Pretoria, Transvaal	8 killed, 16 injured	Barend Strydom, acting alone, went on a shooting spree in the Pretoria city center. He specifically targeted black persons. He was disarmed by a black member of the public whilst reloading.
Trust Feed massacre	1988-12-3	Trust Feed, Natal	11	Captain Brian Mitchell ordered South African Police officers to shoot and kill a group of people, thought to be United Democratic Front supporters, attending a funeral vigil. The victims were in fact Inkatha supporters.^[20]
Bisho massacre	1992-09-07	Bisho, Ciskei	29	Twenty-eight African National Congress supporters and one soldier were shot dead by the Ciskei Defence Force during a protest march when they attempted to enter Bisho (now renamed to Bhisho) to demand the reincorporation of Ciskei into South Africa during the final years of apartheid.
Boipatong massacre	1992-06-17	Boipatong	45	The attack on township residents was carried out by armed men from the steelworks residence KwaMadala Hostel, which was located roughly 1 km from the township. Forty-five people died and several other people were maimed. The attackers were supporters of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), a rival party of the African National Congress (ANC).
Saint James Church massacre	1993-07-25	Kenilworth, Cape Town	11	The Saint James Church massacre was a massacre that was perpetrated by four terrorists of the Azanian People's Liberation Army (APLA). Eleven members of the congregation were killed and an additional 58 members were wounded.
Heidelberg Tavern massacre	1993-12-30	Observatory, Cape Town	4	During the years of apartheid, Observatory was one of the few de facto 'grey' suburbs where all races lived together. On the evening of 30 December 1993, three men entered a popular student venue on Station Road, called the Heidelberg Tavern and opened fire, killing four people and injuring five. The three APLA operatives—Humphrey Luyanda Gqomfa, Vuyisile Brian Madasi and Zola Prince Mabala—were convicted in November 1994^[21] for what became known as the Heidelberg Massacre.
Queenstown Prison fire	21 March 1994	Queenstown, Eastern Cape Province	21	Twenty-one prisoners are killed in a cell fire at the Queenstown Prison after they set fire to their cells.^[22]^[23]^[24]
Shell House massacre	1994-03-28	Johannesburg	19–53	ANC security guards opened fire, killing nineteen people. Twenty thousand Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) supporters marched to Shell House in protest against the 1994 elections that the IFP was intending to boycott.
Bree Street taxi rank bombing	1994-04-24	Johannesburg	21 killed, over 100 injured	A car bomb was placed at a busy public transport hub in the Johannesburg city centre by members of the AWB^[25]^[26]
Germiston taxi rank bombing	1994-04-25	Germiston	10 killed, 8 injured	A pipe bomb was placed inside a trailer and driven to the taxi rank in Germiston and was detonated at around 10am in the morning by members of the AWB^[27]
1996 Shoprite bombing	24 December 1996	Shoprite, Worcester	4	white-supremacist terrorist attack
Planet Hollywood bombing	1998-08-25	V&A Waterfront,Cape Town	2	26 Wounded
Sizzlers massacre	2003-01-20	Sea Point, Cape Town	9, 1 injured	The victims were murdered at a gay massage parlour on Graham Road by Adam Roy Woest and Trevor Basil Theys.
Skierlik massacre	2008-01-14	Skierlik, near Swartruggens, North West	4	The teenage Afrikaner Johan Nel opened fire in Skierlik, a township near Swartruggens, killing 4 black people and injuring 8 in a racially motivated attack.
May 2008 South Africa riots	2008-05-12	Gauteng, Durban, Mpumalanga	62	Attacks on foreign nationals
Marikana massacre	2012-08-16	Lonmin Mine, Marikana	34-47	The Marikana massacre was the single most lethal use of force by South African security forces against civilians since 1960. The shootings have been described as a massacre in the South African media and have been compared to the Sharpeville massacre in 1960. Controversy emerged after it was discovered that most of the victims were shot in the back, and many victims were shot far from police lines.
Life Esidimeni deaths	2015 - 2016^[28]	Gauteng	144 to date;^[29]^[30] 62 still not accounted for.^[31] Eight still missing as of 11 March 2020.^[32]	1,300 psychiatric patients were relocated from Life Esidimeni centres to mainly unlicensed NGOs by order of the Gauteng Department of Health.^[33]^[34]
Gugulethu massacre	2020-11-2	Gugulethu, Cape Town	8 killed. Seven of the nine victims died on scene (3 women and 4 men) whilst an eight victim died later in hospital.	The Gugulethu massacre was a mass shooting which occurred on the afternoon.
2022 Soweto shooting	2022-07-9	Soweto	16 people were killed and 7 injured.	The 2022 Soweto shooting occurred on 9 July 2022.
2022 Pietermaritzburg shooting	2022-07-9	Pietermaritzburg	4 people were killed and 8 injured.	The 2022 Pietermaritzburg shooting is a mass shooting which occurred at the Samukelisiwe tavern in Sweetwaters in Pietermaritzburg.

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List_of_massacres_in_South_Africa

List of massacres in South Africa

See also

References

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