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thousands of activists and even went so far as to execute prominent leaders of the struggle. Instead of curbing the growing opposition, these acts seemed to politicise the broad masses of oppressed South African further. The banning of opposition political parties did have a powerful effect in isolating the struggle and meant that for much of the sixties and early seventies, there were virtually no banners for activists to organise under. LANGA MASSACRE:

This tragic event in 1985 took place in Langa, Uitenhage on the 25th commemoration of the Sharpeville Massacre. By the 1980’s, the resistance to Apartheid intensifed. The Langa Massacre saw at least 24 people gunned down by the State as they marched to attend a funeral. Just one month after this, in June 1985, a State of Emergency was called in South Africa.

With the dawn of democracy in South Africa in 1994, the new non-racial ANC-led government declared 21 March an annual public holiday, Human Rights Day. The

of the ANC, Oliver Reginald Tambo, called for the intensifcation of struggles at all fronts and that South Africa be made ungovernable and apartheid unworkable. There was a systematic killing and random shooting of innocent citizens in Uitenhage. The frst victim was a lady known as Nopinki from KwaLanga and later on three more people from KwaNobuhle were also killed. A solidarity night vigil was convened at KwaLanga by the United Democratic Front. Members were then advised that buses to attend the funeral service would be boarded at Maduna Road, KwaLanga (Uitenhage).

Communities went to board the buses but found that the security forces prevented buses from entering the identifed pick up points. It was then that the community decided to peacefully walk to the funeral service at KwaNobuhle. The apartheid security forces violently massacred and systematically gunned down the mourners.