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TRC Final Report

Page Number (Original) 292

Paragraph Numbers 106 to 112

Volume 6

Section 3

Chapter 2

Subsection 12

POPULAR RESISTANCE: 1960–1990

106. The second cluster of applications relating to events prior to 1990 is from civilians who engaged in various forms of protest, both peaceful and violent. During the 1980s, the ANC called on South Africans to ‘make the townships ungovernable’. Yet, while the UDF and its affiliates attempted to structure peaceful campaigns and programmes, their supporters often acted on their own initiative and translated the militant rhetoric and slogans of the UDF and ANC into violent actions.

107. While MK operations formed a significant component of resistance in the pre-1990 period, its estimated 1500 operations pale beside the scale of prote s t action by civilian opponents of the apartheid government inside South Africa. Police statistics143 cite tens of thousands of cases of what they described as ‘ unrest’, including over 900 cases of burning and ‘necklacings’ between September 1984 and 31 December 1989. While these figures must be viewed with caution, there is little doubt that the wave of protest that swept South Africa prior to 1990 was extensive, leaving hardly any town untouched.

108. Ninety-nine persons, all male, applied for amnesty for ‘internal protest’ and U D F - related activities covering 104 incidents or events in the pre-1990 period. Of these, twenty-one are not linked to the UDF, either because they predate its launch or because they are applications from persons not clearly aligned to the organisation.

109. These 104 incidents include 214 separate acts as follows:

Killings 79
Attempted killings 34
Assault 18
Arson/public violence 27
Abductions 17
Robbery 14
Illegal possession of arms and ammunition 4
Other144 21

110. The regional breakdown is as follows:

Eastern Cape 38
Transvaal 36
Natal 15
Western / Northern Cape 11
Orange Free State 2
Venda 1
Unspecified 1

111. The annual breakdown is as follows:

1960–1969 1
1970–1979 11
1980–1984 11
1985–1989 61
1990–199145 18
Unspecified 2

1 1 2 . Amnesty was refused for eleven incidents, partially granted for three and granted for ninety.

143 See, for example, the submission to the Commission by the Foundation for Equality before the Law, headed by Major General Herman Stadler and other retired officers of the SAP, April 1996. 144 The last category covers cases that generally did not involve gross human rights violations, i n c l u ding , forex ample, refusal to serve in the SADF, spraypainting of political slogans, illegal gatherings and the like. 145 Although this section covers the pre-1990 period, these incidents are included here as they specifically relate to the UDF. Most took place in the early months of 1990.
 
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