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Essay on The Role of Apartheid in South Africa

Decent Essays

The Role of Apartheid in South Africa

Soweto Riots in South Africa. This explains how Apartheid was responsible for starting the Rioting and how even after they tried to stop the Riots they were unsuccessful.

The Soweto riots of 1976 were the most brutal and violent riots that had taken place against the South African apartheid administration. It was also amazing in how far and how fast it spread. Its significance would go beyond the violence on the streets. The police actions during the riots would be part of what instigated a worldwide boycott of South African produce and signalled the increased militancy of the black population of South Africa.

During a reorganisation of the Bantu …show more content…

The regular day-to-day tension between blacks and the apartheid regime's police force was coupled now with the anger directed at the recent education act. Conflict began almost immediately, as police fired round after round of tear-gas and then guns into the crowds. The police showed no mercy attacked students of all ages, armed or unarmed. The most famous example of this being 13-year-old Hector Petersen, who was shot dead by police during the riots. However, the students fought hard with anything that came to hand. Sticks, rocks, bricks, even schoolbags were used to attack the police. Heavily outnumbered and unable to protect themselves from the increasing ferocity of the attacks, the police fled to regroup. With the escape of the police, the enraged students began destroying government property. During the fighting, the students also set up a series of barricades to make sure that once the police were kicked out, they stayed out.

The riots began to spread all over the South African townships (squatted villages, often just outside main industrial areas, lived in by black workers) as years of built up anger and bitterness at the brutal apartheid government exploded. Realising the scale that these riots were happening on, the government reacted in the way any government would: with the full use of organised violence. After days

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