1987 in South Africa

From Freepedia

See also: 1986 in South Africa, other events of 1987, 1988 in South Africa and the Timeline of South African history.

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Contents 1 Events 1.1 January 1.2 February 1.3 March 1.4 April 1.5 May 1.6 June 1.7 July 1.8 August 1.9 September 1.10 October 1.11 November 1.12 December 1.13 Unknown date 2 Births 3 Deaths

Events

January

• 1 January - National servicemen are attacked in Alexandra, Johannesburg and at least one injured
• 3 January - Three people are injured when a limet mine explodes at the corner of Jeppe and Delvers Streets in Johannesburg
• 8 January - At the AECI plant, a policeman is shot at and in the skirmish that followed, two policemen and one civilian is injured
• 9 January - A Bomb explodes at the OK Bazaars, a national supermarket chain, in Eloff Street, Johannesburg during a protrated strike
  • A riot squad policeman is killed and two injured when a grenade is thrown into their vehicle
• 23 January - Two terrorists or freedom fighters are killed in Soweto
• 24 January - One Transkei soldier or policeman is injured in an Umkhonto we Sizwe attack in Mendu, Willowvale
• 30 January - Three solders and one policeman is killed in attack in Alexandra, Johannesburg
• 31 January - The home of town councillor Senokoane in Diepmeadow is attacked and six people are injured including two policemen

February

• A limpet mine explosion causes damage to a shop in Matatiele
• 2 February - The single quarters of the Bokomo Police Station is attacked twice with grenades and one policeman is injured
• 5 February - An Explosion at bus shelter outside the Groote Schuur Hospital injures 1 person
• 18 February - A number of people are killed in a grenade attack on Tladi Secondary School
• 19 February - Chief Lushaba and Samuel Jamile of the Inkatha Freedom Party are injured when a grenade is thrown at them

March

• 3 March - A terrorist or freedom fighter is shot dead by police in Gugulethu after he allegedly fired on their patrol with an AK-47
• 9 March - One policeman, two municipal policemen are killed in Gugulethu. One terrorist or freedom fighter is also possibly killed but this is unconfirmed
• 11 March - Police confirm a skirmish at Zone 13 Mdantsane in Ciskei but gave no details
  • A terrorist or freedom fighter is shot dead in a house in New Crossroads
• 12 March - Sweden announces a total boycott on trade with South Africa effective from October
• 13 March - Four municipal policemen are killed, one injured in Atteridgeville
• 16 March - A grenade is thrown at the home of a policeman in Kagiso but no injuries
• 17 March - During a police raid in Inanda, a terrorist or freedom fighter and a woman are killed. Another man and a baby are injured in the raid
  • Three explosions damage the railway line between Newcastle and Johannesburg
• 28 March An anti-tank landmine kills four and injures one person in the Josefsdal area near the Swaziland border

April

• 1 April - Three soldiers are killed and two injured when a grenade is thrown into their Hippo armoured personnel carrier in either Mabopane or Mamelodi
  • A grenade is thrown at home of Councillor Radebe in Dobsonville with no injuries
• 2 April - Three policemen are injured in Nyanga when a grenade is thrown at them
• 8 April - Two terrorists or freedom fighters and a policeman is killed in a shootout at Ventersdorp
• 9 April - Three policemen come under attack in Meadowlands Zone 10 (casualties unknown)
• 10 April - Ciskei, South Africa and Transkei sign a security pact in Cape Town prohibiting cross-border violence between the three states
• 14 April - The home of a policeman in Chesterfield, Durban comes under grenade attack with no injuries
• 15 April - A special branch policeman is killed by a sniper and another injured south of Durban in Umbumbulu
• 16 April - An explosion in the parking area of a Newcastle supermarket injures two people
• 20 April - A grenade is thrown at group of soldiers at the Dube train station in Soweto (no casualties reported)
• 23 April - The home of a policeman in Bonteheuwel comes under grenade attack
• 24 April - During a riot police raid in Umlazi, Durban, two terrorists or freedom fighters are killed and three riot policemen are injured
• 30 April - Four policemen are injured in a grenade attack on their barracks in Osizweni, Newcastle

May

• 5 May - Two people are killed and twenty injured in a landmine explosion on a road close to Messina near the Zimbabwe border
  • Two mini-limpets explode at the Johannesburg Civic Centre with no injuries
• 6 May - The National Party wins the General Elections
• 9 May - A policeman, three soldiers and a terrorist or freedom fighter are killed in a skirmish in Mamelodi
• 16 May - A explosion at Newcastle train station's waiting room occurs and while police are investigating the blast, a second bomb explodes injuring a policeman
• 19 May - An explosion at the Carlton Centre in central Johannesburg
• 20 May - Two bombs exploded at the Johannesburg magistrate’s court, the first a minor explosion that acted as a decoy is followed by a second more powerful charge minutes later which killed three policemen and injuring four others, six bystanders are also injured

June

• 4 June - State President of South Africa Pieter Willem Botha visits Sharpeville
• 11 June - During a police raid in Emdeni, Soweto, police were ambushed. A terrorist/freedom-fighter and a policeman are killed
• 12 June - Two policeman are found dead in Witbank
  • A Limpet mine explodes at the Athlone Magistrates Court in Johannesburg
• 15 June - The home of a councillor in Gugulethu comes under grenade attack and four people are injured, two of them special constables
• 21 June - A police patrol is attacked with grenades in which seven policemen are injured

July

• 6 July - Umkhonto we Sizwe ambush the police in Mdantsane, two policemen are killed and three injured. A cadre is also shot dead
  • Milestone meeting is held in Dakar, Senegal between 52 mainly Afrikaans-speaking intellectuals led by Dr Federik van Zyl Slabbert and the banned African National Congress led by Thabo Mbeki
• 8 July - Police crush an alleged terrorist/freedom-fighter and his sister to death in shack in Motherwell after they allegedly were fired on
  • A limpet mine explodes at 11h12 in the bar of Village Main Hotel, Johannesburg
• 9 July - Mozambique and the Soviet Union reject the findings of the Margo Commission on the air disaster in which Samora Machel, Mozambiqian President, was killed
• 9-12 July - 61 White South Africans, mainly from the Afrikaans community, meet the African National Congress in Dakar, Senegal in search of a democratic alternative for South Africa
• 12 July - During a police raid in Athlone, Johannesburg, a terrorist/freedom-fighter is killed and four arrested
• 18 July - A policeman and wife are injured in attack on their home in Mamelodi East
• 20 July - A car bomb explodes outside a block of flats in District Six, Cape Town with no injuries
• 25 July - A grenade is thrown at home in Pimville but harmlessly explodes outside the house
• 30 July - An anti-tank landmine injures three people on the farm Bodena which is owned by Danie Hough
  • A car bomb explodes outside the Witwatersrand Command which kills one soldier and injures 68 people

August

• The South African Defence Force launch Operation Modular
• 5 August - A terrorist or freedom fighter is killed in shootout with police on Ntsekisa Road in New Brighton, Johannesburg
• 13 August - An Emdeni police Sargeant is injured when a grenade is thrown at his vehicle
• 23 August - A shop in Emdeni which is frequented by soldiers is attacked with grenades
• 24 August - A grenade is thrown at a police vehicle in Emdeni. Two policemen and eight bystanders are injured
• 27 August - The home of the former Mayor of Soweto, Kunene is attacked and two council policemen are killed
• 30 August - A grenade is thrown at five soldiers outside barracks; estimated eight SADF members killed or injured

September

• The South African Army kill four and capture two terrorists or freedom fighters near the Zimbabwe border. After the two terrorists or freedom fighters were handed over to police, they escaped killing two policemen. The army later tracked them down and they were killed in fire-fight
• The Commander of KwaNdebele National Guard Unit in Marble Hall and his son (a policeman) is shot dead by AK-47 fire
• 2 September - Police in Sandton kill a terrorist or freedom fighter after he allegedly threw a grenade at a roadblock
• 17 September - Religious leaders including Desmond Tutu hold talks with the African National Congress in Zambia
• 24 September - Ten people including two policemen are injured in grenade attack on a police patrol in Soweto
• 28 September - Two bombs explode at the Standard Bank arena in Johannesburg

October

• 1 October - A bomb placed outside door of Amichand Rajbansi's NPP office in Lenasia explodes hours after official opening with no injuries
• 28 October - Near the Swaziland border soldier is killed and a terrorist or freedom fighter wounded in an skirmish

November

• 6 November - A special constable and two civilians are killed by sniper fire in Khayelitsha
• 12 November - Two limpet mines explode and a third one is safely detonated by police at the Zola Municipal offices in Soweto
• 14 November - During a South African Defence Force commemoration march in Cape Town, a limpet mine explodes in bin injuring a soldier
• 18 November - A Limpet mine is found and defused at the Johannesburg post office
• 23 November - During a police raid on house in Umlazi, Durban two terrorists or freedom fighters and alleged collaborator are killed. Two policemen are injured in the raid
• 30 November - Three explosions occur at the Dube municipal training centre in Soweto with no injuries

December

• 10 December - During a police raid on shack in the Port Elizabeth area, they meet heavy resistance from the terrorists or freedom fighters. The police simply drive a Casspir over the shack, killing four
• 12 December - A group of policemen are fired upon by terrorists or freedom fighters from a moving car in Soweto; two policemen are killed and four injured

Unknown date

• Bulelani Ngcuka joins the United Democratic Front in the Western Cape

Births

• Shingirai Middelmann born
• Joseph Daniel Roussos born
• Neo Matsau born

Deaths