The Mayibuye Uprising was a sequence of protests and demonstrations, led by the

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a political party in South Africa. It originated as a liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid and has governed the country since 1994, when the 1994 South African general election, fir ...

South African Indian Congress The South African Indian Congress (SAIC) was an umbrella body founded in 1921 to coordinate between political organisations representing South African Indians, Indians in the various provinces of South Africa. Its members were the Natal Indian ...

and the

African People's Organisation The African People's Organisation (APO), also known by its original name African Political Organisation was a Coloured political organisation in early-20th-century South Africa. Founded in Cape Town in 1902, the organisation rallied South African ...

that took place around No.2 Location

Galeshewe Galeshewe is a township in Kimberley, South Africa. Within the Sol Plaatje Local Municipality in the Northern Cape Province, it is named after Kgosi Galeshewe. History The township of Galeshewe was founded in 1878 after diamonds were discove ...

, in

Kimberley Kimberly or Kimberley may refer to: Places and historical events Australia Queensland * Kimberley, Queensland, a coastal locality in the Shire of Douglas South Australia * County of Kimberley, a cadastral unit in South Australia Ta ...

, on 7–8 November 1952.http://www.bridgingages.com/site/assets/files/1678/mayibuye_uprising_1952_scenew-va.pdf The uprising was not an isolated event, but part of the

Defiance Campaign The Defiance Campaign against Unjust Laws was presented by the African National Congress (ANC) at a conference held in Bloemfontein, South Africa, in December 1951 in South Africa, 1951. The Campaign had roots in events leading up the conferenc ...

which started in June 1952. The aim of the campaign was to peacefully defy the laws of the

apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...

government across the country.

Cause of the uprising

The uprising came in reaction to some of the laws put in place by the

National Party National Party or Nationalist Party may refer to: Active parties * National Party of Australia, commonly known as ''The Nationals'' * Bangladesh: ** Bangladesh Nationalist Party ** Jatiya Party (Ershad) a.k.a. ''National Party (Ershad)'' * Californ ...

, which ruled from 1948–1994. These laws were deemed unjust and inhumane by numerous members of the community and thus, as part of the

Dr Arthur Letele, who was the ANC branch chairperson of the No.2 Location, organized a group of volunteers to defy the apartheid laws. Some of the laws under protest included: *The Native Labour Regulation Act 1911, which resulted in the movement and remuneration control of the African that essentially established migrant labour and an average standard wage. *The 1913 Native Land Act was passed to allocate only about 7% of arable land to Africans and leave the more fertile land for whites. This law incorporated territorial segregation into legislation for the first time since Union in 1910. * The Population Registration Act of 1950, which required each inhabitant of South Africa to be classified and registered in accordance with his/her racial characteristics as part of the system of apartheid. *The Group Areas Act 1950, which assigned racial groups to different residential and business sections in the white-dominated urban areas. *The Pass Laws Act of 1952, which stipulated that all people of colour (above the age of 16) should carry a passbook at all times when outside their designated homelands.

Uprising

On 7 November 1952, protestors took to town and demonstrated against apartheid and its laws by occupying racially segregated public spaces in Kimberley. Protestors then continued to block the whites-only entrance to the main post office and defiantly sat on whites-only benches at the

railway station. Dr Arthur Letele and seven other No. 2 Location executive ANC members namely Sam Phakedi, Pepys Madibane, Olehile Sehume, Alexander Nkoane, Daniel Chabalala and David Mpiwa were arrested. The arrests intensified further resentment and led to public uprisings in the streets of No. 2 Location which led to the destruction of both private and public property. The protests continued the following day, 8 November, with more arrests and property destruction as the police station, two nearby clinics, a power station and several other buildings including a crèche were burnt down. Many police, municipal and private vehicles were torched. Protestors intended to march towards the centre of town and threatened to burn the petrol depot in Cecil Suzman Road. However, before they could reach the depot, the police stopped the march by firing into the people

Casualties

13 people were killed and 78 others wounded. According to oral testimony and witnesses, some of those killed and injured were innocent bystanders. A mass funeral was held at the field next to the Methodist Church at the corners of Mzikinya, Rhabe and Sanduza Streets in Galeshewe. The deceased were all buried at the Kimberley West End Cemetery. Their graves were then declared provincial heritage sites.

References

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External links

*http://www.sahistory.org.za/dated-event/mayibuye-uprising-black-south-africans-slaves-land-their-birth-rose-peacefully-throw-the *http://scnc.ukzn.ac.za/doc/HIST/Apartheid%20Legislation%20in%20South%20Africa.htm *http://www.sahistory.org.za/topic/defiance-campaign-1952 1952 protests 1952 in South Africa November 1952 in Africa 20th-century rebellions Kimberley, Northern Cape Opposition to apartheid in South Africa Protests in South Africa Mass murder in 1952 Massacres in South Africa People shot dead by law enforcement officers in South Africa

Cause of the uprising

Uprising

Casualties

See also

References

External links