Background to East London
Which significant university was close to East London
Fort Hare
How long was the sentence given to protestors in East London?
One month of hard labour.
How many anti-apartheid protestors gathered in November 1952?
800
What did the Department of Native Affairs seek to do to Sekhukhuneland in the 1950's?
Turn it into a township
What did the government do to the existing chief in Sekhukhuneland in 1957?
Replaced him with someone who would work with them.
What % of babies died within their first year in East London?
37%
When did open defiance begin in East London?
July 1952
What did police do to disperse the crowd after a baton charge failed?
Fired upon the crowd
What does Sebatakgomo mean?
A predator among the cattle
What opponents of the government do to collaborators?
9 were beaten or stabbed to death and others burnt out of their houses
Who led the local ANC in East London?
Alcott Gwentshe and C. J. Fazzie
Give two ways within which protestors defied apartheid in East London?
Sat on whites-only benches in town
Urinated in whites-only public toilets
Refused to pay fines
What was the official number given for African deaths during the East London unrest?
7 deaths (18 seriously wounded)
Why were many opposed to this change to Sekhukhuneland?
Many of the men were migrant workers into cities who wanted to keep access to urban employment.
They were also worried that the government would appoint chiefs who supported betterment, especially the culling of cattle.
What was the police response to the unrest in Sekhukhuneland?
Hundreds were arrested and tried.
What does ‘Mayibuye! Mayibuye! iAfrika!’ mean?
Let Africa be returned
Call off the Defiance Campaign.
How did the Minister of Justice react to unrest in East London?
He banned all public gatherings for a month and sent armed reinforcements to stop meetings.
Give details of either of the white people killed during the unrest.
The first was an insurance salesman who often worked in East Bank location
The second was Sister Aidan Quinlan, a Catholic medical missionary who lived in the location. Her car was set alight by an angry group as she sat inside. Allegations were made afterwards that her body was cut, and parts taken for medicine. Such killings were rare and Sister Aidan’s death reverberated through South Africa.