Word: township
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...easy access to the story. Officials did not want Alexandra swarming with journalists who would upset the picture of relative calm that for no apparent reason other than simple exhaustion on the part of protesters, seems to have settled over South Africa in recent weeks. Moreover, the mile-square township is hemmed in on three sides by light industrial complexes and on the fourth by white suburbs. The outbreak of violence so close to white communities, which have remained largely untouched by 17 months of racial unrest, prompted the unusually heavy deployments of security forces that officials did not want...
...unrest in the traditionally quiet township began Saturday, Feb. 15, as thousands of mourners were returning from the funerals of two local blacks. It is uncertain how the disturbances began, but within moments blacks were hurling stones at police, who counterattacked with tear-gas canisters. The violence quickly escalated. By Monday the turbulence had spread to the outskirts of the township, where black youths peppered local factories with Molotov cocktails...
Because they were barred from the area, journalists had to rely on casualty figures released by South African officials and township leaders. At week's end, officials said that 23 people had died in the unrest, while Alexandra leaders cited 46 deaths. Although only sporadic disturbances continued, by Tuesday the police effort in Alexandra had gained all the trappings of a large-scale military operation. Security forces sealed off the township borders, army troops were stationed on every access road, and armed forces patrolled the township's streets. Overhead, police and army helicopters hovered protectively. At the approaches to neighboring...
...Township leaders, appalled by the display of military muscle, called on the government to guarantee that the forces were supervised by experienced officers. "Obviously, give any youngster a gun," warned Michael Beea of the Alexandra Civic Association, "and he will enjoy shooting at people, particularly when he has satisfied himself that the law will be on his side." Snapped a police spokesman: "Our men are well trained and don't just patrol the streets at their own discretion...
Such reassurances did not calm the fears of black leaders. The civic association called a rally in the local sports stadium, attracting more than 30,000 of the township's 100,000 residents. The crowd demanded the withdrawal of the security forces. The police commander agreed to remove patrols from the township streets and to permit Bishop Desmond Tutu, the Nobel Peace prizewinner, to speak in the stadium. "I know we all want freedom," Tutu told the crowd, "but we must get it in a disciplined manner." The throng returned to their homes peacefully. Later in the week, however, Tutu...