Introduction

Much pre-Accord violence stemmed from confrontations at protests, rallies and funerals. The NPA mandates the structures to promote communication and agreements between parties and security forces around such events. This enabled a new kind of peace monitoring to develop, introducing cooperative planning and preventing violent confrontation. From August 1992 International Observers joined the monitors. Training developed, and 18,500 local monitors were deployed over the election in 1994.

Sharpeville Day, 21 March 1993

The place was ‘Kathorus’, the adjacent East Rand townships of Katlehong, Thokoza and Vosloorus, the sole remaining centre of violence in the Wits/Vaal region. It was Sharpeville Day, Sunday 21 March 1993. Ten days earlier, the Germiston/ Katlehong LPC had learnt that two rallies were planned: Chief Buthelezi would address the IFP in Vosloorus stadium while the ANC met in Katlehong stadium. The criss-crossing of armed rally-goers was a recipe for disaster.

Human rights lawyer Peter Harris had just become Wits/Vaal's Regional Director, assisted by recent law graduates Mahlape Sello and David Storey, and a strong Wits/Vaal Regional Peace Secretariat (RPS) was developing. The RPS and Vosloorus and Germiston/Katlehong LPCs held emergency meetings with the ANC, IFP, hostel indunas and police, hammering out draft agreements to facilitate the rallies while keeping supporters apart. With the Thokoza LPC Chair, they formed a Coordinating Committee under the RPC. Coordination was, however, imperfect: the International Observers later castigated the RPS for over-riding early agreements made on the LPCs based on close familiarity with local conditions.