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‘SIYAYINYOVA!’: PATTERNS OF VIOLENCE IN THE AFRICAN TOWNSHIPS OF THE VAAL TRIANGLE, SOUTH AFRICA, 1980–86

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2015

Franziska Rueedi
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Abstract

Between 1984 and 1986, South Africa was engulfed in widespread uprisings in the townships across the country. State repression, aimed at curbing popular protests, had the detrimental effect of radicalizing sections of black youth who were at the forefront of the struggle against the apartheid regime. While the insurrectionary period was marked by non-violent repertoires of protest including boycotts, strikes and protest marches, violent strategies gained momentum as well. One area that saw the proliferation of popular protest was the Vaal Triangle, a highly industrialized complex south of Johannesburg. It was in this area where protests against an illegitimate and defunct local government, poor service delivery and rent increases turned into a popular uprising in September 1984. This uprising not only signified the redrawing of boundaries of community but also a shift towards more militant and violent strategies among sections of politicized youth. Based on life history interviews and archival research, this article argues that political violence aimed to forge a new political and social order. Strategies of violence emerged out of the intersection between localized conflicts and broader ideologies and strategies of the African National Congress, including its call for ‘ungovernability’ in 1984 and its promotion of a People's War in 1985.

Résumé

Entre 1984 et 1986, l’Afrique du Sud était aux prises avec des soulèvements généralisés dans les townships du pays. La répression d’État, qui visait à juguler les protestations populaires, a eu pour conséquence négative de radicaliser des franges de la jeunesse noire qui étaient à l’avant-garde de la lutte contre le régime d’apartheid. Alors que la période d’insurrection était marquée par des répertoires de protestation non violents (tels que boycotts, grèves et défilés de protestation), des stratégies violentes ont également gagné du terrain. Vaal Triangle, grand complexe industriel au sud de Johannesburg, était l’une des régions qui ont connu une prolifération de la protestation populaire. C’est là que des protestations contre un gouvernement local illégitime et défunt, des services déficients et des hausses de loyers se sont transformées en soulèvement populaire en septembre 1984. Ce soulèvement ne signifiait pas seulement la redéfinition des frontières communautaires, mais aussi une transition vers des stratégies plus militantes et violentes dans certaines franges de la jeunesse politisée. S’appuyant sur des entretiens de récits de vie et des travaux d’archives, cet article soutient que la violence politique visait à forger un nouvel ordre politique et social. Des stratégies de violence ont émergé de l’intersection entre les conflits localisés et les idéologies et stratégies plus larges de l’ANC (African National Congress), y compris son appel à l’« ingouvernabilité » en 1984 et sa promotion d’une Guerre du peuple en 1985.

Type
Histories of violence
Information
Africa , Volume 85 , Issue 3 , August 2015 , pp. 395 - 416
Copyright
Copyright © International African Institute 2015 

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