1986 in South Africa

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	1986 in South Africa
1983 1984 1985 « 1986 » 1987 1988 1989
Years in South Africa

Events

January

• A Soweto man throws a grenade at 3 policemen, police retaliate and kill the man
• 4 January – Two people are killed and two others injured when their vehicle hit an anti-tank land mine at Stockpoort in the Ellisras area not far from the Botswana border
• 5 January – A policeman and a freedomfighter are killed at a police roadblock on East London / King William's Town road
• 7 January – A grenade is thrown at a Railways policeman in Soweto
• 8 January – A Pretoria sub-station is damaged by an explosion
• 9 January – A limpet mine explodes at 21h15 and damages substation in Jacobs, Durban, later a second limpet explodes kills a policeman and injures other policemen and two electrical workers who arrive at the scene of the first explosion
• 18 January – Two limpet mines damage a sub-station in Westville, Durban
• 20 January – A coup d'état led by Major General Justin Lekhanya deposes Lesotho's prime minister Leabua Jonathan and re-instates power to King Moshoeshoe II
  • African National Congress members based in Lesotho are deported to Zambia
• 20 January – Four limpet mines damage an electrical pylon near Durban at 20h45. A fifth mine probably aimed at the police and repair crew explodes later with no injuries
• 31 January – State President of South Africa Pieter Willem Botha outlines government policy on the restoration of South African citizenship to Blacks in the opening of Parliament

February

• An explosion at a Durban sub-station
• At De Deur, a limpet mine causes structural damage to sub-station
• A hand grenade explodes in a Transkei minister's official car
• 2 February – A soldier and a freedomfighter are killed near Alldays
• 4 February – Four South African Army soldiers are injured when a man throws a grenade into their military vehicle at Gugulethu
• 9 February – A limpet mine destroys two police vehicles at Umlazi police station near Durban when parked after returning from riot patrol
• 10 February – A large bomb is defused by police in Amanzimtoti, 200 m from where the December 1985 blast (for which Andrew Zondo was hanged) took place
• 12 February – A pick-up detonates an anti-tank mine near Messina with no injuries
• 16 February – A police Casspir detonates an anti-tank land mine in Mamelodi
• 17 February – Two policemen and two freedomfighters are killed while one is arrested in Zwide
• 19 February – Explosion in toilet block near radio control room at the Cambridge East police station causes no injures

March

• Police come under fire at funeral in Dobsonville
• Moses Mabhida, general secretary of the South African Communist Party, dies of a heart attack in Maputo, Mozambique
• 3 March – Seven black men (The Gugulethu Seven) were killed in a confrontation with police in Gugulethu
• 4 March – An explosion on 3rd floor of the John Vorster Square injures two policemen and two civilians
• 7 March – A limpet mine is found at the Hillbrow Police Station and is safely detonated by police
• 12 March – Esther Masuku, mother of youth activist and SACC member Oupa Masuku, is killed in a hand grenade attack on their house in Atteridgeville

– The Eminent Persons Group meets imprisoned African National Congress leader, Nelson Mandela.

• 15 March – A limpet mine explodes in front of the Springs railway station, one person is seriously injured
• 17 March – A mini-limpet is discovered at the Afrikaans high school at Elsburg, Germiston and is safely detonated
• 19 March – A car belonging to a special branch policeman is destroyed by a limpet mine

– A bomb blast inside the property of the Springs New Apostolic Church

• 21 March – Four mines explode at an Escom sub-station in Durban
• 25 March – Trevor Manuel's ban is lifted
• 26 March – A Volsloorus man is killed by police when he allegedly threw grenade at them

April

• 8 April – The home of former Labour Party secretary in Natal, Kevin Leaf is attacked
• 10 April – A person is killed and four injured when a limpet mine explodes at Braamfontein station in Johannesburg
• 18 April – Two people are killed and several others injured when a bomb, set up by Phumzile Mayaphi, explodes at the Wild Coast Casino at Bizana in the Eastern Cape Province. Mayaphi is charged and found guilty of murder and sabotage and sentenced to death on 12 May 1989. The African National Congress denied responsibility for this attack.
• 21 April – In the Breyten/Chrissiesmeer district, two anti-tank landmines detonate, injuring two people in taxi and one tractor driver

– A terrorist is seriously injured when he and others attack the police in Alexandra, Gauteng

• 23 April – An explosion at the Cala post office
• 24 April – An explosion at the Meyerspark post office
• 27 April – Gordon Webster, who was arrested by police is rescued from Edendale hospital by Umkhonto we Sizwe cadres (Robert McBride was one of the cadres). A bystander was killed and the two policemen who were guarding Webster were injured

May

• Police find a 15 kg bomb under a car in downtown Durban and defuse it
• 1 May – Two grenades are thrown at the home of Mr Klein, principal of Wentworth Primary School. Klein and his are wife both injured.
• 7 May – A bomb explosion causes extensive damage to Benmore Gardens Shopping Centre, Sandton
• 25 May – A vehicle hits an anti-tank mine on the farm of Colonel Koos Durr, near Davel. Two people are killed and eight injured
• 26 May – A tractor detonates a second anti-tank mine on the farm of Colonel Koos Durr, this time no injuries

June

• A bomb explodes at Jabulani Amphitheatre, Soweto with no injuries
• Ten people are killed in explosion in minibus in Bophutatswana
• 5 June – Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe agree to the establishment of the Limpopo Basin Permanent Technical Committee
• 10 June – A vehicle hits an anti-tank mine on the farm Boshoek, 5 km from Volksrust, and injures one person

– On another farm, Blomhof, also near Volksrust, an anti-tank mine injures two farmworkers

• 12 June – P. W. Botha regime declares a nationwide state of emergency.
• 14 June – A car bomb explodes outside the Magoo's and Why Not bars on the Durban beachfront. The bomb kills three, injures 69. Robert McBride is later sentenced to death for the bombing (but is later granted amnesty by the ANC government and end up in several senior government posts)
• 16 June – A probable anti-tank mine explosion kills three Bophuthatswana Defence Force troops in troop carrier in the Winterveldt region
• 22 June – Limpet mines damage fuel storage tanks and a liquid fuel pipeline at the Mobil Refinery near Durban

– A limpet mine explodes at 01h45 outside a Copper Shop on West Street, Durban

• 24 June – An explosion at 14h00 injures 16 people at a Wimpy Bar (fast-food restaurant) on Rissik Street, Johannesburg
• 27 June – At a police roadblock near the Botswana border four freedomfighters are killed and one policeman injured
• 28 June – An explosion just before 12h00 injures two people in a Queenstown shopping centre
• 29 June – An explosion at the Alice post office
• 30 June – A limpet mine explodes at 03h15 on pedestrian bridge in Westville, Durban and a second limpet aimed at responding policemen explodes 15 minutes later

July

• During a two-hour gun battle in Mdantsane, police kill a freedomfighter
• 1 July – An explosion outside Carlton Hotel in Johannesburg injures 8 people
• 4 July – A limpet mine explodes outside Checkers supermarket in Silverton and injures 20 people
• 5 July – An explosion at the Mowbray police station in Cape Town slightly injures two policemen
  • One person is injured when their vehicle hits an anti-tank land mine near Volksrust
  • In Vosloorus and Katlehong, five Development Board officials are killed in two attacks on their vehicles and two terrorists are killed in the return fire
• 6 July – Police kill three freedomfighters and arrest one in Empangeni
• 9 July – Piet Ntuli, Minister of Home Affairs of KwaNdebele, is killed by a car bomb explosion in KwaNdebele
• 10 July – Explosion injures seven people in Silverton
  • Police and members of the South Africa Defence Force ambushed and kill 6 freedomfighters near Alldays
• 22 July – A policeman is killed in Katlehong
• 28 July – Two freedmofighters are killed near Nelspruit
• 30 July – The Umtata Police station comes under attack. Three policemen and 4 bystanders are killed
  • A vehicle detonates an anti-tank landmine near Nelspruit

August

• 3 August – An explosion at the Lakeside post office
• 15 August – Later minister of finance Trevor Manuel is detained for the second time, this time he is only released in 1988
• 16 August – Four freedomfighers are killed and one injured in the eastern Transvaal, near the Swaziland border
• 17 August – A vehicle detonates an anti-tank landmine on the farm Stellen Rust near Nelspruit killing five and injuring two people
• 22 August – Inkatha Freedom Party member Winnington Sabelo comes under grenade attack and Umkhonto we Sizwe fire at car of his wife as she entered the driveway, killing her and injuring 3 children
• 24 August – In Imbali, the home of town councillor Austin Kwejama comes under grenade attack. One child is killed and another is injured

September

• A mini-limpet mine explodes in bar of Devonshire Hotel injuring three people (this was a popular venue for Wits students)
• A grenade is thrown into crowded night club in Edenpark, Alberton
• 1 September – A bomb explodes at the Pick and Pay supermarket in Montclair, Durban and injures 1 person
• 7 September – A car bomb explodes not far from The Star's Seaside Home in Durban which is a holiday home for underprivileged children
• 24 September – The home of Soweto Housing Director, Del Kevin, extensively damaged by a limpet mine
• 30 September – Northern Natal policeman is injured in an attack

October

• The police station in Newcastle is attacked
• 6 October – Six soldiers are injured when their military vehicle detonates an anti-tank mine at Mbuzini, near the Mozambique
• 20 October – A limpet mine explodes outside the Lamontville Police station
• 22 October – Two anti-tank landmine explosions

November

• Two offices of PUTCO is bombed in Soweto after fare increase of 17.5% announced
• 2 or 4 November – An anti-tank landmine explosion kills one woman and injures a child near Nelspruit
• 4 November – A landmine kills a soldier on horseback in the eastern Transvaal
• 10 November – Two bombs explode at the Newcastle Magistrates Court injuring 24 people including the Magistrate and Public Prosecutor
• 14 November – A landmine injures a farmer and his son in the Alldays district
• 23 November – A limpet mine explode at Fordsburg flats, new housing for Soweto town councillors

December

• 15 December – A police vehicle detonates an anti-tank mine in the Barberton area injuring the two occupants
• 19 December – An anti-tank landmine injures defence force member in the Komatipoort area

– A grenade attack on home of Soweto councillor; two policemen injured

• 27 December – Three freedomfighers and two policemen are killed near Messina

Unknown date

• Pass books are abolished

Sport

Athletics

• 3 May – Zithulele Sinqe wins his first national title in the men's marathon, clocking 2:08:04 in Port Elizabeth.

Births

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Deaths

• 24 January – Sgt Makhulu, a policeman is killed in grenade attack on his home in Mamelodi
• March – Moses Mabhida dies of a heart attack following a stroke while in exile in Maputo
• 18 March – Constable Sinki Vuma is shot dead at his home in Mamelodi
• 11 April – Peter Nchabeleng, former president of United Democratic Front, dies while in police custody in Schoonoord, Lebowa
• 6 June David Lukhele, former minister of KaNgwane and his sister-in-law are killed in his home in Mamelodi, while watching television by African National Congress members, Neo Griffith Potsane, Jabu Obed Masina and Frans "Ting Ting" Masango
• 9 October – Lt Victor Raju, a policeman, is killed in a grenade attack on his home in Durban
• 19 October – Samora Machel, President of Mozambique, dies when his Tupolev Tu-134 plane crashes in South Africa
• 31 October – Detective W/O Seleka is killed in grenade attack on home