The Lowveld massacre was an incident that occurred on 11 March 1986 at
Kabokweni, in the then
KaNgwane bantustan (now part of
Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga () is a province of South Africa. The name means "East", or literally "The Place Where the Sun Rises" in the Swazi, Xhosa, Ndebele and Zulu languages. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, bordering Eswatini and Mozambique. It ...
province) of
South Africa, when security forces opened fire on thousands of young people who had gathered outside the magistrate's
court to protest during the trial of their fellow students.
Preceding events
The massacre started with the killing of a student during a protest. During the funeral of the student, the army and the police shot at the mourners and arrested 26 students without provocation. At the trial of the 26 students there were further shootings of the students. Many were injured and some were killed.
Media and popular culture
South African
actor and
playwright
A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays.
Etymology
The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...
Mcedisi Shabangu has written a play based on this massacre.
References
Opposition to apartheid in South Africa
Events associated with apartheid
Protests in South Africa
1986 in South Africa
1986 murders in South Africa
1980s massacres in South Africa
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