The Vaal uprising begins

An MK car bomb outside the South African Air Force headquarters killed military personnel and civilians and wounded many others.

Delegates from hundreds of civic, youth, religious, women's and labour organizations formed a national front against the tricameral constitution and apartheid.

The referendum created separate parliamentary chambers for white, Coloured and Indian representatives while excluding the African majority.

Low participation in elections for the House of Representatives reflected mass rejection of a constitution designed to divide oppressed communities.

The boycott of the House of Delegates election weakened the legitimacy of the apartheid government's constitutional reform.

Workers and students launched a two-day stay-away against repression, unequal education and apartheid local government, demonstrating growing coordination between workplace and township struggles.

The award recognized nonviolent opposition to apartheid and amplified international support for sanctions and democratic change.

At a Soweto rally she read Nelson Mandela's refusal to accept release in exchange for renouncing resistance while the government continued violence against the people.

Police fired on people marching to a funeral on the twenty-fifth anniversary of Sharpeville, killing at least twenty according to official findings.

A cross-border attack killed ANC members, South African refugees and Botswana citizens, violating Botswana's sovereignty.