The Bisho massacre exposes the risks of mass action under apartheid rule

Ciskei security forces fired on an ANC-led march seeking to end the homeland government, killing demonstrators and injuring many others. Mandela was not at the scene, but the killings shaped negotiations and the ANC’s strategy. The massacre showed the danger faced by people mobilising against apartheid’s bantustan system and the fragmented authority imposed on Black South Africans.