Government declares a state of emergency and detains activists

The government declared a state of emergency after weeks of mass protest, including the Sharpeville killings and the nationwide stay-at-home. Police arrested more than 2,000 people, many in dawn raids, and detained activists without trial. The emergency suspended ordinary protections and preceded the banning of the ANC and PAC. State repression targeted a wider anti-apartheid public, not only formal party leadership.