1987 in South Africa
Encyclopedia
January
- 1 January - South African Defence ForceSouth African Defence ForceThe South African Defence Force was the South African armed forces from 1957 until 1994. The former Union Defence Force was renamed to the South African Defence Force in the Defence Act of 1957...
servicemen are attacked in AlexandraAlexandra, GautengAlexandra or Alex for short, nicknamed Gomora is a township located in Gauteng province, South Africa. It is part of Johannesburg, close to the wealthy suburb of Sandton and is bounded by Wynberg on the west, Marlboro and Kelvin on the north, Kew, Lombardy West and Lombardy East on the south...
, JohannesburgJohannesburgJohannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
and at least one injured - 3 January - Three people are injured when a limpet mineLimpet mineA limpet mine is a type of naval mine attached to a target by magnets; they are so named because of their superficial similarity to the limpet, a type of mollusk....
explodes at the corner of Jeppe and Delvers Streets in Johannesburg - 8 January - At the AECI plant, a police officerPolice officerA police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
is shot at and in the skirmish that followed, two policemen and one civilian are injured - 9 January - A bombBombA bomb is any of a range of explosive weapons that only rely on the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy...
explodes at the OK Bazaars, a national supermarket chain, in Eloff Street, Johannesburg during a protracted strikeStrike actionStrike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
- A riotRiotA riot is a form of civil disorder characterized often by what is thought of as disorganized groups lashing out in a sudden and intense rash of violence against authority, property or people. While individuals may attempt to lead or control a riot, riots are thought to be typically chaotic and...
squad policeman is killed and two injured when a grenadeGrenadeA grenade is a small explosive device that is projected a safe distance away by its user. Soldiers called grenadiers specialize in the use of grenades. The term hand grenade refers any grenade designed to be hand thrown. Grenade Launchers are firearms designed to fire explosive projectile grenades...
is thrown into their vehicle - Police raid English-language newspapers seizing documents related to an advertisement calling for the legalising of the African National CongressAfrican National CongressThe African National Congress is South Africa's governing Africanist political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a...
- A riot
- 21 January - KwaMakutha massacre, 12 people are killed including 7 children, in KwaMakutha near Amanzimtoti, when the home of the United Democratic FrontUnited Democratic Front (South Africa)The United Democratic Front was one of the most important anti-apartheid organisations of the 1980s. The non-racial coalition of about 400 civic, church, students', workers' and other organisations was formed in 1983, initially to fight the just-introduced idea of the Tricameral Parliament The...
activist Bheki Ntuli is attacked by a group of men armed with AK-47AK-47The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova . It is also known as a Kalashnikov, an "AK", or in Russian slang, Kalash.Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year...
rifles - 23 January - Two guerrillasTerrorismTerrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
are killed in SowetoSowetoSoweto is a lower-class-populated urban area of the city of Johannesburg in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city's mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for South Western Townships... - 24 January - One TranskeiTranskeiThe Transkei , officially the Republic of Transkei , was a Bantustan—an area set aside for members of a specific ethnicity—and nominal parliamentary democracy in the southeastern region of South Africa...
soldier or police officer is injured in an Umkhonto we SizweUmkhonto we SizweUmkhonto we Sizwe , translated "Spear of the Nation," was the armed wing of the African National Congress which fought against the South African apartheid government. MK launched its first guerrilla attacks against government installations on 16 December 1961...
attack in Mendu, WillowvaleWillowvaleWillowvale is the name of an industrial suburb in the South West of Harare, Zimbabwe.... - 30 January - Three soldiers and one police officer are killed in an attack in Alexandra, Johannesburg
- 31 January - The home of town councillor Senokoane in DiepmeadowDiepmeadow, GautengDiepmeadow is a township that is part of the greater Soweto in Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa. It consists of two townships of Diepkloof and Meadowlands. Meadowlands was built to accommodate the residents of Sophiatownyomi ias greatved in 1957. Diepkloof was established in 1959 to accommodate...
, Soweto is attacked and six people are injured including two police officers
February
- A limpet mine explosion causes damage to a shop in Matatiele
- 2 February - The single quarters of the Bokomo Police Station is attacked twice with grenades and one policeman is injured
- 5 February - An Explosion at bus shelter outside the Groote Schuur HospitalGroote Schuur HospitalGroote Schuur Hospital is a large, government-funded, teaching hospital situated on the slopes of Devil's Peak in the city of Cape Town, South Africa...
injures 1 person - 18 February - A number of people are killed in a grenade attack on Tladi Secondary School
- 19 February - Chief Lushaba and Samuel Jamile of the Inkatha Freedom PartyInkatha Freedom PartyThe Inkatha Freedom Party is a political party in South Africa. Since its founding, it has been led by Mangosuthu Buthelezi. It is currently the fourth largest party in the National Assembly of South Africa.-History:...
are injured when a grenade is thrown at them
March
- 3 March - A guerillawarrior is shot and killed by police in Gugulethu after he allegedly fired on their patrol with an AK-47AK-47The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova . It is also known as a Kalashnikov, an "AK", or in Russian slang, Kalash.Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year...
- 9 March - One police officer, two municipal police officers are killed in Gugulethu. One terrorist is also possibly killed but this is unconfirmed
- 11 March - Police confirm a skirmish at Zone 13 Mdantsane in CiskeiCiskeiCiskei was a Bantustan in the south east of South Africa. It covered an area of 2,970 square miles , almost entirely surrounded by what was then the Cape Province, and possessed a small coastline along the shore of the Indian Ocean....
but gave no details- A terrorist is shot and killed in a house in New Crossroads
- 12 March - Sweden announces a total boycott on trade with South Africa effective from October
- 13 March - Four municipal police officers are killed, one injured in AtteridgevilleAtteridgevilleAtteridgeville, part of the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, is a township located on the west of Pretoria, South Africa. It is bordered to the west by Saulsville, to the east by Proclamation Hill; to the south by Laudium and to the north by Lotus Gardens.-History:Atteridgeville was...
- 16 March - A grenade is thrown at the home of a police officer in KagisoKagisoKagiso is a township situated in the Krugersdorp area in Gauteng Province, South Africa. It was established in 1920 by ex-miners and squatters from nearby Luipaardsvlei. By 1950 the number of squatters had grown, spawning the larger Luipaardsvlei and Lewisham township, southeast of Krugersdorp.The...
but no injuries - 17 March - During a police raid in InandaInandaTwo places in South Africa bear the name "Inanda":* Inanda, Gauteng, a suburb of Johannesburg* Inanda, KwaZulu-Natal, a town outside DurbanA number of ships have also been named Inanda, three ships of this name...
, a terrorist and a woman are killed. Another man and a baby are injured in the raid- Three explosions damage the railway line between Newcastle and Johannesburg
- 28 March An anti-tank landmine kills four and injures one person in the Josefsdal area near the SwazilandSwazilandSwaziland, officially the Kingdom of Swaziland , and sometimes called Ngwane or Swatini, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered to the north, south and west by South Africa, and to the east by Mozambique...
border
April
- 1 April - Three soldiers are killed and two injured when a grenade is thrown into their Hippo armoured personnel carrier in either Mabopane or Mamelodi
- A grenade is thrown at home of Councillor Radebe in Dobsonville with no injuries
- 2 April - Three policemen are injured in Nyanga when a grenade is thrown at them
- 8 April - Two freedomfighters and a police officer are killed in a shootout at Ventersdorp
- 9 April - Three police officers come under attack in Meadowlands Zone 10 (casualties unknown)
- 10 April - CiskeiCiskeiCiskei was a Bantustan in the south east of South Africa. It covered an area of 2,970 square miles , almost entirely surrounded by what was then the Cape Province, and possessed a small coastline along the shore of the Indian Ocean....
, South Africa and TranskeiTranskeiThe Transkei , officially the Republic of Transkei , was a Bantustan—an area set aside for members of a specific ethnicity—and nominal parliamentary democracy in the southeastern region of South Africa...
sign a security pact in Cape TownCape TownCape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
prohibiting cross-border violence between the three states - 14 April - The home of a police officer in Chesterfield, DurbanDurbanDurban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
comes under grenade attack with no injuries - 15 April - A special branch police officer is killed by a sniper and another injured south of Durban in Umbumbulu
- 16 April - An explosion in the parking area of a Newcastle supermarket injures two people
- 20 April - A grenade is thrown at group of soldiers at the Dube train station in SowetoSowetoSoweto is a lower-class-populated urban area of the city of Johannesburg in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city's mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for South Western Townships...
(no casualties reported) - 23 April - The home of a police officer in Bonteheuwel comes under grenade attack
- 24 April - During a riot police raid in UmlaziUmlaziUmlazi is a township on the east coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The wider Umlazi area has a population of 750,000. The township is located south-west of Durban....
, Durban, two freedomfighters are killed and three riot police officers are injured.- Police invade UCT campus in an unprecedented show of force.
- 30 April - Four police officers are injured in a grenade attack on their barracks in Osizweni, Newcastle
May
- 5 May - Two people are killed and twenty injured in a landmine explosion on a road close to Messina near the ZimbabweZimbabweZimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
border- Two mini-limpets explode at the JohannesburgJohannesburgJohannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
Civic Centre with no injuries
- Two mini-limpets explode at the Johannesburg
- 6 May - The National PartyNational Party (South Africa)The National Party is a former political party in South Africa. Founded in 1914, it was the governing party of the country from 4 June 1948 until 9 May 1994. Members of the National Party were sometimes known as Nationalists or Nats. Its policies included apartheid, the establishment of a...
wins the General Elections - 9 May - A police officer, three soldiers and a freedomfighters are killed in a skirmish in Mamelodi
- 16 May - An explosion at Newcastle train station's waiting room occurs and while police are investigating the blast, a second bomb explodes injuring a police officer
- 19 May - An explosion at the Carlton Centre in central Johannesburg
- 20 May - Two bombs exploded at the Johannesburg magistrate’s court, the first a minor explosion that acted as a decoy is followed by a second more powerful charge minutes later which killed three police officers and injuring four others, six bystanders are also injured
June
- 4 June - State President of South AfricaState President of South AfricaState President, or Staatspresident in Afrikaans, was the title of South Africa's head of state from 1961 to 1994. The office was established when the country became a republic in 1961, and Queen Elizabeth II ceased to be head of state...
Pieter Willem BothaPieter Willem BothaPieter Willem Botha , commonly known as "P. W." and Die Groot Krokodil , was the prime minister of South Africa from 1978 to 1984 and the first executive state president from 1984 to 1989.First elected to Parliament in 1948, Botha was for eleven years head of the Afrikaner National Party and the...
visits Sharpeville - 11 June - During a police raid in Emdeni, SowetoSowetoSoweto is a lower-class-populated urban area of the city of Johannesburg in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city's mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for South Western Townships...
, police were ambushed. A freedomfighter and a police officer are killed - 12 June - Two police officers are found dead in WitbankWitbankWitbank , also known as eMalahleni is a city situated on the Highveld of Mpumalanga, South Africa, within the eMalahleni Local Municipality. The name Witbank is Afrikaans for White Ridge and is named after a white sandstone outcrop where wagon transport drivers rested...
- A Limpet mineLimpet mineA limpet mine is a type of naval mine attached to a target by magnets; they are so named because of their superficial similarity to the limpet, a type of mollusk....
explodes at the Athlone Magistrates Court in JohannesburgJohannesburgJohannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
- A Limpet mine
- 15 June - The home of a councillor in Gugulethu comes under grenadeGrenadeA grenade is a small explosive device that is projected a safe distance away by its user. Soldiers called grenadiers specialize in the use of grenades. The term hand grenade refers any grenade designed to be hand thrown. Grenade Launchers are firearms designed to fire explosive projectile grenades...
attack and four people are injured, two of them special constables - 21 June - A police patrol is attacked with grenades in which seven police officers are injured
July
- 6 July - Umkhonto we SizweUmkhonto we SizweUmkhonto we Sizwe , translated "Spear of the Nation," was the armed wing of the African National Congress which fought against the South African apartheid government. MK launched its first guerrilla attacks against government installations on 16 December 1961...
ambush the police in Mdantsane, two police officers are killed and three injured. A cadre is also shot and killed- Milestone meeting is held in DakarDakarDakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...
, SenegalSenegalSenegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
between 52 mainly AfrikaansAfrikaansAfrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
-speaking intellectuals led by Dr Frederik van Zyl SlabbertFrederik van Zyl SlabbertFrederik van Zyl Slabbert was a South African political analyst, businessman and politician. He is best known for having been the leader of the official opposition — the Progressive Federal Party — in the House of Assembly from 1979 to 1986.-Early life, education and academic career:Born in...
and the banned African National CongressAfrican National CongressThe African National Congress is South Africa's governing Africanist political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a...
led by Thabo MbekiThabo MbekiThabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki is a South African politician who served two terms as the second post-apartheid President of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008. He is also the brother of Moeletsi Mbeki...
- Milestone meeting is held in Dakar
- 8 July - Police crush what they say is a terrorist and his sister to death in shack in Motherwell after they allegedly were fired on
- A limpet mineLimpet mineA limpet mine is a type of naval mine attached to a target by magnets; they are so named because of their superficial similarity to the limpet, a type of mollusk....
explodes at 11h12 in the bar of Village Main Hotel, JohannesburgJohannesburgJohannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
- A limpet mine
- 9 July - MozambiqueMozambiqueMozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
and the Soviet UnionSoviet UnionThe Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
reject the findings of the Margo Commission on the air disaster in which Samora MachelSamora MachelSamora Moisés Machel was a Mozambican military commander, revolutionary socialist leader and eventual President of Mozambique...
, Mozambiqian PresidentPresidentA president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
, was killed - 9–12 July - 61 White South Africans, mainly from the AfrikaansAfrikaansAfrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
community, meet the African National CongressAfrican National CongressThe African National Congress is South Africa's governing Africanist political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a...
in DakarDakarDakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...
, SenegalSenegalSenegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
in search of a democratic alternative for South Africa - 12 July - During a police raid in Athlone, JohannesburgJohannesburgJohannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, a freedomfighter is killed and four arrested - 18 July - A police officer and wife are injured in attack on their home in Mamelodi East
- 20 July - A car bombCar bombA car bomb, or truck bomb also known as a Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device , is an improvised explosive device placed in a car or other vehicle and then detonated. It is commonly used as a weapon of assassination, terrorism, or guerrilla warfare, to kill the occupants of the vehicle,...
explodes outside a block of flats in District Six, Cape TownCape TownCape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
with no injuries - 25 July - A grenadeGrenadeA grenade is a small explosive device that is projected a safe distance away by its user. Soldiers called grenadiers specialize in the use of grenades. The term hand grenade refers any grenade designed to be hand thrown. Grenade Launchers are firearms designed to fire explosive projectile grenades...
is thrown at home in Pimville but harmlessly explodes outside the house - 30 July - An anti-tank landmineLand mineA land mine is usually a weight-triggered explosive device which is intended to damage a target—either human or inanimate—by means of a blast and/or fragment impact....
injures three people on the farm Bodena which is owned by Danie Hough- A car bomb explodes outside the WitwatersrandWitwatersrandThe Witwatersrand is a low, sedimentary range of hills, at an elevation of 1700–1800 metres above sea-level, which runs in an east-west direction through Gauteng in South Africa. The word in Afrikaans means "the ridge of white waters". Geologically it is complex, but the principal formations...
Command which kills one soldier and injures 68 people
- A car bomb explodes outside the Witwatersrand
August
- The South African Defence ForceSouth African Defence ForceThe South African Defence Force was the South African armed forces from 1957 until 1994. The former Union Defence Force was renamed to the South African Defence Force in the Defence Act of 1957...
launch Operation Modular - 3 August - 23 conscripts make a public announcement in Cape Town of their refusal to serve in the SADF
- 5 August - A freedomfighter is killed in shootout with police on Ntshekisa Road in New Brighton, Port Elizabeth
- 13 August - An Emdeni police Sergeant is injured when a grenade is thrown at his vehicle
- 23 August - A shop in Emdeni which is frequented by soldiers is attacked with grenades
- 24 August - A grenade is thrown at a police vehicle in Emdeni. Two police officers and eight bystanders are injured
- 27 August - The home of the former Mayor of SowetoSowetoSoweto is a lower-class-populated urban area of the city of Johannesburg in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city's mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for South Western Townships...
, Kunene is attacked and two council police officers are killed - 30 August - A grenade is thrown at five soldiers outside barracks; estimated eight SADF members killed or injured
September
- The South African ArmySouth African ArmyThe South African Army is the army of South Africa, first formed after the Union of South Africa was created in 1910.The South African military evolved within the tradition of frontier warfare fought by commando forces, reinforced by the Afrikaners' historical distrust of large standing armies...
kill four and capture two guerilla fighters near the ZimbabweZimbabweZimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
border. After the two guerilla fighters were handed over to police, they escaped killing two police officers. The army later tracked them down and they were killed in fire-fight - The Commander of KwaNdebele National Guard Unit in Marble HallMarble HallMarble Hall is a small town in the south of the Limpopo province, in South Africa. It was formerley in Mpumalanga provinse.-History:While on a hunting expedition from Pretoria, Christoffel Visagie and his family discovered a hole containing marble in 1920...
and his son (a police officer) is shot and killed by AK-47 fire - 2 September - Police in Sandton kill a guerilla fighter after he allegedly threw a grenade at a roadblock
- 17 September - Religious leaders including Desmond TutuDesmond TutuDesmond Mpilo Tutu is a South African activist and retired Anglican bishop who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid...
hold talks with the African National CongressAfrican National CongressThe African National Congress is South Africa's governing Africanist political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a...
in ZambiaZambiaZambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west.... - 23 September - South Africa and MalawiMalawiThe Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...
sign an agreement for the training of nurses from Malawi in South Africa - 24 September - Ten people including two police officers are injured in grenade attack on a police patrol in SowetoSowetoSoweto is a lower-class-populated urban area of the city of Johannesburg in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city's mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for South Western Townships...
- 28 September - Two bombs explode at the Standard Bank arena in JohannesburgJohannesburgJohannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
October
- 1 October - A bomb placed outside door of Amichand RajbansiAmichand RajbansiAmichand Rajbansi is a South African politician. He is a former Chief Minister of the House of Delegates Tricameral parliamentary chamber for Indian people, and leader of the Minority Front....
's NPP office in Lenasia explodes hours after official opening with no injuries - 28 October - Near the SwazilandSwazilandSwaziland, officially the Kingdom of Swaziland , and sometimes called Ngwane or Swatini, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered to the north, south and west by South Africa, and to the east by Mozambique...
border soldier is killed and a guerilla wounded in a skirmish
November
- 6 November - A special constable and two civilians are killed by sniper fire in KhayelitshaKhayelitshaKhayelitsha is a partially informal township in Western Cape, South Africa, located on the Cape Flats in the City of Cape Town. The name is Xhosa for New Home...
- 12 November - Two limpet mines explode and a third one is safely detonated by police at the Zola Municipal offices in SowetoSowetoSoweto is a lower-class-populated urban area of the city of Johannesburg in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city's mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for South Western Townships...
- 14 November - During a South African Defence ForceSouth African Defence ForceThe South African Defence Force was the South African armed forces from 1957 until 1994. The former Union Defence Force was renamed to the South African Defence Force in the Defence Act of 1957...
commemoration march in Cape TownCape TownCape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, a limpet mine explodes in bin injuring a soldier - 18 November - A Limpet mine is found and defused at the JohannesburgJohannesburgJohannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
post office - 23 November - During a police raid on house in UmlaziUmlaziUmlazi is a township on the east coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The wider Umlazi area has a population of 750,000. The township is located south-west of Durban....
, DurbanDurbanDurban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
two freedomfighters and alleged collaborator are killed. Two police officers are injured in the raid - 28 November - South African Airways Flight 295South African Airways Flight 295South African Airways Flight 295 was a commercial flight that suffered a catastrophic in-flight fire in the cargo area and crashed into the Indian Ocean east of Mauritius on 28 November 1987, killing everyone on board...
crashes into the Indian Ocean near MauritiusMauritiusMauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar... - 30 November - Three explosions occur at the Dube municipal training centre in Soweto with no injuries
December
- 10 December - During a police raid on shack in the Port Elizabeth area, they meet heavy resistance from the residents. The police drive a CasspirCasspirThe Casspir is a landmine-protected personnel carrier that has been in use in South Africa for over 20 years. It is a four wheeled armoured vehicle, used for transport of troops. It can hold a crew of two, plus 12 additional soldiers and associated gear. The Casspir was unique in design when...
over the shack, killing four - 12 December - A group of police officers are fired upon by freedomfighters from a moving car in SowetoSowetoSoweto is a lower-class-populated urban area of the city of Johannesburg in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city's mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for South Western Townships...
; two police officers are killed and four injured
Unknown date
- Bulelani NgcukaBulelani NgcukaBulelani T Ngcuka was the first national Director of Public Prosecutions in South Africa, and is the husband of former Deputy President of South Africa Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka. He was embroiled in controversy after being accused of being an apartheid spy...
joins the United Democratic FrontUnited Democratic Front (South Africa)The United Democratic Front was one of the most important anti-apartheid organisations of the 1980s. The non-racial coalition of about 400 civic, church, students', workers' and other organisations was formed in 1983, initially to fight the just-introduced idea of the Tricameral Parliament The...
in the Western CapeWestern CapeThe Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. The capital is Cape Town. Prior to 1994, the region that now forms the Western Cape was part of the much larger Cape Province...
Athletics
- 2 May – Zithulele SinqeZithulele SinqeZithulele Sinqe is a South African long distance athlete. In the 1980s, and despite restrictions under Apartheid, Sinqe emerged as one of the leading marathon and half-marathon athletes in the world....
wins his second national title in the men's marathon, clocking 2:10:51 in Stellenbosch.