The Marabastad riot, 1942.
Abstract
• Opsomming:
Op 28 Desember 1942 het onluste in Marabastad, Pretoria uitgebreek
toe 'n loongeskil tussen die Munisipaliteit en sy swart werknemers
in 'n gewelddadige konfrontasie ontwikkel het. Die Suid-
Afrikaanse Polisie, 'n eenheid van die Unieverdedigingsmag en 'n
onbekende getal blanke burgerlikes het spoedig by die botsing
betrokke geraak. Sewentien mense (sestien swartmense en 'n
soldaat wat van diens af was) is dood en 'n onbekende aantal
beseer. Weinig skade is aan eiendom aangerig. Hierdie artikel
speur die ontwikkeling van die dispuut na vanaf sy geboorte as 'n
onbeduidende kwessie, tot en met die verrigtinge van 'n geregtelike
kommissie van ondersoek na die gebeure. Die finale gevolgtrekking
is dat 'n komplekse same loop van omstandighede tot die
gebeure gelei het, maar dat dit eerstens veroorsaak is deur die
snelle opwelling van vyandigheid eie aan groeps-angs in rasverdeelde
en klas-gedifferensieerde gemeenskappe soos Suid-Afrika destyds was. • Summary:
On 28 December 1942 rioting broke out in Marabastad, Pretoria
when a wage dispute between the municipality and its African
labourers developed into violent confrontation. The South
African Police, a contingent of the Union Defence Force and an
unknown number of white civilians soon became involved.
Although little damage was done to property, seventeen people
were killed and numerous others were injured. This article
traces the origins of the riot, explains the development of the
dispute from a low-key issue through the fatal clash and the
proceedings of a judicial commission of enquiry appointed to
investigate events. It concludes that a complex concurrence of
events led to the violence but that the primary cause was the
ever-present hostility generated by group-anxiety in a racially
and class differentiated society.
Collections
- Contree: 1992 No 32 [11]