20 May 1983 - Car bomb explodes outside Air Force headquarters

A car bomb explodes outside Pretoria's Air Force headquarters in Church Street, killing and injuring many. The bombing was part of the ANC's intensified armed struggle against the apartheid government. The bombing took place against the backdrop of Government attempts to introduce constitutional reforms to grant some representation for sections of the black population in parliament. It took place while parliament's debated this new proposal for a Tricameral Constitution. The response to the reform attempt along with increasing militancy from the state in dealing with opposition was one of widespread anger and popular protest.

Accounts differ of how many people died and many were injured in the Church Street bombing: they range from 17 to 19 dead and from 90 to 200 wounded. In retaliation, the apartheid government launched an attack on the Mozambiquan capital, Maputo, where underground ANC officials were stationed. An estimated six civilians were killed and 40 injured in this raid.

Before the attack, the ANC had directed armed struggle to strategic state structures and avoided injuring civilians. As the armed struggle intensified during the 1980s, the number of civilian casualties grew as in the bombing of Magoo's Bar in Durban in June 1985. ANC operative Robert McBride was convicted of responsibility for this and spent four years on death row before being pardoned in 1992. President Thabo Mbeki admitted that between December 1985 and September 1988, a number of attacks on civilian targets had occurred that had little direct connection with the Apartheid state.

Click here, to read more on a biography of McBride, published recently by SA History Online.

Source:
Joyce, P. (2000). Suid-Afrika in die 20ste eeu . Kaapstad: Struik.

20 May 1983
Car bomb explodes outside Air Force headquarters
	A car bomb explodes outside Pretoria's Air Force headquarters in Church Street, killing and injuring many. The bombing was part of the ANC's intensified armed struggle against the apartheid government. The bombing took place against the backdrop of Government attempts to introduce constitutional reforms to grant some representation for sections of the black population in parliament. It took place while parliament's debated this new proposal for a Tricameral Constitution. The response to the reform attempt along with increasing militancy from the state in dealing with opposition was one of widespread anger and popular protest. Accounts differ of how many people died and many were injured in the Church Street bombing: they range from 17 to 19 dead and from 90 to 200 wounded. In retaliation, the apartheid government launched an attack on the Mozambiquan capital, Maputo, where underground ANC officials were stationed. An estimated six civilians were killed and 40 injured in this raid. Before the attack, the ANC had directed armed struggle to strategic state structures and avoided injuring civilians. As the armed struggle intensified during the 1980s, the number of civilian casualties grew as in the bombing of Magoo's Bar in Durban in June 1985. ANC operative Robert McBride was convicted of responsibility for this and spent four years on death row before being pardoned in 1992. President Thabo Mbeki admitted that between December 1985 and September 1988, a number of attacks on civilian targets had occurred that had little direct connection with the Apartheid state. Click here, to read more on a biography of McBride, published recently by SA History Online. Source: Joyce, P. (2000). Suid-Afrika in die 20ste eeu . Kaapstad: Struik.