ANC denies responsibilities for the unrest in homelands

On this day in 1990, the African National Congress (ANC) veteran leader, Walter Sisulu, denied allegations levelled at his party by the South African parliament and press that the ANC was responsible for the unrest that broke out throughout SA homelands. Sisulu described the unrest as consisting of a popular revolt against the homeland's repressive dictatorships. The unrest broke out after a demand by the ANC that all homelands should be reintegrated into South Africa, as part of the dismantling of Apartheid legislations. In Bophuthatswana, 14 people were killed, after police shot at demonstrators who were in favour of the relocation of their homeland and calling for the abdication of President Lucas Mangope.