Call for a stay-away in Black townships

A stay-away by Black workers in the industrial areas of the Witwatersrand and the Vaal Triangle is called by Black unions and civic groups in protest over increases in rent and utility charges and over the unlawful arrests of Black leaders. The Association of Chambers of Commerce estimates that 75 to 100 percent heeded the call for a stay-away. Police respond by setting up roadblocks at the entrance of Sebokeng, Sharpeville, and Boipatong, and buses are sent under police escort to take people to work, who did not participate in the boycott. The following day police report that 15 Black protesters and one policeman were killed in the violence, while 31 people were arrested. However, the official death toll was given on 7 November 1984 as 23. The boycott in Black townships impacted heavily on other areas with 600 workers dismissed at the SASOL plant for supporting the boycott. The stay-away also resulted in the arrest of most of the leaders of the labour unions in and around Soweto.