Thirteen residents are gunned down in Mamelodi by South African police

Date: 21 Nov 1985
Updated: 30 Sep 2019

Thirteen residents are gunned down in Mamelodi by South African police

Thirteen residents were gunned down in Mamelodi by South African police. This followed the declaration of a State of emergency on 25 July 1985 by President PW Botha in 36 of South Africa’s 260 magisterial districts. Within the first six months of the Emergency, 575 people were killed in political violence – more than half killed by the police. Under the provisions of the Emergency, organisations could be banned and meetings prohibited; the Commissioner of Police could impose restrictions on media coverage of the Emergency; and the names of detained people could not be disclosed. On 5 March 1986 Botha announced that he would lift the Emergency, and on 7 March the announcement was made law.

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How we know this

01Boddy-Evans, A. ‘This Day in African History: 21 November’, [online], available at https://africanhistory.about.com [Accessed: 10 October 2013]
02South African History Online, ‘Liberation Struggle in South Africa’, [online], available at www.sahistory.org.za [Accessed: 11 October 2013]

Last updated · 30 Sep 2019

Cite this entry

South African History Online. (2013, November 14). Thirteen residents are gunned down in Mamelodi by South African police. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0096650

South African History Online (2013) 'Thirteen residents are gunned down in Mamelodi by South African police', South African History Online, 14 November. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0096650 (Accessed: 13 August 2026).

South African History Online, Thirteen residents are gunned down in Mamelodi by South African police [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0096650, (accessed 13 August 2026).

"Thirteen residents are gunned down in Mamelodi by South African police." South African History Online, 14 Nov. 2013, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0096650. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

South African History Online. "Thirteen residents are gunned down in Mamelodi by South African police." South African History Online. November 14, 2013. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0096650.