John Harris and the Johannesburg station bomb

Updated: 22 Jul 2020

A time bomb placed in the Johannesburg railway station exploded during the evening rush hours. The explosion resulted in the death of one person and severe injuries to more than twenty others, including Ms Clasina Vogel. Ms Vogel was severely injured with burn wounds to her body, hands, legs, face and head, shrapnel wounds to her legs and burst eardrums. It later emerged that Frederick John Harris, a teacher and member of the African Resistance Movement (ARM), was responsible for this incident. He was charged with murder and two counts of sabotage. Harris was convicted by Mr Justice Ludorf and sentenced to death.

How we know this

01Wallis, F. (2000). Nuusdagboek: feite en fratse oor 1000 jaar, Kaapstad: Human & Rousseau.
02bookslive,(2010), 'Bomb explodes at Johannesburg station', From bookslive, 15 September[Online],available at www.bookslive.co.za [Accessed: 24 July 2013]
03Stanford University,'The state inside South Africa between 1960 and 1990' From Stanford University,[Online],Available at www.stanford.edu [Accessed:24 July 2013]

Last updated · 22 Jul 2020

Cite this entry

South African History Online. (2011, March 16). John Harris and the Johannesburg station bomb. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0012022

South African History Online (2011) 'John Harris and the Johannesburg station bomb', South African History Online, 16 March. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0012022 (Accessed: 19 October 2026).

South African History Online, John Harris and the Johannesburg station bomb [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0012022, (accessed 19 October 2026).

"John Harris and the Johannesburg station bomb." South African History Online, 16 Mar. 2011, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0012022. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

South African History Online. "John Harris and the Johannesburg station bomb." South African History Online. March 16, 2011. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0012022.