*"Coloured" is the term used by the white regime to describe Africans of mixed races. Henry Isaacs (himself officially termed a "Coloured") stressed that the liberation movements of Azania regarded all those from racial minorities or of mixed descent as Black - indicating these groups' equal importance to the liberation struggle. The recent riots were "Coloured" protests, but will be referred to in this article as Black, in the same way that "Azania" has now replaced "South Africa" in the language of the oppressed African majority.

Student Leader Detained

The recent riots broke out on June 3, as students took to the streets to protest against the detention of one of their leaders, Aziz Jardine. The demonstration was viciously broken up.

The following day students protested against police brutality used in breaking it up. Tear gas was again used to disperse hundreds of schoolchildren coming from other schools to join the protest. Tear gas canisters were thrown through classroom windows and police burst into hostels, kicking in doors, knocking over furniture and even opening fridges in their search for schoolchildren.

Parents of the students have angrily protested about being tear gassed themselves, as well as at the brutal treatment of their children at the hands of the police.

The Official Reaction

Black leaders have demanded an inquiry into police behaviour, which provoked this response from Police Minister Louis le Grange:

"Schoolchildren who do not obey requests from the police and/or throw stones and/or throw bombs at my police must not expect any leniency ... We will not be dictated to be schoolchildren on how the law should be applied. "

War Situation

On the night of June 4, several of Johannesburg's Black suburbs were sealed off while the police and army embarked on a house to house search.

Church leaders of all races went to the area as police continued the search, and the president of the South African Council of Churches, Peter Storey, said "I am deeply concerned about the use of the army in this. The privacies of people have been invaded and it would appear as if we are in a war situation."

This army-backed sweep resulted in between thirty and forty student leaders being taken for screening.

The arrest of student leaders is nothing new - there have been numerous arrests made, particularly since last year's protests against racially unequal education. They are usually held for some time without charge and then released.

Increased Resistance

The white regime has made attempts in the past to separate "Coloureds" and Indians from black Africans by providing them with a slightly higher standard of living and marginally better educational opportunities. But these groups are nevertheless still greatly oppressed by the white regime, and a new generation of young people are increasingly rebelling against the system.

They are politicising their parents, as well as identifying totally with the Black Consciousness Movement. They have seen through Botha's attempt to create a respectable middle class of moderate Blacks.

The white authorities are running scared, and are responding to increased resistance by intimidation tactics and outright violence. The recent Johannesburg riots can only be seen as an indication of even greater resistance in the future. Very soon it will be the black majority who will be able to say "We will not be dictated to."

Paullette Keating