16 Junie 1976 – Mamelodi
Abstract The author provides a vivid first person account of the events of 16 June 1976 as experienced by a lieutenant in the South African Police stationed at Silverton. What began as a routine winter morning quickly escalated when he and a small team were deployed to Mamelodi, where large scale unrest had erupted. He describes scenes of chaos: crowds throwing stones and petrol bombs, burning barricades, looted shops, and the destruction of administrative buildings. The narrative highlights the fear, exhaustion, and sense of helplessness felt by the small police contingent, as well as the extreme cold and the absence of food or relief for many hours. The arrival of riot units, the presence of international media, and the role of taxis in driving the unrest are recalled in detail. The following days brought more organisation, community support, and structured police deployment. Reflecting fifty years later, the author emphasises how these events shaped him personally and professionally, and how the camaraderie and solidarity forged during that period remain among his strongest memories. ABSTRAK: Die skrywer bied ’n persoonlike, eerstehandse getuienis van die gebeure van 16 Junie 1976 in Mamelodi, soos ervaar deur ’n luitenant in die Suid-Afrikaanse Polisie. Hy beskryf die oggend se roetine, die skielike opdrag om na Mamelodi te gaan, en die chaotiese tonele van oproer, geweld, plundering en brandstigting wat hom en sy kollegas begroet het. Die vertelling beklemtoon die intense gevaar, die gevoel van magteloosheid, die uiterste koue en die uitputting van ’n dag en nag sonder aflos of kos. Die skrywer herinner aan die rol van die media, die taxi’s wat die skares aangevuur het, en die uiteindelike organisering van polisiemagte en ondersteuning uit die gemeenskap. Hy reflekteer oor die vormende invloed van hierdie tydperk op sy loopbaan en persoonlike ontwikkeling, en beklemtoon die kameraadskap en solidariteit wat tussen kollegas gesmee is. Vyftig jaar later bly die gebeure vir hom lewend en onvergeetlik.