How many Blacks died under Apartheid?

BY Vusile Tshabalala (a black journalist)

At the start of the year 1900, the number of (Black) African South Africans was found to be 3,5-million according to the British colonial government census. By 1954, our (Black) African population had soared to 8,5-million — and by 1990, there were a full 35-million of us — all carefully managed, closely policed, counted, shunted around in homelands and townships — and all of us chafing and griping under the suppressive yoke of the Afrikaner Broederbond’s rigid racial segregation system.

During apartheid, our (black) population grew apace however because we also had the benefit of the Broers’ medical knowledge and their excellent agricultural skills.

Our population growth and our average life expectancy in fact showed us (black)Africans in South Africa to be in better than average health when compared to other Africans on the rest of the continent: in the decades prior to the official policy of apartheid, (which was started in 1948), the average life expectancy of black African South Africans was only 38 years.

However, during the last decade of the apartheid era from 1948 to 1994, our average life expectancy had risen to 64 years — on a par with Europe’s average life expectancy. Moreover, our infant death rates had by then also been reduced from 174 to 55 infant deaths per thousand, higher than Europe’s, but considerably lower than the rest of the African continent’s.

And the (black) African population in South Africa had by then also increased by 50% percent. (source: “a crime against humanity: analysing repression of the Apartheid State”, by Max Coleman of the Human Rights Committee).

Deaths due to political violence during Apartheid - from 1948 - 1994

Max Coleman’s authoritative book analyses all deaths due to political violence from 1948 to 1994 in South Africa and Namibia.

According to the HRC statistics, 21,000 people died in political violence in South Africa during apartheid – of whom 14,000 people died during the six-year transition process from 1990 to 1994. The book lists the number of incidents, dates, and those involved.

This includes SA Defence Force actions, for instance the 600 deaths at Kassinga in Angola during the war in 1978.

Of those deaths, the vast majority, 92%, have been primarily due to (blacks) Africans killing (blacks) Africans — such as the inter-tribal battles for territory: this book’s detailed analyses of the period June 1990 to July 1993 indicates a total of 8580 (92%) of the 9,325 violent deaths during the period June 1990 to July 1993 were caused by Africans killing Africans, or as the news media often calls it, “Black on Black” violence – hostel killings, Inkatha Freedom Party versus ANC killlings, and taxi and turf war violence.

The activities of the Civil Cooperation Bureau as outlined by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, were also included in these figures.

The security forces caused 518 deaths (5.6%) throughout this period.

And again, during the transitional period, the primary causes of deaths were not security forces nor white right-wing violence against blacks, but mainly due to “black-on-black necklace murders”, tribal conflict between the ANC-IFP, bombs by the ANC and PAC’s military wings in shopping centers, landmines on farm roads, etc.

After Apartheid:

Violent deaths from 1994 to 2000: The SA Police reports that a total of 174,220 people died violent deaths, from crime-related violence, between 1994 and the year 2000.

The full report, Murder in South Africa: A Comparison of Past and Present

So my question is this:

“Did Apartheid ever kill as many Africans as are now being killed?"

The Killing Fields of Post-Apartheid South Africa
THE SOURCE: August 2001 http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/321.htm