2 July 1988
On 2 July 1988, Lester Dumakude, commander of an Umkhonto we Sizwe special operations unit, detonated a car bomb by remote control outside Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg. The detonation occurred directly after a Free State - Transvaal rugby game. Two spectators were killed in the blast with thirty seven others injured.
The deceased were Clive Clucas and Linus Marais. At the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), Dumakude, who applied for amnesty for this attack, testified that he assumed the two civilians who perished in the blast were security guards at the stadium. Dumakude also testified that the act was intended to send a message to the White community regarding the futility of apartheid as a system. Ellis Park was chosen as a target as it was in a predominantly White area.
References
TRC Report: The intersection between the Human Rights Violations Committee and the Amnesty Committee- The ANC and Allied Organisations, Volume Six, Section Three, Chapter Two [Online]. Available at: http://www.info.gov.za [Accessed 21 June 2010]
Ellis Park Bomber faced victims before detonation, TRC hears [Online]. Available at: http://www.justice.gov.za [Accessed 21 June 2010]
Bomb kills two at South African Rugby Match [Online]. Available at: http://articles.latimes.com [Accessed 21 June 2010]