This Day in History: May 14, 1987
Additional Date: May 14, 1987
On 14 may 1987, a Zimbabwean citizen, Tsitsi Chiliza, who was married to an ANC member was killed in a bomb hidden inside a TV set. It is believed that the bomb was meant for Jacob Zuma. Zimbabwe was an important area of operation for the ANC. This led to the apartheid government attacking ANC members living in Zimbabwe, regardless of whether they were South African or Zimbabwean. The bomb blasted the second floor of the building where Chiliza lived, but the other residents escaped injuries. Zimbabwe blamed South Africa for the attack but, predictably, South Africa denied they were behind it. The booby trapped TV was just one of many attacks aimed at ANC officials in Zimbabwe. In 1988, the ANC office in Zimbabwe was hit by a rocket. On another occasion a car bomb injured three ANC officials in Harare.