Dr David Webster, a social anthropologist at Wits University and political activist, is shot dead outside his home

David Joseph Webster was born in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in 1945. He became involved in politics while studying at Rhodes University in Grahamstown in South Africa. He studied Anthropology at the University of Grahamstown and later went on to teach the subject at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits).   While studying at Rhodes University, Webster became involved in politics. He was active in the anti-apartheid movement, especially in the Detainees’ Parents’ Support Committee (DPSC). The aim of the committee was to support those who the apartheid government had detained without trial. Webster was gunned down outside his house by Ferdi Barnard on instruction of the Civil Cooperation Bureau, a  government agency. In 1992, Wits University named a new hall of residence for students after him.