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eventREF E-0082425Revised

Event record

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

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

Date
1 May 1989
Updated
30 Sep 2019
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.

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How we know this

  1. 01Vogelman L. Tribute:Remembering David Webster from CSVR [online] Available at: www.csvr.org.za[Accessed on 13 April 2012]
  2. 02Joburg Renaming of David Webster Park[online] Available at: www.joburg.org.za[Accessed on 13 April 2012]

Last updated · 30 Sep 2019

Cite this entry

South African History Online. (2012, April 25). Dr David Webster, a social anthropologist at Wits University and political activist, is shot dead outside his home . South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0082425

South African History Online (2012) 'Dr David Webster, a social anthropologist at Wits University and political activist, is shot dead outside his home ', South African History Online, 25 April. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0082425 (Accessed: 7 August 2026).

South African History Online, Dr David Webster, a social anthropologist at Wits University and political activist, is shot dead outside his home [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0082425, (accessed 7 August 2026).

"Dr David Webster, a social anthropologist at Wits University and political activist, is shot dead outside his home ." South African History Online, 25 Apr. 2012, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0082425. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026.

South African History Online. "Dr David Webster, a social anthropologist at Wits University and political activist, is shot dead outside his home ." South African History Online. April 25, 2012. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0082425.

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