Vaal Triangle erupts in violence

Boipatong, Bophelong, Evaton, Sebokeng and Sharpeville, five Black townships in the area known as the Vaal Triangle exploded into what some have described as a 'smouldering human rage'. The catalyst for the violence was rent increases proposed by the Black-run town councils. Three township councillors, including the deputy mayor of the Vaal Triangle, Kuzwayo Jacob Dlamini, were killed in mob violence on this day. In the weeks following the killings five men and one woman who become internationally known as the "Sharpeville Six" , were tried, convicted and sentenced to hang for the killings. Click here to read an historical account of township violence during SA's transition years.