Deaths 4 Date 30 December 1993 | Non-fatal injuries Unknown Location Observatory, Cape Town | |
Perpetrators APLA operatives: Humphrey Luyanda Gqomfa, Vuyisile Brian Madasi and Zola Prince Mabala | ||
The Heidelberg Tavern massacre occurred in Observatory, Cape Town on 30 December 1993. Three Azanian People's Liberation Army (APLA) operatives entered the Heidelberg Tavern and opened fire on the crowd, killing four students.
Massacre
During the years of apartheid, Observatory was one of the few de facto "grey" suburbs where all races lived together. On the evening of 30 December 1993, three men entered a popular student venue on Station Road, called the Heidelberg Tavern and opened fire, killing four people and injuring five. The three APLA operatives - Humphrey Luyanda Gqomfa, Vuyisile Brian Madasi and Zola Prince Mabala - were convicted in November 1994 for what became known as the Heidelberg Massacre. On 16 July 1998, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission granted the three amnesty.