Date 20 May 1987 Non-fatal injuries 15 | Deaths 3 police | |
Location Magistrate's court, Johannesburg, Transvaal Province modern day Gauteng Province Coordinates Ntemi Piliso St, CBD, Johannesburg, 2000, South Africa Perpetrators Hein Grosskopf member of the ANC's Umkhonto we Sizwe | ||
The Johannesburg Magistrate's Court Bombing took place on 20 May 1987 in Johannesburg, in the former Transvaal Province, now in Gauteng. The bombing is often referred to as a massacre in which 3 South African Police members died and a further 15 civilians were injured. Perpetrated by Hein Grosskopf of the ANC's Umkhonto we Sizwe para-military wing.
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Bombing
The massacre started with a limpet mine attack, then followed by a car bomb attack half an hour later and in total 3 South African Police members lost their lives and a further 15 civilians were injured.
Significance
According to historian Padraig O’Malley this bombing was notable among the various Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) operations due to the loss of life, according to his research hundreds of bombings and terrorist acts were committed with the vast majority having no fatalities. This could either be attributed to an increase in hostilities or an unfortunate accident.