One long-term goal of apartheid in South Africa was to move blacks into independent “homelands”. A small percentage of South African land (13 percent) was divided into ten homeland states. Each state was destined to gradually self-govern and gain its independence from South Africa. Once a homeland gained its independence, the residents of that state would have their South African citizenship revoked, and replaced with a homeland citizenship. Blacks would no longer be citizens of South Africa, but “guest laborers” who merely worked in South Africa. In short, whites would be citizens, while a black person in South Africa would legally be considered a foreigner. This system allowed for whites, who were a shrinking minority, to retain control over the remaining 87 percent of South African land.

Ciskei was a “homeland” state for Xhosa-speaking people. In 1981 it became the fourth homeland to be declared independent by the South African government. In 1990, Joshua Oupa Gqozo ruled over Ciskei as a harsh dictator. In 1992, many of the legal foundations of apartheid in South Africa were being removed, and so the African National Congress (ANC) pressed for Ciskei to return to South Africa. Gqozo and other homeland leaders, content with their power, refused.

On this week in capitalism, the ANC organized a march to demand that Gqozo and his government step down and allow Ciskei to be re-absorbed into South Africa. There were around 50,000 people at the protest which was scheduled to march to the capital of Ciskei. However, when demonstrators started to cross the border into Ciskei they were indiscriminately fired upon by soldiers. 28 people were killed and hundreds more injured as two machine gun volleys and grenades caused demonstrators to run for their lives. Four men were shot in the back as they attempted to flee. The ANC released a statement saying that “No warning was issued, and no attempts were made to disperse the crowd using non-lethal means.”

Despite the massacre at the Ciskeian border, negotiations continued between the ANC and the president of South Africa. Gqozo refused to participate in the multiracial negotiations for a post-apartheid constitution. In 1994 Nelson Mandela, head of the ANC, became the first black President of South Africa. After the election, Ciskei and all other homeland states were re-absorbed.

source 1
source 2