The day Chris Hani was killed

wallace said:
I was a Sunday morning. What made you think of a dead terrorist after all this time?
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One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter!! AFAIK the score is Freedom fighters 1 Apartheid SA 0. The TRC, at great expense (i wonder just how much), exonerated lots of apatheid terrorists, such as PW Botha (a real dead terrorist) et al.

AFAIK Hani was renowned, like Madiba, for his forgiveness and change to more moderate politics. Correct me if i am wrong (which i am sure you will). Why kaaak on the poor sod's grave anyway?

I am not trying tio stir it here, just another slant on the same facts. Depends who writes the history n'est pas?
 
In 1993, I was 17yrs old it was just before my 17th birthday...TBH, I didnt know who he was, but my parents did. My parents tried to protect "shelter" us from alot that happened in the past. I knew that my parents had struggles...but it was only after Chris Hani's death that really, really opened my eyes...and knew the real struggles that my parent went thru.
 
skoob said:
In 1993, I was 17yrs old it was just before my 17th birthday...TBH, I didnt know who he was, but my parents did. My parents tried to protect "shelter" us from alot that happened in the past. I knew that my parents had struggles...but it was only after Chris Hani's death that really, really opened my eyes...and knew the real struggles that my parent went thru.
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We all went through a lot in the 70s and 80s. those of us who are white thought that we were right and the rest (of the world) disagreed. Propaganda is very powerful!

In retrospect it is easy to judge people and critisize their motivations. If the commies are offering support, weapons etc get on their bandwagon. Perrhaps in some cases it was a means to an end? Who knows?
 
Captain Slog said:
I am not trying tio stir it here, just another slant on the same facts. Depends who writes the history n'est pas?
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We live in such an information rich global community these days that anyone who wants to can write the history they choose and not just the victors.
 
Was studying at PTA photoschool at the time.

Got lots of journo type pics as most the marches to the Union Buildings went right past the campus. Mate of mine got pushed over by winnies bodyguards. Strange at the time the only real thing that effected us was a few guys from Boksburg couldn't get to the tech as the buses weren't running.
 
bwana said:
We live in such an information rich global community these days that anyone who wants to can write the history they choose and not just the victors.
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Sorry Bwana!

Depends who wrote the history you are reading, n'est pas?
 
Funny that that is the only line that inspired comment tho - guess that shows who's history is read around here!
 
Captain Slog said:
Funny that that is the only line that inspired comment tho - guess that shows who's history is read around here!
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South African history didnt feature highly on my school's northern hemispheric centric curriculum. :o
 
I remember on that sunday after the killing, a couple of us were driving to the rand show, and we drove into a very tense situation, some kind of stand off between anc and ifp close to the fnb stadium. Never had to change my shorts as often as I had to that day
 
Skeptik said:
I thought you would pop up here :p

True, a lot of the stories were suppressed from us, but our family had access to most news. We saw pictures of Mandela before most in our South Africa and read his writings. Hani never figured much. Biko also not. We also knew when an how Biko died and all the circumstances - not commonly known then.

... re. roses. Yes this appears to be a tribute thread spun off from another.
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Ignorance is indeed bliss!!:confused:
 
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I was a kid at the time, I had never heard of Chris Whatshisface back then :) I clearly remember being at my friends house when it was announced and his parents were overly shocked!!! like the sky was about to fall on our heads :) Strange how I remember that :/ I don't remember that much from my childhood.
 
Skeptik imo no-one is throwing roses on the guy's gave. Despite wha bwana says a lot of this history is inaccessible for various reasons. Chris Hani was an event for me, not a person... therefore no problem for me in having a hospital bearing his name.

Like I said before, I was 11 at the time and the day stood out for me. I remember my 13 year old stepbrother trying to convince parental units that it was not safe for him to be taken back to bording school at maritzburg college. We were told that if we were asked who we supported, ANC or IFP, that our answer must be 'I support peace'.
 
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The_Librarian said:
Assassinated, murdered, killed, doesn't matter.

I can remember that we were on vacation in the Lowveld, and on the day (or was it day after???) he was assassinated, we returned to civilization.

Driving alone by myself I was struck by an unnatural tension in the air, and wondered what was it all about...

Keep in mind there was no radio, television, cellphones or newspapers that time - we were cut off from the world at large.

Only when I watched the news that night did I realize what happened...
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I arrived in Hong Kong, on the same day, and it was all over the international news, scenes of rampage and carnage and rioting in Cape Town.
The news was talking chaos and all sorts of stuff, by the reports it sounded like the whole country was aflame. Usual overseas press hype.
Phoned home and was told "Its just a bit of rioting in the City, nothing we haven't had before"
Mind at ease enjoyed my holiday.
Other than that nothing.
 
I remember I was IN Dawn Park the day it happened, we were visiting family and decided to go to the Rand Easter Show for the day. When we got back, there was a lot of commotion in Dawn park and we only found out what happened when the news came on TV.

To think he was killed only a couple of blocks away.
 
Captain Slog said:
We all went through a lot in the 70s and 80s. those of us who are white thought that we were right and the rest (of the world) disagreed. Propaganda is very powerful!
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Speak for yourself; not all whites 'thought they we right.' In fact (in the end) most thought 'they' were wrong otherwise we wouldn't now have a 'democracy'.

In retrospect it is easy to judge people and critisize their motivations. If the commies are offering support, weapons etc get on their bandwagon. Perrhaps in some cases it was a means to an end? Who knows?
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Fighting a western ideology of entrenched poverty and discrimination (who can doubt motivations?) Commies were anti-capitalists: natural allies.

Skeptik said:
True, a lot of the stories were suppressed from us, but our family had access to most news. We saw pictures of Mandela before most in our South Africa and read his writings. Hani never figured much. Biko also not. We also knew when an how Biko died and all the circumstances - not commonly known then.
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Death of biko was widely reported locally; and the details (over a longer time.) The police ride. The abuse. The lack of medical care. One more nail in the coffin at that time.
 
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