The Marabastad Riot, 1942

Abstract

On 28 December 1942 rioting broke out in Marabastad, Pretoria when a wage dispute between the municipality and its African labourers developed into violent confrontation. The South African Police, a contingent of the Union Defence Force and an unknown number of white civilians soon became involved. Although little damage was done to property, seventeen people were killed and numerous others were injured. This article traces the origins of the riot, explains the development of the dispute from a low-key issue through the fatal clash and the proceedings of a judicial commission of enquiry appointed to investigate events. It concludes that a complex concurrence of events led to the violence but that the primary cause was the ever-present hostility generated by group-anxiety in a racially and class differentiated society.